Places that have closed since 2003:
• Crownfield Road Day Centre
• Titley Close Children’s Centre
• Epsom Road Children’s Centre
• Edith Pearson Lodge Elderly Persons Home
• Francis House Elderly Peoples Home
• South Chingford Library
• Harrow Green Library
• Connexions, Careers and most of the Youth Service
• Chingford Municipal Offices
• Silver Birch House
• Leyton Town Hall
• Local Social Services Offices – 604 High Road, Crownfield Road, York Road, Billet Road, Church Hill and Hatch Lane
Jobs:
• 700 posts deleted – something like 500 redundancies (compulsory and voluntary)
• In order to take voluntary redundancy you have to be in a deleted post and be facing potential compulsory redundancy (i.e. not quite as voluntary as the term implies)
• In July 2012 Waltham Forest Council directly employed 3,559 staff. Today it employs 2,847 – a loss of 712 employees or a 20% cut
Housing:
• 32 private rented (was 18% in 2001)
• 22% social housing – half council, half housing associations
• In 2011 Waltham Forest had an estimated local authority-owned stock of 10,365 dwellings (25% decrease from 2000)
Redefining Waltham Forest (the council’s ‘financial strategy’):
• Document states: “It is envisaged that firm proposals in all the major programme theme areas will be available from June 2014 onwards. In the meantime the responsible officers for those themes (members of Management Board) will be preparing the business cases for the programme which will be complete by January/February 2014. The overarching business case will identify financial targets for each of the seven theme areas which should equate to the overall funding gap in 2016/17. Once approved, work will then proceed on defining the proposals and work programme for each of the themes”
• There have been £40 million of cuts from the council so far
• Elections come one month before the release of the ‘details” – Labour will not want to talk about these details in the run up to the election, we can make them by standing
The gravy train:
• In the past councillors worked in day jobs and did council work and meetings in the evenings – now you can earn a good living sitting on council or on various quangos – no wonder they don’t rock the boat
Basic allowance-
£10,000 All members in addition to special responsibility allowance if applicable
Special responsibility allowance
£40,000 Leader of the Council
£21,000 Cabinet Members x 7
£16,000 Leader of the Opposition Party; Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee
£8,000 Junior Cabinet Members, Chair of Planning Committee, Chair of Licensing Committee, Vice-Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee, Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny Management sub-committees, Council Chief Whip.
£4,000 Chair of Audit and Governance Committee, Chair of Pensions Fund Committee, Chair of Transport Liaison Consultative Group, Vice-Chair of Planning Committee, Vice-Chair of Licensing Committee, Main Opposition Chief Whip, Third Party Leader
£684 Independent co-opted member of Audit and Governance Committee
Rent Control in Waltham Forest: Vote TUSC 