Waltham Forest Council related stories 1990

What a Wapping mistake!

REPORT: John James and Kelvin Ross

ALMOST all of Waltham Forest's Labour councillors have been found guilty of "wilful misconduct" over a decision they took three years ago during the Wapping dispute.

In 1986 at the height of the dispute, the council took a decision to ban advertising in the Times Educational Supplement, and also take News International publications off local library shelves.

Now the 29 members of the borough's ruling party involved in that decision have come under fire in the preliminary finding of District Auditor Peter Heppleston, who looked into the banning at a week-long inquiry last year.

But these 29, including the leader and deputy council leader, will not be banned from public office as they feared they might be if the inquiry went against them.

In a 48-page judgement, the auditor concludes the decision taken by the councillors in June, 1986, was "unlawful" from its inception.

But he added the members were only guilty of wilful misconduct from December 1986, when they knew their motion was illegal after Ealing Council, which was also employing the library ban, was found to be acting illegally.

The ban was finally lifted in February, 1987.after a threat of legal action against the council by local barrister and Liberal Democrat Peter Leighton.

Legal action threat

And the auditor found, in spite of heavily increased advertising costs incurred by the council during that period, the only "loss" provoked by their misconduct was £250, for taking legal advice when they had already received a solicitor's guidance.

He has given the councillors until March 30th to make representations as to why they should not be surcharged for this amount, which would work out to less than £10 each.

And as this is less than £2,000, the councillors are not liable to be disqualified.

'Great moral victory'

Mr Leighton said: "The ratepayers of the borough have won a great moral victory by demonstrating to the District Auditor that the councillors were guilty of wilful misconduct -- the most serious finding that can be made against a locally elected representative.

"What is galling is that we have established a wrong, but have been denied an effective remedy.

"I find it quite incredible that where a council has to pay twice as much for the same advertising space in a publication that reaches fewer teachers, and exceed its advertising budget in one year by over £300, 000 in the process, the auditor can find there is no loss to the rate fund, and the councillors avoid the disqualification they richly deserve.

"We will have to consider whether this decision can be appealed."

Council leader Neil Gerrard said: "I am not unhappy with what has come out of this.

"We were not admitting, and still don't admit, that we did anything illegal. But looking at it in retrospect, we would have to accept that some of the decisions made were illegal.

He said of the surcharge on councillors: "The amount of money is absolutely miniscule. It's purely legal costs."

And he stressed: "This is not the auditor's final decision. He will make a final decision once he has heard what we have to say about it."

The council has until March 30 to decide whether it accepts the decision or not.

Waltham Forest Council will also foot the bill for last year's hearing, as well as paying £6,500 for its own legal costs.

A cheque for £450,000 was handed to Waltham Forest Council today (2 April).

The cash is part of a package of concessions gained by the Council when it granted planning permission to the developers to relocate the 300 year-old fruit and vegetable market at Temple Mills in Leyton. The money will go towards building new sheltered housing accommodation in the borough.

The developers also agreed to other measures which will lessen the impact of the new market on local people and the environment.

These include a grant of £350,000 to a Council scheme to develop 'start-up' workshops for small businesses the Alpha Business Centre a new path to be laid on the east bank of the River Lea, a new junction from the site into Ruckholt Road, suitable landscaping and double glazing and noise insulation.

Further concessions were agreed after Leyton MP, Harry Cohen, intervened in Parliament during the passage of a Bill to allow the market to move to Temple Mills.

Under the new agreement, Spitalfields Development Group will operate a training scheme to cover 10% of all employees on the site, and will put £25,000 into local environment improvement schemes at Grove Green shopping centre.

The picture shows John Aiton, Chairman of Spitalfields Development Group, presenting the cheque to Mayor Bill Anstey at the Town Hall, in Walthamstow, Also present was Harry Cohen, MP for Leyton.

HAD BY THE SHORT AND CURLERS

Report: Emma Littlejohn

A WHOPPING rate rise of over 1,000 per cent has left hairdresser Pat Wright reeling with horror.

Pat, owner of Streetz Ahead in Forest Road, Walthamstow, discovered the bumper increase when the new business rate, due to come into effect in April, was announced last week.

