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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Town Hall asbestos: now John Cryer MP comments, well sort of
In his March 2015 E-bulletin, the somnolent MP for Leyton and Wanstead John Cryer comments as follows: ‘I was troubled by some reports which have surfaced online about how Waltham Forest Council... »
Town Hall asbestos: LBWF comments, at last: UPDATED
Stop press: Mr Fenwick provides a full reply to our e-mail of 20 March 2015. 26 March 2015 ‘Dear Mr Tiratsoo, Thank you for your email. Its contents are noted. The Council has provided a ... »
Tower Hamlets, again
Great story over at Love Wapping about Tower Hamlets Council and lunch clubs: http://lovewapping.org/2015/03/councillor-maium-miah-tower-hamlets-lunch-clubs/ »
Documenting Past Failures: (10) LBWF and Worknet: a tale of underperformance, failure, and the betrayal of local people
Between 2008 and 2014, LBWF operated Worknet, a multi-million pound programme, funded from London and central government sources, delivered by outside ‘partners’, and aimed at helping loca... »
Town Hall asbestos: LBWF comments, at last
On 27 January 2015, Trevor Calver and I called for LBWF Chief Executive Martin Esom to resign over the Town Hall asbestos affair. Here is the correspondence that followed in date order, beginning at t... »
Documenting Past Failures: (9) the collapse of LBWF’s pet charity, O-Regen
The registered charity O-Regen was set-up in 1997 as part of the redevelopment of Cathall estate, and charged with running community facilities in the south of the borough together with various progra... »
Documenting Past Failures: (8) the self-defeating silence of Councillor Marie Pye
Shortly after the Independent Panel report, I attended a Community Council meeting, and heard Cllr. Marie Pye vociferously denying any responsibility for the NRF/BNI fiasco. So I wrote her an open let... »
‘Forget the homeless, what about the coffee drinkers?’ LBWF v. The Christian Kitchen (Part 1): Councillor Terry Wheeler makes a stand
A local correspondent writes as follows: ‘Waltham Forest Council is big on celebrating its own perceived achievements and spending our money to do so. You would think that having a local charity... »
Waltham Forest Pool and Track, again
Reporting on Tuesday’s planning committee meeting, Amanda Connolly writes: ‘Last night we had a great turnout at the Pool and Track Application. We had 12 articulate, emotional and compell... »
Documenting Past Failures: (7) The Independent Panel and a ‘scathing’ report on LBWF’s ‘deep-rooted culture of non-compliance with procedures to prevent fraud’.
In mid-2009, the crisis around the BNI finally came to a head. The Council had spent c. £116,000 on a series of seven or eight disparate inquiries into the programme, (Waltham Forest Guardian, 17 June... »