Police are warning people to steer clear of illegal street gamblers around Walthamstow market.

The High Street Safer Neighbourhoods Ward Panel voted it one of the mainpriorities for police to tackle in the area earlier this year.

So far eight people have been arrested for street gambling and another person has been issued with an £80 Fixed Penalty Notice.

The Safer Neighbourhood Team is also busy gathering intelligence so it can issue Anti Social Behavior Orders against the gamblers.

Anyone with any information about the gamblers should visit the Police Market Office in the High Street, opposite the entrance to Selborne Walk, to talk to an officer 

Cllr Johar Khan says “ Lets work together to rid the High Street of crime”

Waltham Forest Council is urging residents who refuse to participate in the borough’s compulsory recycling scheme to take part before it is too late. 

So far the response from residents to compulsory recycling in Waltham Forest has been fantastic, and the borough has one of the best recycling records in London.

But Waltham Forest needs to recycle more to meet strict government targets on landfill and help the environment. 

In the coming weeks, residents in areas with low recycling rates will be visited by specialist teams who will advise them how to recycle moreeffectively and explain why it is important.

Ultimately people who repeatedly refuse to recycle could be fined. 

Waltham Forest Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Bob Belam, said: “Recycling makes sense, it’s easy to do and it helps the environment.“Of course we don’t want to fine residents, but we are facing considerably bigger landfill taxes in the coming years and people who don’t recycle will effectively cost other residents money. “We know residents want to recycle more and we want to help them do that by ensuring they know exactly what they should be placing in their black boxes.

“Ultimately if residents do not wish to be fined, all they need to do is participate in the scheme and help us make Waltham Forest one of the greenest boroughs in London.”

Residents in properties not covered by the ‘Get Sorted’ doorstep recycling scheme will not be fined for failing to recycle properly.

You could be fined if you refuse to recycle

 more info:

To find out more  information about the ‘Get Sorted’ scheme,or to order a new or replacement black box ring 020 8496 3000.

Waltham Forest will be cleaner than ever before with contractor KierStreet Services introducing new technology and techniques to keepthe borough tidy.

The contractor started working in Waltham Forest on 2 June and is responsible for sweeping streets and grounds maintenance in the borough’s parks.

The new contract has saved the Council £600,000 which will be used to fund new schemes to help make Waltham Forest the greenest borough in London.

Kier’s performance will be measured by how clean the streets are kept.

Since the contract started in June there have been some handover problemswhich have meant disruption to cleaning services in some areas of the borough.

Waltham Forest Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment,Cllr Bob Belam, told wfm: “I’d like to apologise to residents for the glitches we’ve had since the new contract started. Roads are now getting cleaner andresidents will start noticing the difference soon.    “Residents told us that they want cleaner streets and the new contract with Kier will mean teams working all hours to keep our borough tidy.”Under the old service, separate teams were responsible for cleaning roads, green spaces and parks, and the roadside.

The new contract brings these services together, making the same cleaner responsible for the whole area.

Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Culture, Cllr Geraldine Reardon, said: “Having one contractor carrying out all cleaning in the borough means a joined up service that can tackle problems more efficiently, improve the appearance of our parks and open spaces and make them even more pleasant for residents to visit.”The Council is keenly aware that residents have raised a number of issues around the service handover period. It is working with Kier to tackle the initial teething problems.

Some of the changes that residents will see include:

v    Altering the number of road sweepers to make sure roads are properly swept

v    Introduction of new technology so they can sweep more quickly and effectively

v    Cleaning blitzes on particular areas to quickly bring them up to scratch

v    Allocated drop off points for street sweepers to leave their bags of rubbish, so motorised crews can clear them more rapidly

v    Extra crews to spray and remove weeds in guttersv    Monitoring the cleanliness of roads, before, during and after cleaning to see how well they are swept and how long they take to get dirty  

New figures show a significant reduction in the number of people killed orseriously injured on roads in Waltham Forest over the past eight years.

The statistics show that serious casualties and deaths dropped from 199 to 92between 2000 and 2007.

Waltham Forest Council says tougher enforcement of road laws, new traffic calming schemes and road safety training for cyclists and school children all contributed to the reduction.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Bob Belam, said: “I am very pleased with the reduction in deaths and injuries on our roads but we’re not complacent and we know that there is still more work to be done to reduce casualties further.”

