ANOTHER BETTING SHOP IN LEYTONSTONE!

620 High Road Leytonstone – site of proposed Paddy Power Bookmakers

After the successful protests against the betting shop in Church Lane, the Liberal Democrats are concerned that yet another planning application has been lodged for a branch of Paddy Power in High Road Leytonstone. The Shopping Centre is already inundated with betting shops – surely there is no demand for another.

Paddy Power Bookmakers have lodged an application to open a branch at 620 High Road Leytonstone.

Residents can find details of the application from the Council website by quoting planning application 2014/0996, which covers change of use from category A1 (retail) to A2 (betting office). in the Planning Explorer.

Other application cover:

  • Illuminated fascia and projecting sign – 2014.09967/ADV
  • New shopfront – 2014/0998
  • Two wall-mounted air conditioning units, two satellite dishes at 1st floor level and a TV aerial- 2014/1003

Comments on this application should be sent to:

Planning Applications – Development Management
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Sycamore House,
Forest Road
Walthamstow
E17 4SU
020 8496 3000
dcmail@walthamforest.gov.uk

England’s population set to soar by 1,000 a DAY for the next decade but where will they all live as housing crisis looms?

  • England’s population set to grow by more than four million in 10 years
  • London expected to near 10m mark by 2022 – with extra 2.5m in South
  • Number of retired people will increase by a fifth putting strain on NHS
  • Population boom will increase housing crisis as millions forced to rent
  • One in five homes now rented out – a 50% rise in a decade
  • But more than a million homes now lying empty  
  • Tory peer Lord Lamont says immigration costs Government billions

By TOM MCTAGUE, MAIL ONLINE DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

The number of people in the country is expected to soar from 53 million to more than 57 million between 2012 and 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics. This amounts to an extra 384,410 people a year – or a city the size of Nottingham.

But the population boom is expected to add to the growing housing crisis – as fresh figures emerged this morning showing a boom in renting and overcrowding.

England's population is booming - with every region set to grow between 2012 and 2022

England’s population is booming – with every region set to grow between 2012 and 2022

Almost one in five homes in England are now rented – a 50 per cent increase in just 10 years. The number of owner occupied homes meanwhile dropped from 69% to 64% over the same period.

Homes with six or more people also spiked – rising by a quarter in just 10 years, including one in 25 homes in London.

But at the same time 1.1 million homes lay empty in 2011 – a 21 per cent spike in a decade.

England's population is expected to boom in the next decade - with London, the South East and parts of the East Midlands (coloured in dark purple) set to grow more quickly than elsewhere

England’s population is expected to boom in the next decade – with London, the South East and parts of the East Midlands (coloured in dark purple) set to grow more quickly than elsewhere

Despite a booming population and growing demand for homes the number of people living in each household has plummeted over the last 100 years

Despite a booming population and growing demand for homes the number of people living in each household has plummeted over the last 100 years

The housing crisis is being made more acute by the growing number of homes being left empty. The Office for National Statistics revealed today that more than a million homes are now unoccupied

The housing crisis is being made more acute by the growing number of homes being left empty. The Office for National Statistics revealed today that more than a million homes are now unoccupied

Dan Wilson Craw, of Generation Rent, said:

‘Today’s statistics confirm that our broken housing market is creating deep divisions in society – wealthy property owners can afford to leave houses to stand empty, while more people who can’t buy are forced to squeeze into overcrowded private renting.

‘The government has no hope of reversing this trend with a scheme like Help to Buy – the nation’s renters need better rights in the rental market if they want to live somewhere they can genuinely call home.’

While an increasing number of homes sit unoccupied, the pressure to get on the housing ladder is expected to soar as the population booms over the next eight years.

London, the South East and East Anglia are expected to take most of the new population.

The capital itself will be home to 9.4million by mid 2022 up from 8.3million in 2012 – an increase of 13 per cent.

