LBWF

LBWF councillors: what do they do, and is it value for money? An update.

In essence, the relationship between residents and councillors is an informal contract. Residents agree to pay councillors from the public purse For their part, councillors, amongst other things, attend (and in some cases chair) council meetings; read and digest the associated minutes and papers; promote the interests of those who live in their wards, or at least make sure they are not left behind... »

LBWF councillors: what do they do, and is it value for money?

What is it that LBWF councillors do? Are they proficient or laggard? And can it be said, given that they are paid via allowances from the public purse, that residents get value for money? This post looks at some of the evidence dispassionately. It does not pretend to be definitive, for reasons that will become clear, merely an introduction to what hopefully will be a longer debate. It should be sa... »

Health inequalities by ward in Waltham Forest: an investigation in eight acts

Prologue In the early 2000s, it was often noted that health in Waltham Forest varied noticeably from ward to ward. For example, the Primary Health Trust’s Public Health Report 2003/04 included the following graphic: What this showed, to take one example, was that men and women in Cann Hall at that date were likely to die 5.3 years and 4.4 years earlier that their equivalents in Endlebury. Fo... »

LBWF old boy Daniel Fenwick makes the news in Newham

This week’s Private Eye has some disquieting news about LBWF old boy Daniel Fenwick, now working for Newham, see ‘Truth Will Doubt’, below: Many will remember then LBWF Director and Governance Mr. Fenwick fondly as a stout defender of his employer’s interests. He worked for LBWF at a time when the authority had its fair share of scandals – the Better Neighbourhoods In... »

Cllr. Limbajee, Cllr. Mbachu, their register of interests forms, and LBWF’s Director of Governance and Law Mark Hynes: the controversy continues

The controversy over the register of interests forms posted by Cllrs. Khevyn Limbajee and Anna Mbachu, covered by this blog recently, is mushrooming, with even the officer in charge of enforcing the rules, LBWF Director of Governance and Law Mark Hynes, apparently struggling. Let’s take Cllr. Mbachu first, because her case is fairly straightforward. It will be remembered that she has been a ... »

Mark Hynes, LBWF Director of Governance and Law, cracks the whip

Against the background of the ongoing controversy about Cllr. Anna Mbachu’s Register of Interests form, LBWF Director of Governance and Law Mark Hynes has circulated the following missive to councillors: ‘Dear Councillor, I am writing to remind you that if you own property in the borough that you let out, you must include address details in section 6 of your Register of Interests (RoI). In a... »

London Borough of Waltham Forest:  ‘a property empire with a sideline in local government’?*

In March 2016, then portfolio holder for economic growth and high streets, now Group Leader, Clare Coghill travelled to Cannes in the company of LBWF CEO Martin Esom and ‘Assistant Director, Investment and Delivery’ Jonathan Martin, to attend Marché International des Professionnels de l’Immobilier (MIPIM), ‘the world’s leading real estate event for property professionals’. Their mission? To sell i... »

Chris Robbins: in memoriam UPDATED

EduAction: www.walthamforestmatters.org.uk/2015/02/10/down-memory-lane-2-nrf-eduaction-and-an-open-letter-to-cllr-chris-robbins/ Town Hall ‘culture’: www.walthamforestmatters.org.uk/2015/03/09/the-independent-panel-report-it-has-been-impossible-to-find-any-individual-within-the-council-itself-who-understands-what-was-contracted-and-what-has-been-delivered-for-the-money Worknet www.walt... »

Education round-up: worrying developments at Davies Lane and George Tomlinson

In previous posts, I’ve looked at some of the worrying developments that are occurring in relation to the governance of Waltham Forest schools. Now word reaches me of two further instances which set alarm bells ringing. Davies Lane Primary School recently was taken over by the Arbor Academy Trust. Almost simultaneously, the governors took the decision to dismiss NUT representative Tobias Hay... »

LBWF’s perfidies in microcosm

A couple of weeks ago, one of my neighbours showed me the letter pasted below. The story it relates to begins some months ago. LBWF announced that it wanted to place a cycle storage pod in Odessa Rd., and contacted 100 households living on both sides of the road near the proposed site in order to get their response. As the letter reveals, 12 households replied, and of those, the (albeit narrow) ma... »

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