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Click on the menu items above to find out lots of information about Leytonstone and local campaigns.
On this page you will find recent copies of the regular Residents' Report from your local Leytonstone Councillors, Clyde Loakes, Marie Pye, and Jenny Gray.
You can receive this email report directly, or respond to any issues, by emailing Clyde, Marie or Jenny.
9th June between 10am and 4pm- for competitions, story telling, ‘Animal Encounters’, face painting, badge making and lots more!
Come and explore the newly refurbished library and talk to staff about what you like and dislike about the new library and what else you would like to see at the library.
As many residents will be aware the excellent facilities at Leytonstone School for sports activities are now open to local residents in the evenings, weekends and school holidays. This includes a state-of-the-art gym, indoor and outdoor sports facilities including 5 a side football. If you're interested in joining you can contact the Sports Centre on 8998 7474 or e-mail them at sportscentre@LeytonstoneSchool.org. Hope to see you there.
Waltham Forest has become the latest London borough to achieve Fairtrade status and lend its support to disadvantaged farming communities in the developing world.
The people of Waltham Forest were presented with the borough’s Fairtrade Status Certificate at a special celebration in Leytonstone on Saturday 12 May. Guests speaking at the presentation include Leader of the Council, Cllr Clyde Loakes and Pat Howie, Chair of the Waltham Forest Fairtrade Campaign Group (WFFCG).
Waltham Forest is just the 12th London borough to gain Fairtrade recognition and the first in the north east of the capital, it underlines both the Council’s and the local community’s determination to support the principles of Fairtrade.
Now the Council has this status we will be working hard to promote, support and spread the idea of Fairtrade here and beyond our borough’s borders. Buying Fairtrade guarantees that producers in the developing world get a better deal. Fairtrade products bought directly from farmers at a price that covers the cost of production and an extra locally invested premium enable farmers and other producers to earn a decent livelihood and lift their families and communities out of poverty.
Clyde has been re-elected Leader of the Council, Marie will continue as the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Housing and Communities and Jenny will be continuing as Junior Cabinet Member for Arts and Culture.
Many of you may well of heard or read about issues regarding the future provision of school meals in the Borough. This coverage has not been accurate. We wanted to make sure that you have the full picture of what is being discussed – and to reassure you that the Council is committed to working with schools to ensure our children receive a hot, healthy and affordable meal at school every day. The following facts may be of particular interest-
• The Council has no plans to shut down the schools meals service;
• The Council provides these services to schools, as a contractor;
• For many years now, like many other school related matters, School Governing Bodies have had the responsibility for the provision of school meals, including content and the choice of supplier; and
• The Council is currently contracted by 70 of the Boroughs 80 schools and nurseries to provide school meals.
Pressures have begun to develop, over recent years for a number of reasons including; as a result of schools opting out - 10 schools have already opted out and have secured alternative providers and contracts; this includes 7 of our 16 secondary schools eg our larger schools-, changes in employment law- which have increased labour costs- and a reduction in the number of those taking school meals.
So since January we have been working with the schools to discuss the way forward.
Work has been undertaken to thin out and replant, with some more attractive and suitable planting, the flowerbeds around the tube station entrance from Grove Green Road.
Finally work has now begun on converting the old Jobcentre in Kirkdale Road, into the new Leytonstone Police Station. At the time of writing it is still expected that this new station will open later on this year, providing a modern station that can accommodate and support up to 6 Safer Neighbourhood Teams, as well as more traditional local policing activity. We’ll keep you posted on the opening details.
We are really pleased to see the building works at George Thomson School going ahead at a real pace. The new bike shed is already in place and looking really good. We hope that this will encourage older children to cycle to school. The other works will improve the arrangements for evacuating children in the event of any emergencies and look like they will be finished very soon.
At last the ballot has been launched and businesses in Leytonstone are busy being canvassed for their support for this much talked about scheme. Voting commenced on 21st May and will end on 18th June.
As mentioned in previous RR, if 51% of businesses voting vote ‘yes’ then 1% will be added to their business rates, which will be handed over to the Leytonstone BID Board. The Board have already identified a number of projects on which to spend the anticipated £55k plus a year, these form the core of their ‘manifesto’.
Nearly 300 businesses are being canvassed and are broken down into the following sectors, BID levy payable from that sector and % of the total BID income.
Sector No BID Levy Payable % of BID Levy Income
Retail 165 £30,790 59%
Rest & Cafes 27 £3,762.50 7.2%
Pubs 8 £4,527 8.7% Banks 5 £501 0.9%
Office 43 £9,041 17.4%
Others 40 £3,378.75 6.8%
Whilst visiting your local shops in Leytonstone Town Centre why not remind them to vote in support of the BID?
…….and over to you!
Don’t forget if there is anything you want us to know, if there is anything we can help you with, then please let us know. Don’t forget if you have neighbours, friends or family who want to receive this RR then please send their e-mail address to us.
Thank you for your time and we hope we’ll see you soon!
Cheers