Her rates bill this year totalled just £484-- a paltry sum compared to the £5,200 she will have to find next year.

Shocked Pat this week warned other small traders to check their own bills to avoid massive unexpected increases.

"It was a shock I can tell you-- most of us are already struggling just to keep our heads above water," she said.

Many small firms and shops fear the new Unified Business Rate could herald complete disaster and lead to loss of jobs or even closures.

At the moment, local authorities levy rates directly on local firms, but in April this power will be taken away from them as part of the Community Charge regulations.

It will then be levied by the government, but will remain a tax on the rateable value of the business property.

Business property has been revalued for the first time since 1973, and some firms in London will face rises of over 800 per cent during the five years while the rate is phased in.

The National Federation of Self Employed and Small Businesses, which represents very small firms, shops and sub post-offices, described the rises as 'horrendous.'

John Harris, chairman of its rates committee, said: "Members have been ringing all day in a distressed state. We estimate that 95 per cent didn't realise how much they would be asked to pay."

And the rates office at Waltham Forest Town Hall has been inundated with calls from anxious local business people.

"If people just want their new rateable value, then they should ring up the town hal} and ask for the rates section, but if they need more detailed information then they should write instead," said Head of Waltham Forest Revenue Services Colin Rands.

"It's too early to say what the initial reaction from local people is yet-- everyone must remember that there is a transitional protection period over five years where the increase will be brought in gradually.

If people want to appeal against their rates they should contact the Valuation Officer at 28/42 Clements Road, Ilford, and anyone who wants details about the new business rate should write to the Rates Office, Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow.

Fearing the new rate will leave them Streetz behind businesswomen Pat Wright (left) and Sarah Foster.(S345/7)

Viewpoints for votes

Green Party

SMALL is beautiful for the Green Party which fields 13 candidates in as many wards and is confident of winning council places for the first time.

It believes in decentralising power to neighbourhood councils, governing small areas, where ordinary people have power to make decisions.

It would encourage small businesses, credit unions, and "eco-banks" that support co-operatives.

A spokesman said: "People would not make the wrong decisions if they had control over their own community. Centralised power has got us into a mess." ,

Local initiatives would help tackle global environmental problems. The party would increase energy conservation to save fuel and cut pollution.

Other pledges are to:

* Care for pedestrians by increasing the number of pedestrian-only spaces.

* Expand library services to include community computer links and community TV services.

* Encourage greater community use of schools and council buildings and improve adult education.

* Develop a complete pre-school education service and support the teaching of children in the home.

* Campaign to increase investment in public transport and to reduce subsidies for private and company cars.

* Bring empty homes back into use by pressuring owners to rent or sell.

* Support ethnic minorties.

Labour

PROTECTING and improving existing services are the priorities of the Labour Party over the next four years.

Privatisation and spending cuts both forced by central government threaten services and jobs, says council deputy leader Clive Morton.

He added: "It would be foolish to say we can increase the services we provide until there is a change of national Government.

"But we can improve quality. We have made great strides already. But there is always room for improvement."

After upheavals caused by competitive tendering and reorganisation, street cleaning, education and housing would all now benefit under Labour, he said.

Other pledges are to:

* Establish a "good employers" charter and provide a business advice service for local people, especially those facing discrimination.

* Give preference to local people and community and charity groups in allocating stalls in Walthamstow market

* Encourage recycling, use planning laws to clean up streets and open spaces, and draw up a transport charter for the borough.

* Build more nursery schools, continue the drive to recruit and retain teachers, and improve access to education for people of all ages.

* Develop home care services for elderly and disabled people and improve mental health services and elderly persons' homes.

Others aiming to have an impact

ALSO contesting the election are: the Democrats and Commonwealth Party, fielding seven candidates; the Communist Party, with two candidates; also a 'Sack the Polititians and Govern Ourselves' candidate, and a 'Graduate-Independent' candidate.

Liberal Democrat

DEVOLVING power to the people is the "big idea" in the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

They would create "neighbourhood councils" to represent areas of the borough, with elected residents sitting alongside councillors.

