June 12th, 2011 by Mark Rusling

Residents in the south of the ward will recently have received a letter from the council asking them whether they want controlled parking in their streets. We encouraged all residents to make their views known, as we received strong opinions for and against a residents’ parking zone. We consulted because we wanted to make sure that all residents had the opportunity to contribute to the decision.

In the Hoe Street part of the consultation, 55% of people who responded were in favour of controlled parking in their streets, on a turnout of 28% of eligible residents. Compared with similar consultations in other boroughs, this is a very good response rate.

Residents in Wood Street ward were mainly against controlled parking in their streets, so the Waltham Forest Cabinet is proposing to introduce residents’ parking in the streets in Hoe Street ward but not in Wood Street ward. Not all of Grove Road or Lea Bridge Road will be included, as residents in some parts of those roads voted overwhelmingly against the plan.

A few streets within the proposed zone did not vote in favour but have been included as, otherwise, the spillover effect from the controlled zone would make parking in those streets impossible for residents. Officers will be looking into plans for some 15 minute free bays for shoppers, and also some free bays for visitors to the sheltered accommodation within the zone.

The council has introduced the residents’ parking zone because most residents wanted it and voted in favour of it. Where residents overwhelmingly voted against the plans, the council has not introduced the scheme. Unfortunately, the number of cars in the borough exceeds the number of parking places, so schemes like this are sometimes necessary to allow residents to park in their own streets.

As part of our manifesto for last year’s election, we reduced the cost of a parking permit from £45 to £30 to make things easier for residents. At the same time, Tory-run Barnet have increased their fees from £42 to £100 and scrapped free bays.

May 13th, 2011 by Mark Rusling

There are clearly strong views for and against residents’ parking zones in the south of the ward. That is why the council is consulting on whether the scheme should be implemented – and why the council is putting it to the vote. The vote is of residents, not of councillors or council officers. If you live in the proposed zone, you get a vote; if you don’t, you don’t get a vote.

The scheme will be based on residents’ wishes. If the majority of residents in an area vote yes, they will get a controlled parking zone in their area. If the majority of residents vote no, they will not get a controlled parking zone in their area. The decision is yours.

We believe that this is the fairest, most democratic, way of deciding this issue. We will abide by your wishes, but we want the decisions to be based on the largest possible numbers of residents voting. So, you have until Monday 16th May – return those forms to the council!

May 9th, 2011 by Mark Rusling

The council is currently consulting on whether to introduce new residents-only parking zones within Hoe Street ward. Find out if your road is included by checking this map.

All properties within the affected areas should have received the consultation documents. If you are in the area and have not received copies, contact us, or click here for an electronic version. You have until 16 May to respond with your views.

The council will only impose a controlled parking zone where a majority of residents are in favour. So, residents get the chance to decide for themselves how their street should be managed. If you want residents-only parking in your street, you will get it; if not, you won’t!

March 15th, 2010 by Mark Rusling

Parking is the key issue on East Avenue, Folkestone Road, St Mary’s Road and Stainforth Road. We were out talking to residents on those roads yesterday and that’s what everyone was telling us.

We are looking into ways of making the parking situation easier for you – maybe residents’ parking zones at different times of day? We have also pledged to reduce the price of residents’ parking permits from £45 to £30 and to hand out free visitors’ permits for certain groups of residents. We are listening to you – and the only way to do this is by knocking on doors to speak with residents. Merely handing out leaflets is no substitute for this. Let us know if there is more we could do.

March 11th, 2010 by Mark Rusling

Some residents may have received a Lib Dem leaflet addressed to “Hoe Steet” ward over the weekend. The leaflet claims that Labour councillors want to turn the EMD cinema into a church. This is untrue – Labour councillors in Hoe Street are working to re-open the cinema. Don’t take our word for it – check out the McGuffin Film Society website: http://mcguffinfilmsociety.wordpress.com/councillor-watch/ and scroll down to Hoe Street ward.

The leaflet also suggests that Labour is planning to increase parking charges. Again, this is untrue. As we have stated many times on this website, we have pledged to reduce residents’ parking permits to £30 and provide free visitors’ permits.

We believe in being positive and up-front with residents, which is only fair, as we are asking you to vote for us! That’s why we have knocked on every door in the ward since August and we are starting again now - we feel that it is important for candidates to talk with residents directly rather than simply handing them a flyer. 

We will not misrepresent our own policies, or those of our opponents. By listening to your concerns and explaining our policies, we hope to represent you better in the council chamber. Handing out misleading leaflets at election time is no substitute for holding a conversation with residents all year round.

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.

February 6th, 2010 by Mark Rusling

Today we were in Fraser, Merton and College Roads, talking to residents about the difficulties they are having parking near their houses. Nearby streets are residents’ parking only, so this pushes cars and vans to park on Fraser, Merton and College Roads. It can be a nightmare getting from your car to your house, especially if you have young kids or are elderly.

In May, the Council is going to be asking residents on these roads whether they want to become residents’ parking zones. Do respond to the consultation – it’s the only way for your voice to be heard. If the majority of residents vote for controlled parking, this is what will happen.

Labour has pledged that, if we win control of the council in May, we will reduce charges for residents’ parking parmits and will fund more free visitors’ parking permits. This will benefit everybody – whether you have a car or not. Is there any other way we could make parking easier for you? Let us know.

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.