A note for readers…
This is a personal blog, which aims to scrutinise the powers that be in Waltham Forest, from the Council (hereafter London Borough of Waltham Forest or LBWF), both elected members and staff; to our MP... »
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Waltham Forest Labour and democratic debate in the neighbourhoods
Some years ago, the average resident of Cann Hall (where I live) who aspired to have a say in how the neighbourhood developed could do so via the local ward forum, and also the Leytonstone Community C... »
Cllr. Tim Bennett-Goodman resigns the Labour Whip
Word reaches me that Cllr. Tim Bennett-Goodman has resigned the Labour Whip, for reasons spelt out in his letter, below. It is a sad day for the Labour Party. Prior to becoming a councillor, Tim Benne... »
STOP PRESS: the E11 BID Co. heads towards being struck off
According to a document made public at Companies House, reproduced below, the E11 BID Co. is now threatened with being compulsorily struck off and dissolved. This blog has covered the troubled and tro... »
Cllr. Ahsan Khan and a Mayoral reception to honour ‘a friend of mine’ UPDATED
Browsing YouTube at the weekend, I was amused to come across this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9fLay0VLbE It is a short film shot in the Town Hall, at which Waltham Forest’s Mayor honours a... »
LBWF Leader Chris Robbins and Syrian refugees: the same old same old
Back in October 2015, the Leader of LBWF, Cllr. Chris Robbins, went public with a pledge to house Syrian refugees. The Waltham Forest Guardian story started with his picture in large format – &#... »
Ex-mayor Cllr. Saima Mahmud and her ‘receptions to honour’ at the Town Hall
The recent fuss about Cllr. Ahsan Khan has revealed that the 2015-16 Mayor, Cllr. Saima Mahmud, habitually hosted receptions in the Town Hall, at which supposedly distinguished visitors were honoured ... »
‘Cllr. Khan cleared’ shock, and other Labour Party witterings
In what surely must be the biggest surprise since Leicester won the Premiership, it appears that barrister Jonathan Auburn’s no doubt thorough review has cleared Cllr. Ahsan Khan of any wrongdoing, an... »
LBWF Chief Executive Martin Esom responds to my questions re the Cllr. Ahsan Khan affair
I post Mr. Esom’s responses below. Much of what he writes is self-evidently vague, and seems to have been written with the explicit aim of avoiding giving anything away, hardly appropriate in the ligh... »
Waltham Forest Labour and anti-semitism (1)
The Waltham Forest Guardian is reporting that the Labour Party has suspended Walthamstow activist David Watson, with a statement reading: ‘“An individual member of Walthamstow Labour Party has been su... »
John Cryer MP’s lacklustre Parliamentary record UPDATED
I have periodically joked that, so rarely is John Cryer seen or heard locally, he must love his sleep. Now the website They Work For You provides some hard data to chew upon, and largely confirms my s... »