A note for readers…
This is a personal blog, which aims to scrutinise the powers that be in Waltham Forest, from the Council (hereafter London Borough of Waltham Forest or LBWF), both elected members and staff; to our MP... »
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LBWF, Community Ward Forums, and freedom of speech
As this blog regularly points out, LBWF devotes a surprising amount of time and attention to what PR spinners call ‘controlling the narrative’, that is vigorously promoting a particular, and self-serv... »
John Cryer MP intervenes in Labour’s 2018 local election selection process: bold, foolish, or both?
A prominent member of the wide-awake club recently forwarded this Labour Party leaflet from back in September: It shows my old friend John Cryer, MP for Leyton and Wanstead, hyping three senior Labour... »
Mark Hynes, LBWF Director of Governance and Law, cracks the whip
Against the background of the ongoing controversy about Cllr. Anna Mbachu’s Register of Interests form, LBWF Director of Governance and Law Mark Hynes has circulated the following missive to councillo... »
Cllr. Anna Mbachu’s register of interests form prompts new controversy UPDATED
A post on this blog of early November, cross-referenced below, related that (a) though senior Labour councillor and chair of the LBWF Housing Scrutiny Committee, Anna Mbachu, had been a director of r... »
LBWF dodges the Local Government Association’s acclaimed peer review scheme, and it’s reasonable to ask: why?
Since 2011, the Local Government Association (LGA) has run and financed a scheme called Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC), which it sees as ‘a core element of our sector-led improvement offer to local au... »
LBWF Leader Cllr. Clare Coghill and knife crime: some issues that need to be addressed, and urgently
According to the Waltham Forest Guardian, there were serious stabbings in Walthamstow on the 14, 16, and 19 November just past, leading the police to impose a section 60 order, which allows them augme... »
Fred Wigg and John Walsh Towers update
This blog has previously covered the disgraceful situation that is ongoing regarding the ‘redevelopment John Walsh and Fred Wigg Towers in Cann Hall. Pasted below are two updates prepared by the... »
Cllr. Anna Mbachu’s register of interests form prompts new controversy
A recent post looked at Cllr. Anna Mbachu’s unfortunate performance at an employment tribunal. Now news emerges that her register of interests form is also generating controversy. It is a matter... »
John Cryer MP’s Election Agent, Ian McKenzie, and the local Labour membership: the rift widens
Reports emanating from Labour insiders reveal that John Cryer’s Election Agent, Ian McKenzie, has spectacularly alienated much of the local party membership, to the extent that some now see relations ... »
LBWF Leader Clare Coghill’s MIPIM muddle (2)
After this blog’s previous posts about Council Leader Clare Coghill’s 2016 and 2017 visits to Cannes for ‘real estate’s Glastonbury Festival’, the Marché International des Professionnels d... »