Keep Warm in winter – top tips

Look after your boiler – Central heating boilers should be checked and serviced at least once a year by a Gas Safe Registered engineer to ensure they remain safe and efficient.

Reduce draughts – Check the weather-stripping on your windows and seal your doors to keep heat from escaping. At night, close your curtains to help insulate your windows against heat loss.

Open your curtains during daylight hours – to let the sun’s natural warmth in.

Bleed radiators – If you notice that a radiator is warm at the bottom but cool at the top, this could mean that there is air in the system, which prevents the warm circulating water from reaching the top of the radiator.

Top up your loft insulation – Heat rises, and in an uninsulated home a quarter of the heat is lost through the roof. The latest government guidelines recommend 270mm (11”) for insulation thickness which means if you live in a property that’s older than 10 years of age; it’s probably ready for a top up.

Turn down the thermostat – Turning down your room thermostat by one degree could save you around £65 a year!

Radiators are not washing lines – hanging clothes on radiators means that you’re stopping the heat from getting to the rest of the room.

Do not heat empty rooms – Only switch radiators on in rooms that you use. Make sure you shut the doors, though, to keep the rest of the house warm.

Compare suppliers – Compare the various offers from energy companies to identify a cheaper tariff.

 

Cann Hall FOCUS Newsletter 263

The latest edition of the popular Cann Hall Ward FOCUS Newsletter has just gone to press.

It will be distributed free of charge across the ward.

Please contact Clyde Kitson on 8534 2947 if you wuld like to help deliver the Newsletter near your home. It comes out every six weeks and a round usually takes about 45 minutes. Thank you.

You can see an advance copy here: Cann Hall 263

Cann Hall FOCUS Newsletter 262

The latest edition of the popular Cann Hall Ward FOCUS Newsletter has just gone to press.

It will be distributed free of charge across the ward.

Please contact Clyde Kitson on 8534 2947 if you wuld like to help deliver the Newsletter near your home. It comes out every six weeks and a round usually takes about 45 minutes. Thank you.

You can see an advance copy here: Cann Hall 262

 

LEYTONSTONE FIRE STATION – update

Leytonstone Fire Station

The London Fire Brigade has advised that there are no plans to permanently close Leytonstone Fire Station.

It is one  of nine fire stations to be rebuilt as part of a PFI project. The work of demolition and rebuild of the existing station will start in late 2014.

During the rebuild process the fire engines will be relocated to Woodford and Walthamstow fire stations.

Local residents will be informed before any works commence.

Cann Hall FOCUS Newsletter 261

The latest edition of the regular Cann Hall FOCUS Newsletter has just gone to press.

It will be delivered, as usual, by our team of volunteers free of charge across Cann Hall.

Please call Clyde Kitson on 8534 2947, if you would like to help deliver FOCUS in a street near your home. It is published every 6 weeks and a round usually takes about 45 minutes.

You can see an advance copy here: Cann Hall 261

Cann Hall Ward FOCUS Newsletter 260

The latest edition of the popular Cann Hall FOCUS Newsletter has just come from the printers, and will be delivered across the ward, free of charge. by our team of volunteers.

FOCUS is published every 6 weeks, and a round usually takes about 45 minutes.

If you would like to help deliver FOCUS near your home, please contact Clyde Kitson on 8534 2947.

You can access a copy here: Cann Hall 260

PRESS RELEASE: 75% OF COUNCIL WORKERS EARN LESS THAN BENEFITS CAP!

75% of council workers earn less than the benefits cap – Councillor Farooq Qureshi

Following the debate on the coalition welfare reforms at last Thursday’s council meeting, it has emerged that 75% of council staff earn less than the £26,000 benefits cap.

The figures, which exclude those working for schools in the Borough, show that only 25% of council workers earn more than the £35,000 that someone would need to earn to take home £26,000.

At the meeting Labour claimed the cap was a ‘London living tax’ and was unfairly penalising London residents.

Lib Dem Deputy Group Leader Councillor Farooq Qureshi said:

“The welfare reforms are extremely difficult for some people in our Borough and as councillors we are on the front line of trying to help them.

“But Labour’s claim that this is a “London living tax” just aren’t credible when the majority of council workers take home less in their pay packets.”

“The Labour Party are quick to campaign against the welfare reforms but refuse to put forward any alternatives. Ed Miliband supports capping welfare spending, so where will Labour’s cuts come from?”

PRESS RELEASE: NEW COMMITTEES SHOULD NOT MEAN ANOTHER £12,000 IN COUNCILLOR ALLOWANCES

New committees should not mean another £12,000 in allowances for councillors – Cllr Bob Sullivan

 

On Thursday the Liberal Democrat group voted against proposals that would mean more special responsibility allowances for councillors.

Lib Dems criticised the Labour group for using scrutiny politically to avoid any real scrutiny of council policies, whilst at the same time awarding  themselves more money.

The Labour council are splitting the health and adults committee into two new committees that will focus separately on public health and adults services.

They are creating two additional paid positions for their members who will take the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee, who will get an extra £8,000 and £4,000 respectively on top of the £10,000 a year they earn as councillors.

Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Bob Sullivan said:

 

“Labour are just creating more paid positions to reward their members. The current proposal could mean £12,000 in extra costs to Waltham Forest council tax payers.”

“There are a lot of ways Labour could ensure this doesn’t cost more money: Either by cutting these allowances across the council or by sharing the existing allowances for the old committee across the two new ones.

“Labour councillors should stop trying to hide their failures by stuffing committees full of their own members.

“They should be taking responsibility over their failures over jobs in this Borough and cutting their ‘special responsibility allowances’ rather than giving themselves more allowances.”