Liberal Democrats

have been provedright to vote against the latest Labour proposal for the Arcade site followingrecent revelations that the ill conceivedplan may be in breach of Europeanregulations.For 8 years Labour has dithered betweena Library, retail and residential buildings, acinema, a cinema and hotel and now acinema, hotel and swimming pool. We currently have a derelict boarded up site whichnow needs Council taxpayers to borrow £35 to £40 million to build, without anyconsultation, no financial appraisal and no feasibility study to show if the plans areviable. Even St Modwen, the council’s developer, has pulled out from funding it.Successive Labour portfolio holders have made many statements over the years suchas "“If there isn’t building work happening by next year, then we will get a trowel and laythe bricks ourselves” (2004) and "We are keeping to the timetable...which should meanthat the first shops open their doors for Christmas 2009" (2007) and "We must get onwith the Arcade and give our residents and the economy a much-needed boost, thealternative is an empty site for years to come” (2009).

Lib Dem Cllrs James O'Rourke

and

Johar Khan

said:

"The last 8 years has seenLabours regeneration plans in chaos and nothing more to show than a hole inthe ground. In a recession we need to be realistic about what can be achieved.At the end of last year our Council motion toexamine useful ways in which theArcade site land can be utilised in the short-term was unanimously agreed. Thisis what our community has asked of us. Some use is better than no use at all.”

Gambling with the Arcade?

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160

www.walthamforestlibdems.org.uk

LIBDEMS win4 out of 5 localby-elections in2008

LIBDEMS INHIGH STREET

Storey Rd clean up

Mediation betweenThames Water &residents

Resolution of parkingissues

I believe that the Council's'botched regeneration plans'for Walthamstow, and inparticular Walthamstow TownCentre, has led to WalthamForest being overtaken byneighbouring boroughs.Whilst other neighboringboroughs developed andprospered during the recenteconomic boom,Walthamstow hasaccumulated holes in theground and little more than'aspirations' under LABOUR.Now the boom is a distant dream, LABOUR are doing their usual trick of borrowing their way out of trouble and leavingthe debt for future council tax payers.Regeneration is not just about buildings. Too oftenregeneration initiatives fail because they do not meet localneeds. Strong leadership and vision along with concertedregeneration action is needed, that addresses, or at least,mitigates the causes and symptoms of underlying problems.Only with the

LibDems

will such leadership and vision befound.We currently have a derelict boarded up site which nowbuild, without any consultation, no financial appraisal andno feasibility study to show if the plans are viable.

LibDemcouncillors

, rightly, are refusing to sign up to this unless itcan be proved that plans are a benefit to the borough andare financially viable. The vacant Arcade site is a reminder of the ongoing failure of LABOUR to deliver regeneration inWalthamstow.

THE MESSAGE FROM RESIDENTS, QUITE RIGHTLY, ISTHAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Regeneration...

not Degeneration

S u r g e r y /A d v i c e C e n t r e

Help your localLiberal Democrat Team

I would like to:deliver FOCUS in my streetget involved locally join the Liberal Democrats

Name

..................................................................

Address

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Tel

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Return to:High Street FOCUS teamFREEPOST RLYG-BTER-ULJZ92 Douglas Avenue, E17 5BW

Safer schoolroute campaign

SURGERY/ADVICE CENTRES

St James Street Library, Coppermill Lane, E17

Second Saturday of every month - 10.00 am to 12 noon

Waltham Forest Direct First Stop Shop10, Central Parade, 137 Hoe Street, E17

Fourth Saturday of every month - 10.00 am to 12 noon

CHAPEL END WARDCHAPEL END WARDHIGH WARD

Cllr James O’Rourke

35, Wellington Avenue, E4 6RETel: 020 8559 4826Email: cllr.james.o’rourke@walthamforest.gov.ukWebsite: www.jamesorourke.mycouncillor.org.uk

HIGH STREET WARDFOCUS TEAM

Cllr Johar Khan

17, Beaconsfield Road, E10 5RDTel: 07932 985155Email: cllr.johar.khan@walthamforest.gov.ukWebsite: www.joharkhan.mycouncillor.org.uk

Mahmood Hussain

9 Maude Terrrace, E17 7DGTel: 07956 400834

Lib Dems lose colleague

Sadly we report that one of our colleagues , Mike Harkin,recently lost his battle against Cancer.Mike, for many years, supported Walthamstow

LiberalDemocrats

and without his hard work delivering Focus andcanvassing many of the Walthamstow Councillors would nothave been elected.We will miss him greatly as a deliverer, but mostly as afriend

Mike Harkin - R.I.P

Police non-emergency contact number

To ensure effective use of Police resources a newtelephone number,

0300 123 1212

, has been set upfor non-emergencies such as when a house hasbeen burgled or car stolen.However, if you suspect a crime is happening,someone suspected of a crime is nearby, someoneis injured, being threatened or in danger

ALWAYS

call

999

Farid AhmedLib Dem Parliamentarycandidate for Walthamstow

Labour’s announcement of a multiplex cinema on the Arcade site, in 2006, dashed allhopes of the former EMD cinema ever being reopened as an entertainment facility.Labour’s continued dithering has left us no closer to getting a cinema, whether within amultiplex or historic venue, in Waltham Forest.

Cllrs James O'Rourke

and

Johar Khan

says:

“The UCKG recently stated theywould consider moving if an offer was made. If there’s a viable option, similar tothat of the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton and the Hackney Empire, the UCKG couldrelocate to a similar building such as the one in Buxton Road. If there is a viableproposal we are willing to consider it. Our door is open.”