South East England will grow by 7.8 per cent and the East of England by 8.6 per cent. The North East will experience the slowest population growth – adding just 2.9 per cent over 10 years.

Soaring house prices have pushed more and more people into rented accommodation, the Office for National Statistics has found. Almost one in five homes is now rented out

Soaring house prices have pushed more and more people into rented accommodation, the Office for National Statistics has found. Almost one in five homes is now rented out

As more than a million homes lie empty, people are squeezing themselves into properties. The number of homes with six or more people in them has soared by 25 per cent in 10 years

As more than a million homes lie empty, people are squeezing themselves into properties. The number of homes with six or more people in them has soared by 25 per cent in 10 years

Of the 13 per cent projected growth in London, almost 90 per cent is because of a boom in the number of babies being born. Just 10 per cent is due to immigration.

Although London is a destination for many people migrating to live and work, both from other regions and internationally, there are also large numbers of people who leave the capital.

One reason for the ‘natural’ population boom is because London has only a little over 11 per cent of its population aged 65 and over – compared with most other regions where 17 per cent of the population are pensioners.

The number of people aged 65 and over is projected to increase in all regions by an average of 22 per cent between mid-2012 and mid-2022. The fastest growth in those aged 65 and over is seen in the East Midlands where the number is projected to increase by 25 per cent from 8.1 million to 10.1 million over the 10 year period.

LORD LAMONT ATTACKS LABOUR CLAIMS THAT ECONOMY NEEDS MIGRANTS

Former Tory Chancellor Lord Lamont today hit back at Labour claims that immigration was good for the economy.

He said it was obvious that the size of the economy would grow if there were more people in the country – but that did not mean people would be better off as a result.

The Conservative peer said ‘most of any benefit goes to immigrants themselves’.

Writing in the Times, he wrote:

‘In judging the pros and cons of immigration what matters is not as they argue GDP but GDP per head.

‘Immigration may enlarge the economy by having more people but that does not benefit the existing population unless it increases living standards per head.’

His remarks came after Lord Hutton and Alan Milburn, the former Labour cabinet ministers, urged the Government not to crack down on immigration.

Lord Lamont said:

‘Immigrants between 1995 and 2011 cost the Exchequer £95 billion.

‘Hutton and Milburn argue that migrants are a “bulwark against an ageing population”, but as our report pointed out immigrants also grow old and trying to deal with that phenomenon through yet further immigration would require ever escalating levels of immigration.’

He added:

‘What cannot be denied is the massive impact of immigration on the size of our population. If we allow it to continue at the average of the past ten years we will add ten million to the UK population in the next 20 years with at least 60 per cent of the increase due to immigration.’
Lord Lamont said ‘practically nobody wants to see this’.

The Tory peer said dismissing ‘genuine and justified concerns’ was ‘simply to play into the hands of extremists’.

He added:

‘It is not a more stringent immigration policy which would have “serious consequences for the wellbeing of our economy and society”, as they claim.

‘On the contrary, it is failure to respond to the clear and consistent wishes of three quarters of our population that would indeed have such consequences.’

CATHALL FOCUS TEAM 2014

John Howard – Pam Bartram – Clyde Kitson

The Cathall Ward FOCUS Team will be contesting the local council election on Thursday 22 May.

Please remember you have 3 votes for the Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team.

Polling Stations are open from 7am until 10 pm.

Please don’t forget to vote.

LABOUR CALLS HALF A MILLION APPRENTICES ‘DEADWEIGHT’

Today Nick Clegg has revealed Labour’s secret plans to scrap half a million apprentices because they think they are ‘deadweight’.

In the strongest signal yet that Labour can’t be trusted to build a stronger economy, the plans would make it harder for young people to find good, well-paid jobs, and would damage the skills base in the British economy.

In a little-publicised paper written by the party, they propose to scrap intermediate (level 2) apprenticeships, replacing them with a downgraded to  “traineeship”.

