October 2007 Archives

The all -women shortlist for our MPs selection has put equality on the top of our local political agenda. As one of the seven candidates I want to take the opportunity to highlight the persistence of unequal pay which many women here in Walthamstow still experience. It means they are being undervalued and underpaid. And it's not just a problem for women in our constituency. Across the UK, women working full time earn on average 17% less an hour than men working full time - that's around £4,000 less a year on the average salary. This is the equivalent of men getting paid all year and women working for free from October 30th. And the situation in London is even worse. We have the highest regional pay gap in the country of 23%.

In response to this the Fawcett Society, the UK's leading campaign for equality between men and women, has joined forces with trade union UNISON and declared October 30th Women's No Pay Day. On this day equal pay supporters all over the country are sending a strong message that more must be done to close the pay gap by highlighting the need for action to ensure equal pay for all. As a supporter of this campaign I'd like to encourage readers to join in too, seeking action on fairer pay for women in Walthamstow and in Britain. To find out more visit the www.fawcettsociety.org.uk website. 

Like many of you, I often use the Barking- Gospel Oak line to get across London and so I know of the work the Users Group are doing to respond to changes in service since line was taken over by Transport for London. In particular they are currently lobbying for the electrification of the line as a means of improving its capacity. Whether they are successful or not in their campaign, I believe they make an important contribution to encouraging and challenging received wisdom in Walthamstow about our public transport and so opening up discussion as to how best to serve the needs of our local area now and in the years ahead. I hope you find time to visit their site.

This weekend there will be an "apple day" at the Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow Village organised by the East London Organic Gardeners. Apple Day is a national event organised in local communities to celebrate and preserve our local environment and healthy, nutritious, high quality local produce. If you've not been before it's a great day out with lots of fun things for kids as well as adults. This time attractions at our local event will include a 70 year old bonsai apple tree and locally produced honey as well as homemade apple cakes, juices and chutneys. The event will run from 11am until 4pm and there's a suggested donation towards the costs of £1 per person. I'll be going along so hope to see some of you there.

The Waltham Forest Churches nightshelter has been going since 1996 and in 2005 moved to its present home at 740 Forest Road. To give you an idea of the difference it makes to some of the most vulnerable people in our borough in the last two years alone it has helped over 315 homeless people in Waltham Forest. Of those it has substantial success supporting residents to find a safe and secure place to live including returning 77 to their friends and family, 94 into private accommodation and 34 into supported housing. Whatever the weather there is always a waiting list for a place at the shelter during the night,and the day centre is often packed out. Indeed, during 2006 alone over 15,000 people made visits to the day centre. The shelter isn't just somewhere warm to go; it also acts as an access point for resources for many homeless people in our borough, offering services ranging from healthcare assistance, skills training and mental health outreach support to laundry and washing facilities. It is run mostly by volunteers, with over 200 from 25 churches across the borough, and 16 members of staff including a resettlement worker and night staff. It is funded by a range of sources including the Council and national Government, but like many local volunteer-led projects continually needs to raise funds to keep going. To give you a sense of the money they need to raise, on Saturday I took part in a fundraising quiz which raised over £600 for the shelter- enough to keep the day centre open for a weekend. Just £3 would fund a hot meal a resident for a week and £15 would pay for an hour's literacy lesson to be provided. The team are always looking for more donations either of time or money so if you can help support this project either through making a donation or through volunteering at the centre yourself please do get in touch.