Cllr. Clare Coghill

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

August 2, 2017 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Fred Wigg and John Walsh Towers, LBWF, Redevelopment, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

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 investment opportunities in Waltham Forest to the assembled movers and shakers. No record exists as to whether Cllr. Coghill et al. were successful, but it is surely significant that subsequently they ... »

, , , , ,

Cllr. Liaquat Ali’s new Cabinet role: a square peg in a round hole?

June 28, 2017 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Cllr. Liaquat Ali, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

A couple of weeks ago, the incoming LBWF Leader Clare Coghill announced her first Cabinet, and one of the most notable developments is that she has moved Cllr. Liaquat Ali MBE JP from the community safety portfolio to take on ‘Transformation and Commercial Operations’, covering everything from ‘digital and smart technology’, via ‘revenues and benefits’, and ‘civil contingencies’, to ‘financial sustainability’. This is self-evidently an exacting and complex brief, requiring detailed technical expertise, and it is reasonable to ask whether Cllr. Ali is an appropriate appointment. It needs to be ... »

, ,

Council Leader Clare Coghill, trader Asghar Jilow, and the controversy over Walthamstow Street Market

June 12, 2017 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Mini Holland

In recent months, there has been a good deal of controversy about the future of Walthamstow’s famous street market and the shops that surround it. LBWF is involved in a strategic review, but many traders remain unimpressed, arguing that this is pointless because it fails to address two debilitating problems, which they believe are Mini-Holland and the authorities’ failure to clamp down on crime and ant-social behaviour. One trader, Asghar Jilow, has been especially vocal, and I reproduce below (with permission) some of his correspondence with the new LBWF Leader, Cllr. Clare Coghill. What is p... »

,

STOP PRESS: Coghill replaces Robbins as Labour Group Leader

January 6, 2017 Cllr. Chris Robbins, Cllr. Clare Coghill, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest, Waltham Forest Labour Party

Labour councillors have just completed voting for their new Group Leader, and the results are as follows: Clare Coghill 30 Nadeem Ali 9 Gerry Lyons 1 Two of those eligible to vote did not attend (one was away, one sick) while another is currently suspended. It is said that Gerry Lyons’ single vote was cast by….Gerry Lyons. Amusement aside, however, it will be interesting to see what if any changes Cllr. Coghill now institutes. Will she act on her ‘little list’? Will there be a ‘new direction’? Or is she, as some have suggested, simply a more human face for t... »

, ,

Cllr. Clare Coghill and her ‘little list’

November 16, 2016 Cllr. Chris Robbins, Cllr. Saima Mahmud, Cllr. Shabana Dhedi/Qadir, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

Politicians who brandish ‘little lists’ seem more prone than most to getting into trouble. The prime example is of course one-time Minister Peter Lilley, who pulled this trick in a speech at the 1992 Conservative conference, received widespread opprobrium, and then disappeared into obscurity. Now Labour Councillor Clare Coghill – thought to be Leader Chris Robbins’ choice as his successor – may be in danger of reaping the same whirlwind. The scene is a jolly gathering of comrades at a local hostelry. Cllr. Coghill holds court. The conversation turns to the future, and how the Labour Grou... »

, , , ,