Nick Tiratsoo's Posts

LBWF opts for worthless ‘unconscious bias training’, while long-term staff recruitment and reward inequalities remain in place

May 13, 2021 Town hall staff and policies

In recent months, LBWF has employed third parties to put about 1,600 of its staff through unconscious bias training (UBT). Some will no doubt applaud, seeing this as a firm step forward in the fight against racism and discrimination. However, such commendation is more than a little misguided. UBT is certainly in vogue, and at present there is an increasingly influential cohort of HR professionals,... »

Has LBWF got a child safeguarding problem? Judge in recent case condemns council’s ‘overwhelming failure’, while three other cases give cause for concern

April 27, 2021 child safeguarding, Cllr. Clare Coghill, Cllr. Grace Williams

In recent weeks, Waltham Forest and London news outlets have reported the trial of a local mother and father, who stood accused of keeping their two children isolated at home for more than 14 years, thereby depriving them of schooling, access to medical care, recreation, and any kind of social life.  The outcome was that the father admitted child cruelty and neglect, and was given a community... »

LBWF’s claim that it followed ‘technical advice’ over fire safety at Northwood Tower and four sheltered housing blocks is revealed as questionable, even a falsehood

April 6, 2021 fire hazards, fire safety, Northwood Tower

Many will no doubt assume that, with litigation involving a supplier and an internal fraud inquiry both ongoing, plus some damaging headlines in the press, LBWF currently would be treating fire safety in its social housing estate transparently and with the utmost care. But, regrettably, this seems not to be the case, as the following paragraphs illustrate. On 3 December 2020, I made a statement to... »

LBWF moves closer to completing its long overdue 2018-19 accounts, but in the process, receives a strong warning about the governance of its commercial ventures, both old and new UPDATED

March 15, 2021 LBWF finance

As previous posts have reported (see links below), like all other local authorities, LBWF was due to complete its 2018-19 accounts by the last day of July 2019, but missed both this deadline and several others that followed over the next year and a half. The successive delays were caused by a combination of adverse external factors, most obviously the pandemic, plus a series of problems ... »

LBWF’s plan for a mural in Cann Hall ward threatens to descend into farce – for the second time running UPDATED

March 4, 2021 Cllr.Sally Littlejohn, LBWF spin, Redevelopment

In late 2017, Cann Hall Labour councillor Sally Littlejohn led a LBWF initiative to install a £40,000 ‘artwork’ on the dilapidated side-wall of a shop in the centre of the ward – a shop that coincidentally happened to be owned by a prominent family of Labour supporters, the most eminent of whom is Dawn Butler MP, best known in the area for her belief that the public should fund her second home’s j... »

Fire safety scandal (3) is LBWF making it up as it goes along?

February 19, 2021 Cllr.Louise Mitchell, fire safety, LBWF spin

I have just sent the e-mail pasted below to LBWF Chief Executive Martin Esom. It examines LBWF’s 2017-18 installation of 217 flat entrance doors (FEDs) at Northwood Tower and four sheltered housing blocks, and strongly queries whether this alleged improvement programme was based – as it should have been – upon appropriate smoke and fire tests. The conclusion reached is that LBWF’... »

LBWF old boys and girls in the news: Daniel Fenwick and Shifa Mustafa

February 11, 2021 Daniel Fenwick, Shifa Mustafa

It is always thought-provoking to learn about how LBWF old boys and girls are getting on, and so here’s an update on two who currently are in the news, Daniel Fenwick and Shifa Mustafa. As those with longer memories will recall, Mr. Fenwick was Director of Governance at LBWF between 2003 and 2015, before moving to take up a similar post in Newham. However, unfortunately, and as this blog has ... »

An interview with Waltham Forest Streets For All

February 8, 2021 LBWF spin, Mini-Holland

1. To start with, can you say a bit about yourselves? What brought you together? What kind of organisation are you? Where do you draw support from? And how do you finance your activities? Waltham Forest Streets for All is an umbrella organisation for all groups fighting road closures and other transport related issues in the borough. We were formed originally from members of E17StreetsforAll, Our ... »

The Labour Left in Waltham Forest: neither use nor ornament (2)

February 4, 2021 Momentum, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest, Waltham Forest Labour Party

A previous post looked at the antics of the Waltham Forest Labour Left (see link below) and predictably prompted an abusive tirade from the Corbynistas and Toytown Trots who control parts of the local Party. Much of this was personal in nature, amusing evidence that, for all their avowals about embracing a kinder and gentler politics, when criticised, they soon regress to the playground. However, ... »

Private Eye reports the Waltham Forest fire safety scandal

January 26, 2021 fire hazards, fire safety

From Private Eye, No. 1539, 22 January 2021 »

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