Posts

Knife crime in Waltham Forest: a nasty little scandal (5)

July 5, 2017 Cllr. Liaquat Ali, Gang Prevention Programme, Policing/crime

I hear from reliable sources that some of those community representatives who are currently listed on LBWF’s website as members of the Waltham Forest Safer Neighbourhoods Board (WFSNB) are both astonished and perturbed that their names have been made public, since they have never given permission for this to happen, and in addition claim that they have neither received any briefing about their supposed roles and responsibilities, nor even met anyone who has authority for the outfit’s functioning. Their reactions are entirely reasonable. For it is axiomatic that those who stand up to be counted... »

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Labour takes William Morris, and Cllr. Marie Pye stirs the pot

June 30, 2017 Cllr. Afzal Akram, Cllr. Marie Pye, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

The results of the William Morris ward by-election are in, with Labour unknown Umar Ali romping home, followed by the Green’s Rebecca Tully, and our man, Walthamstow ‘born and bread’ Afzal Akram, bringing up the rear. Labour supporters are predictably jubilant on social media, but there is one puzzling comment that is worthy of note. In an extended interchange, a peer of Mr. Akram makes the observation that ‘Afzal should have not stood’, to which Cllr. Marie Pye responds: Of course, today Cllr. Pye is almost a forgotten figure, having for some reason fallen precipitously out of fav... »

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Cllr. Liaquat Ali’s new Cabinet role: a square peg in a round hole?

June 28, 2017 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Cllr. Liaquat Ali, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

A couple of weeks ago, the incoming LBWF Leader Clare Coghill announced her first Cabinet, and one of the most notable developments is that she has moved Cllr. Liaquat Ali MBE JP from the community safety portfolio to take on ‘Transformation and Commercial Operations’, covering everything from ‘digital and smart technology’, via ‘revenues and benefits’, and ‘civil contingencies’, to ‘financial sustainability’. This is self-evidently an exacting and complex brief, requiring detailed technical expertise, and it is reasonable to ask whether Cllr. Ali is an appropriate appointment. It needs to be ... »

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The forthcoming William Morris by-election: ex-Labour Titan Afzal Akram bounces back as a Tory (and with a bang) UPDATED

June 15, 2017 Cllr. Afzal Akram, Cllr. Liaquat Ali

Politicians in Waltham Forest are often good for a laugh, and the forthcoming William Morris ward by-election is not short of crackers. Labour is standing Umar Ali, brother of the recently deceased Nadeem (a thoroughly decent man, by all accounts), and son of Liaquat, the third in command of the party’s Town Hall contingent of councillors. Umar seems to have kept a low profile in the past, and so many are wondering what he has to offer. Questions are also being asked about how he arrived at the candidature, since no one seems to be sure when the selection process occurred, and who was involved... »

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Council Leader Clare Coghill, trader Asghar Jilow, and the controversy over Walthamstow Street Market

June 12, 2017 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Mini Holland

In recent months, there has been a good deal of controversy about the future of Walthamstow’s famous street market and the shops that surround it. LBWF is involved in a strategic review, but many traders remain unimpressed, arguing that this is pointless because it fails to address two debilitating problems, which they believe are Mini-Holland and the authorities’ failure to clamp down on crime and ant-social behaviour. One trader, Asghar Jilow, has been especially vocal, and I reproduce below (with permission) some of his correspondence with the new LBWF Leader, Cllr. Clare Coghill. What is p... »

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Knife crime in Waltham Forest: a nasty little scandal (4)

June 9, 2017 Gang Prevention Programme, Policing/crime

Responding to my follow up e-mail to members of the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee, its chair, Cllr. Masood Ahmad states as follows: ‘Just to confirm, the Scrutiny Committee for Communities has not received any data relating to Sanction Detection Rates during the year. However, I would like to reassure you that we looked at a range of performance indicators relating to community safety, which include data on the total number of recorded crimes, the number of “MOPAC 7” offences, and the number of re-offences by the gang cohort being targeted by the Gangs Programme. We also looked at ... »

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Extremism in Waltham Forest: an update (3)

June 8, 2017 Prevent

The BBC is currently reporting as follows: ‘Three terror suspects arrested in east London armed raids Three men have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences following a series of raids involving armed police, in east London. Two men, aged 34 and 37, were detained in Newham, while a third man aged 33 was arrested at an address in Waltham Forest. All three have been taken to a south London police station. The arrests are not connected to the attacks on London Bridge and in Borough Market, Scotland Yard said. In a separate investigation, counter-terror police made a series of arrests ... »

The E11 BID Co. apparently set to close, but big questions remain

June 2, 2017 E11 BID Co., Uncategorized, Waltham Forest Business Board

Word reaches me that the E11 BID Co. directors have decided to throw in the towel, and shut their company at Christmas. If true, this is good news, for although the E11 BID Co. claims to have put its disaterous past behind it, there are still enough flaws in its functioning to give grave cause for concern. Well-run companies, for example, submit their accounts on time. But the visitor who looks up the E11 BID Co. at Companies House today is greeted by the following: Meanwhile the E11 BID2 Ltd. remains as big a mystery as ever. We know that LBWF now feeds this recently created entity the BID le... »

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Knife crime in Waltham Forest: a nasty little scandal (3)

May 30, 2017 Cllr. Liaquat Ali, Policing/crime

Cllr. Liaquat Ali MBE JP is the long-standing LBWF Cabinet portfolio lead for community safety and cohesion, a position which involves, amongst other things, responsibility for the local ‘crime and disorder’ and ‘anti-gangs’ strategies. In recognition of his Cabinet role, and in addition to his councillor’s allowance, Cllr. Ali receives the sum of no less than c. £21,000 p.a. Most people will assume that, as a well-paid portfolio lead, Cllr. Ali rigorously attends the Waltham Forest Safer Neighbourhoods Board (WFSNB), since (a) he is listed as a member of that body (he even include... »

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Knife crime in Waltham Forest: a nasty little scandal (2)

May 15, 2017 Cllr. Liaquat Ali, Gang Prevention Programme, Policing/crime

Following on from my recent knife crime post I e-mailed all the councillors on the Community Safety Scrutiny Committee as follows: ‘Dear Councillors, Please note the following: http://www.walthamforestmatters.org.uk/2017/05/05/knife-crime-in-waltham-forest-a-nasty-little-scandal/ The knife crime figures plus associated Sanction Detection Rates (SDRs) are a real scandal, blighting the lives of many young people right across the borough. In particular, I am interested to know what if anything you have done about the risible SDRs. Is it not time for a full inquiry as to why (for many seriou... »

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