August 25th, 2010 by Mark Rusling

The Conservative-Lib Dem government’s emergency budget will hit poorest households in wards like Hoe Street harder than it will hit richer households. The leading independent think-tank, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, has analysed the budget’s tax and benefit changes and found that low income families with children will lose the most from the government’s decisions. Cuts to housing benefit, disability allowance and tax credits will take nearly £500 from the poorest families.

The IFS noted that the measures within the budget which were fair were those introduced by the outgoing Labour government. The decisions taken by Conservative and Liberal Democrat Minsters have targeted cuts at the poorest – those least able to afford them. The report concluded: “Low-income households of working age lose the most as a proportion of income from the tax and benefit reforms announced in the emergency Budget”.

We do not dispute that savings have to be made. However, the decisions taken by the Tory-Lib Dem government to cut early and deep are choices, not necessities. The Tories and Lib Dems have chosen to target the cuts at the poorest in society. The government did not have to cut in this way – it is their choice. These are not choices that Labour would have taken.

The decisions to cut in this way will hit our borough hard – no more free swimming, an ending of Labour’s massive school building programme (which led to the fantastic Walthamstow School for Girls in our ward), no more park renovation (which would have re-built Wingfield Park). The list goes on.

We will continue to work for the people in Waltham Forest, but it won’t be easy – most of our funding comes from central government. The government’s choices have targeted poorer boroughs such as our own – when we don’t receive the money, we can’t spend it. However, we will always make our choices in a fair way - a way that has not been chosen by the Tory-Lib Dem government.

April 11th, 2010 by Mark Rusling

Today we launched Labour’s manifesto for the Council elections next month. Climate Secretary, Ed Miliband MP and Minister for London, Tessa Jowell MP joined council candidates and Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy, at the Lloyds Park Childrens Centre.

The manifesto contains pledges on streets, parking, council tax, children, the environment and our community. For a copy, please contact us.

February 22nd, 2010 by Mark Rusling

Talking to residents on Byron and Browns Roads this weekend, it’s clear that Labour’s parking pledge is popular. Many of you are worried about parking charges for residents and we have pledged to reduce residents’ charges to £30 and provide free visitors permits if we win control of the council in May. We will also be looking at the current residents’ parking schemes in the ward to see if we can improve the way they work for you.

Let us know if you have views on how we could improve parking in Hoe Street ward.

January 31st, 2010 by Mark Rusling

Over the last six months, Saima, Ahsan and I have knocked on every door in Hoe Street ward. We have listened to your concerns and views of where we are working well and where we could do better. We are putting together the Labour manifesto for the council elections at the moment and I think we’ve got some pretty strong policies.

We will be reducing residents’ parking fees and will be offering more free visitors’ permits. This will help everybody who has friends and family visiting them, even if you don’t own a car yourself.

We are pledging £500,000 extra for street cleaning. We know that the streets in Walthamstow can be filthy – street cleaning is a Liberal Democrat responsibility, and it is one that they don’t live up to. The extra money won’t go to Kier – it will go directly into improving services for our residents.

There will also be more money to combat attack dogs in the ward, and we are starting to build council housing for the first time since 1981.

So, good news for people in the ward – but you have to vote Labour for us to implement it! Let us know what you think – our contact details are on this website.