They say the system has proved successful in Tower Hamlets where services are provided under just one roof in local town halls.

Liberal Democrat leader Chris Millington said: "The council is out of touch and remote from ordinary people, especially in Chingford and Leyton."

Only councillors would be able to make final decisions, and ultimately power would still rest centrally with the full council.

But Tory areas like Chingford could unilaterally ditch most of the council's race relations policies, while others might add to them.

Neighbourhood councils would be judged each year against a borough-wide charter for the environment and a social justice charter.

Other pledges are to:

* Tighten finances and save money by deleting all jobs vacant for over a year, unless they need to be retained.

* Bring back the dustbins "banned" last year under new refuse collection rules.

* Improve road safety and transport links and campaign for improved public transport.

* Give schools the say on whether to have three one-day ethnic minority holidays.

Conservative

CONSERVATIVES have promised to "cap" themselves and cut the borough's community charge by £75 if they gain power on May 3.

The charge better known as the poll tax was set at £438 per adult by the present Labour-run council.

But the Conservatives say that if they win they will reduce it to £363 by September, by slashing spending and making savings.

The party's leader, Mike Lewis, said at its manifesto launch: "We have to explain that we are not responsible for the community charge."

He said a Tory administration would "take control" of the budget and would carry out a "ghostbusting" exercise to reduce unfilled jobs.

"We need a borough people will be proud to live in but also a borough that people can afford to live in," he added.

Tories would reduce the council's debt, currently £75million, and would expect voluntary groups it supports to become more self-sufficient.

Other pledges are to:

* Improve the borough's education exam results and seek the setting up of a privately-sponsored City Technology College.

* Protect the environment by restricting building on recreational spaces and boost street-cleaning services.

* Reduce restrictive practices that block road improvements, support the M11 link road and an improved link between Chingford and Walthamstow

Don't forget... use your vote!

Compiled by ANDY COMBER

ANDY COMBER reports

VOTERS bucked the trend in last Thursday's council elections to return Labour to power in Waltham Forest with an increased majority. While the party reeled in other boroughs, noteably Ealing, Brent and Wandsworth, it picked up one more council place, boosting its previous majority of one to three.

But that was only made possible by an unexpectedly high Tory turnout at the polls, which allowed Labour to wipe out two Liberal Democrat councillors in Wood Street, Walthamstow. The majority, however, was only confirmed after nine extraordinary nail-biting counts in one Walthamstow (actually Leyton) ward, Forest, as Labour vied with the Liberal Democrats for one council place.

With that ninth and final count over there are now 30 Labour councillors, 16 Conservatives and eleven Liberal Democrats, making Waltham Forest one of only two Labour-run boroughs in outer-London.

Labour lost one place to the Liberal Democrats in the Higham Hill and Forest wards, but clawed back three from the same party, one in Leyton and two in Wood Street

Drama came when the Liberal Democrats demanded a recount of votes in Forest ward after Labour candidate Shamoom Mahmood beat Caroline Tynan by the slimmest margin-- one vote.

There followed an amazing eight recounts, five of them delayed until the following morning because the counters became so tired, in which the vote see-sawed between the two candidates.

Just when the Liberal Democrats had thought they had won with a majority of ten, a counting error was discovered which gave the Liberal Democrats a false 13 vote advantage.

The count was carried out three more times, and each time-- to the relief of Labour's Ms Mahmood and dismay of Mrs Tynan-- Labour was ahead by three, forcing the Liberal Democrats to concede defeat.

Labour's Clive Morton commented: "After running the council with a majority of one for two years, a majority of three sounds very healthy. We can continue to build on the work of the last four years."

After the national furore caused by the poll tax, the results were both a relief and let-down for Michael Lewis, leader of the Tory group. He said: "I am glad our vote was up, but disappointed it did not gain us seats."

Liberal Democrat leader Chris Millington said: "We are pleased with the result. It shows that despite national problems we are still alive and kicking. It will be interesting to see how the Labour group holds together."

* The number of women councillors in Waltham Forest stays at nine (Lab, 6; Lib Dem. 1; Con, 2). But the number of black councillors increases from five to 11. They are all Labour and make up over one third of the ruling group.