ANOTHER big demonstration by ratepayers protesting against Waltham Forest's 62 per cent rate rise is being staged outside the town hall tonight.

It comes a week after the Tories captured the borough's Walthamstow seat from Labour, a defeat widely thought to have been caused by the council's record rate rise.

Waltham Forest ratepayers' action group claims the rates issue also led to the overall Tory vote in the borough's three constituencies increasing by 6000.

The organisers of this third demonstration hope it will attract more than 10,000.

Action group leader Alan Crown says tonight s council meeting is the last before next month's High Court hearing when Waltham Forest will have to defend its rate rise.