Be a greenie not a meanie and learn about climate change at this year’s Green Fair

This year’s event at Lloyd and Aveling Park will take place 2pm-7pm, 20 July and will feature creative and musical work by young people inspired by William Morris’ cultural legacy

Visitors on the day will encounter a musical interpretation of William Morris’ green utopia within the park while artwork created by young people working with local artists will also be displayed.

There will also be plenty of information to help residents do their bit to tackle climate change and increase the amount they recycle, fun activities for children, live music, food and drink.

The Green Fair is the Council’s annual environmental event which aims to improve people’s awareness of green issues and help people to make the small changes to their lives, which can help to make a dramatic effect on the environment.

There are six Community Councils covering the Borough.The area you live in comes under Walthamstow West. The Council are changing the budget so that each Ward has £10,000 to spend on each ward.

Do you have any ideas on how this money should be spent within the community you live.

Cllr Johar Khan says “Come along to the next meeting at the Walthamstow Academy, Billet Rd on the 6th of October and have your say.”

With less than two years to go before the next l o c a l  elections in May 2010, the p r o c e s s to select L ib Dem candidates for Walthamstow has started.

You can stand as a candidate from the age of 18.

If you are interested, please contact Farid Ahmed on 020 8520 7095. 

Pictured Lib Dem Councillor Bob Belam with Michael Hayes National Express Environmental Champion at Chingford Station. 

This is the first paper recycling facility to be opened at a transport hub in the borough.National Express and the council are looking at ways of installing these facilities at main line stations across the borough. 

The council is talking to LU with a view to having recycling at all Underground stations by the end of the year. 

If you want something done it is the LIB DEMS who get it done

The Borough’s most popular park will be transformed after the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery earmarked £3.6 million to renovate it. The Lottery body announced today (May 5) that Waltham Forest Council is to receive £167,000, which will be used to develop its plans to restore Lloyd and Aveling Park to its former glory and create new 21^st Century facilities. The funding will be used to carry out extensive planting, restoration of the park and improvements to its layout. Existing facilities such as the Changing Room Gallery will be improved and a new bowls centre and skate park will be built.The new look park will celebrate the life and work of William Morris and attract new visitors to the Gallery bearing his name.The Council has a year to make a detailed application for the £3.6million funding with a final decision from the HLF expected in August 2009. The authority will also be investing £1million of its own money to support the transformation. 

Samina Safdar has become the twentieth Liberal Democrat councillor in Waltham Forest after taking the vacant Forest ward seat in last night’s by-election. The full result was: 

SAMINA SAFDAR (LIB DEM) 977

Jawade Liaqat (Labour) 927 

Edwin Northover (Conservative) 507 

Mark Dawes (Green) 184 

Makola Mayambika (Left List) 56 

Turnout 32.33 per cent, 2,661 votes cast

New Mayor of Waltham Forest, Cllr. Sheila Smith-Pryor has announced that she is hoping to raise lots of money during her year of office to support two local good causes:

1. Branches is a day centre and night shelter for homeless people. It is situated in Forest Rd E17. The night shelter offers a hot evening meal a bed and breakfast . The day centre provides a midday meal. There are showers clothing and laundry facilities. Branches also assists people to move back into proper homes.
2. MSAction is based in Billet Rd E17. It offers high pressure oxygen therapy to people with M.S. It does not receive any funding from the NHS and charges £10 for an hours therapy.It is not a cure but can help to keep the disease at bay and improve the quality of life.There are only 4 such units in the country and we are fortunate to have one in our borough. It is also unique in that it is the only unit that treats children with Cerebral Palsy. Again it is not a cure but can improve the quality of their lives, which has a knock-on effect on the whole family.

Anyone wishing to donate can send a cheque [payable to The Mayor’s Charity] to the Mayor’s Parlour, Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow, E17 4JF.

Last night’s Annual Council meeting in the Walthamstow Assembly Hall saw Lib Dem Cllr Sheila Smith-Pryor invested as Mayor of Waltham Forest.

Cllr Smith-Pryor’s ward colleague in Hale End and Highams Park, Cllr John Beanse, made the speech proposing her for the position.

Cllr John Macklin Councillor for Chapel End and newly elected Leader of the Lib Dems seconded the proposition.