Harrow Green Library – latest news

Can you help this community project?

Harrow Green Library - now axed Local campaigners fought hard to save Harrow Green Library as it is, with paid staff and current opening hours. Regrettably the council refused to change their plans.

The residents therefore intend to run it themselves. A lot of volunteers will be needed.

Would you like to help? Even a couple of hours a week would be invaluable. You don’t need experience. Training will be arranged.

If you would like to volunteer, please write to: 15 Matcham Road, E11 3LE. You can also contact the group at helpharrowgreen@hotmail.co.uk or telephone 07930 634210. Please give the following details:

Your name
Postal address, including postcode
Email (if any)
Land-line phone (if any)
Mobile phone (if any)

Local Police Stations not open 24 hours

The only Police station open 24 hours in Waltham Forest is Chingford. The others are closed most of the early hours.

The following are the opening times of Waltham Forest Police stations Monday to Sunday:

Chingford – 24 hours
Leyton – 0700 – 0300
Walthamstow – 0700 – 0300
Town Centre office – Tuesday – Saturday 1000-1800
Waltham House (Leytonstone) – 0700 – 1900

Remember – In an emergency you need to phone 999

Cann Hall Safer Neighbourhood Police Team

Avoid Being A Victim of Crime

Cann Hall’s Safer Neighbourhood Police Team is putting leaflets on cars in areas in our ward that have been targeted by criminals stealing from motor vehicles.

They are reminding residents to ensure that NO VALUABLES are left on display in your vehicles and it is not prudent to put them in the glove box.

Police priorities for the next 3 months

Focus Team member Councillor Liz Phillips attended the Cann Hall Police Forum meeting where residents receive local crime figures for the last 3 months. At the end of the meeting residents vote on the new priorities that they want the local police team to work on for the next 3 months.

They are:

1) Anti-Social Behaviour.

2) Motor Vehicle Crime

3) Burglary.

Street Trees

Councillor Liz Phillips has received numerous complaints about large trees in their streets causing problems to residents homes.

The council’s Environment department has informed Liz that Cann Hall’s trees are pruned every 3 years on a running programme.

Malvern, Newcomen and Hesketh roads have problems with over hanging but the council has only agreed to do Malvern Road as soon as the leaves have fallen.

20mph signs in Cann Hall Road

Focus have been receiving reports that since the Council decided to take out the road calming measures in Cann Hall road, the car speeds have increased.

Cllr Liz Phillips has asked the Council to re-instate the large red 20mph signs on the road, reminding drivers that we have 2 large primary and 1 secondary school in this area of Cann Hall and to cut their speed.

Winchelsea Road

Focus has had complaints once again about a business in Winchelsea Road keeping anti-social hours and working on their vehicles in the street.

Councillor Liz Phillips has contacted the council’s Enforcement Officers who will be visiting this business to remind them about the laws relating to these premises.

Are YOU on the Electoral Register?

On 3rd May 2012 we go to vote for the Greater London Assembly and the London Mayor.

In order to vote you need to be on the Electoral Register. The new issue is due to be published on 1st December 2011.

You should have been able to check the register at your local library – but the Labour party has closed it down!!

If you want to check if you are on it, contact Clyde Kitson and he will let you know. Clyde’s contact details are on the Focus Team page.

Bin Swap

In a recent survey in Cann Hall many local residents with large refuse and recycling bins said they wanted small bins – and vice versa – some with small bins wanted large.

Unfortunately Waltham Forest has run out of bins and so can’t provide them.

The Focus Team has decided to set up a bin swap scheme for both types of bin. You can telephone, write or email Clyde Kitson (contact details on the Focus Team page) and let him know which type of bin you want to swap and he will try to fix you up with a swap partner. Clyde has already swapped his large recycling bin for a small one. He now wants to swap his large refuse bin.

Can we suggest that you make sure that your bin is clean when you swap it?

Shame on You!

Labour run Waltham Forest Council voted to close down Harrow Green Library on 2nd December 2011.

All the Labour councillors voted, en masse, for the closure. This i9ncluded Cann Hall’s two Labour councillors. They did this despite the fact that well over 5,000 local residents signed petitions, one carried out by the local Liberal Democrats, to keep it open.

It is quite clear that our two Labour councillors obey Labour Party diktat rather than the views of the people they represent, Shame on them!

Liberal Democrat Focus Team member Clyde Kitson said: “The statistic that struck me most was that 50% of the library users are local children. My main reason for doing the petition was for them and their future”.

Labour Council ignores residents and closes Harrow Green Library

Last Thursday the Labour Council voted to close down Harrow Green Library. Residents had raised a petition of over 5,000 signatures and local Lib Dems had also raised a petition of over 1,1000 signatures to save the library.

Despite these petitions, fierce local residents’ opposition to the proposal and impassioned speeches, Labour Councillors voted to close the Library. The Tories abstained and the Liberal Democrats were the only party to vote against the closure. Even local Labour Councillors, whose residents had campaigned to stop the closure, voted to shut down Harrow Green Library.

Local Lib Dem Cann Hall Ward Councillor Liz Phillips, who has been leading the campaign in the council said:

“Local residents worked hard on this issue and took time out of their day to come and speak in the debate in good faith, only to find that the Labour Party had stitched up the result in advance.

“I’m not surprised that some residents walked out in disgust. Labour has refused to listen to local residents all along and this council meeting was no different.

“The Labour councillors can’t use a cut in the budget to hide the fact that it is them who are closing down our local library.”

The closure was based on the widely criticised libraries’ review and despite the consultation process, two petitions and recommendations from the council’s own scrutiny panel that no libraries needed to close, the Labour leadership refused to change course.

Lib Dem Leader Councillor Bob Sullivan said:

“The Libraries’ Review has been widely criticised and appears to have been a foregone conclusion from the start.

“The questions asked in the consultation were clearly misleading. For example, residents were asked if they would like their library to start opening on Sundays, but weren’t asked if they minded other libraries closing for this to be achieved.

“Of course residents suggest improved services, but if they knew that the council were robbing Harrow Green to pay for those services I believe they would think again.