Labour claim that Intermediate Apprenticeships have “devalued” the apprenticeship brand and are “of no value to either employers or learners” and that scrapping them “would minimise ‘deadweight’”.

The Liberal Democrats, the party most in favour of apprenticeships, have strongly condemned the plans.

While Liberal Democrat ministers such as Vince Cable have created record numbers of apprentices, seeing over 1.6 million apprentices start since 2010, Labour’s plans would pull the rug from under the feet of a generation of young people.

Labour halves apprentices

Downsell Road Bus Stand – toilet facilities to be installed!

Transport for London (TfL) has appointed a contractor (NMC Surfacing) to carry out necessary works to allow for drainage connection to the new bus drivers toilet facilities at the bus stand opposite Downsell Road.

The work is scheduled to take place outside normal construction hours on Saturday 23 November and Sunday 24 November between the hours of 08.00 and 20.00. This is being scheduled for weekend working to reduce the duration of the works and minimise the impact on road traffic in the area.

Should you require further information, or an update during the delivery of these works please contact TfL Streets Customer Services department on 0343 222 1234, email: enquire@tfl.gov.uk or via the web at www.tfl.gov.uk/contact.

LEYTONSTONE FIRE STATION – update

Leytonstone Fire Station

The London Fire Brigade has advised that there are no plans to permanently close Leytonstone Fire Station.

It is one  of nine fire stations to be rebuilt as part of a PFI project. The work of demolition and rebuild of the existing station will start in late 2014.

During the rebuild process the fire engines will be relocated to Woodford and Walthamstow fire stations.

Local residents will be informed before any works commence.

PRESS RELEASE: 75% OF COUNCIL WORKERS EARN LESS THAN BENEFITS CAP!

75% of council workers earn less than the benefits cap – Councillor Farooq Qureshi

Following the debate on the coalition welfare reforms at last Thursday’s council meeting, it has emerged that 75% of council staff earn less than the £26,000 benefits cap.

The figures, which exclude those working for schools in the Borough, show that only 25% of council workers earn more than the £35,000 that someone would need to earn to take home £26,000.

At the meeting Labour claimed the cap was a ‘London living tax’ and was unfairly penalising London residents.

Lib Dem Deputy Group Leader Councillor Farooq Qureshi said:

“The welfare reforms are extremely difficult for some people in our Borough and as councillors we are on the front line of trying to help them.

“But Labour’s claim that this is a “London living tax” just aren’t credible when the majority of council workers take home less in their pay packets.”

“The Labour Party are quick to campaign against the welfare reforms but refuse to put forward any alternatives. Ed Miliband supports capping welfare spending, so where will Labour’s cuts come from?”

PRESS RELEASE: NEW COMMITTEES SHOULD NOT MEAN ANOTHER £12,000 IN COUNCILLOR ALLOWANANCES

New committees should not mean another £12,000 in allowances for councillors – Cllr Bob Sullivan

 

On Thursday the Liberal Democrat group voted against proposals that would mean more special responsibility allowances for councillors.

Lib Dems criticised the Labour group for using scrutiny politically to avoid any real scrutiny of council policies, whilst at the same time awarding  themselves more money.

The Labour council are splitting the health and adults committee into two new committees that will focus separately on public health and adults services.

They are creating two additional paid positions for their members who will take the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee, who will get an extra £8,000 and £4,000 respectively on top of the £10,000 a year they earn as councillors.

Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Bob Sullivan said:

 

“Labour are just creating more paid positions to reward their members. The current proposal could mean £12,000 in extra costs to Waltham Forest council tax payers.”

“There are a lot of ways Labour could ensure this doesn’t cost more money: Either by cutting these allowances across the council or by sharing the existing allowances for the old committee across the two new ones.

“Labour councillors should stop trying to hide their failures by stuffing committees full of their own members.

“They should be taking responsibility over their failures over jobs in this Borough and cutting their ‘special responsibility allowances’ rather than giving themselves more allowances.”