April 2010 Archives
I want to thank every woman in Walthamstow who took part in our first event
last week. This is a spreadsheet with all the comments
from the participants - over 100 local women took part along with Harriet
Harman, Tessa Jowell, Diane Abbott, Meg Hillier and Joan Ruddock. I've not
censored the comments so you can see the full range of issues we discussed and
ideas we shared. I'll also be sharing these with Harriet who made her own notes
(also included) about the discussion.
what women in walthamstow want feedback.xlsx
This coming Saturday 1 May I and a number of the women council candidates will be holding another drop in event to continue these conversations. This will be a great opportunity to meet with other local women and also have your say on what matters for Walthamstow. If you would like to take part in this event please do get in touch for further details.
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Declaration of
Interests form |
|
|
Name of candidate |
Stella Creasy |
|
Constituency: |
Walthamstow |
|
Political party: |
THE LABOUR PARTY |
|
Date of
publication: |
20 April 2010 |
|
CATEGORY |
RELEVANT
INTERESTS |
|
(a) Other
paid jobs and whether I intend to
continue to hold them, if elected |
None - as of April 1 2010 I resigned my position as Head of Campaigns
at The Scout Association to contest the election. |
|
(b) positions
of responsibility in some types of organisation, even if unpaid, and whether I intend to continue
to hold them, if elected. |
Trustee, Voluntary Action Waltham Forest School Governor, Sybourn Primary School and Children's Centre I receive no payment for undertaking these roles and would intend to
resign them if elected. |
|
(c)(i) Directorships, and whether I intend to continue to hold them, if
elected. |
|
|
(c)(ii) Clients, and whether I intend to continue to advise them,
if elected. |
|
|
(c)(iii) Land
and property, and whether I intend
to continue to hold this, if elected. |
Apart from my main family home in
Walthamstow I have no other interest in land or property. |
|
(c)(iv) Shareholdings, and whether I intend to continue to hold these, if
elected. |
|
|
(d) Tax
matters |
For the tax year 2008/2009 I have not
claimed to be, or been treated as not resident, not ordinarily resident or
not domiciled in the |
|
(e) Any
other interests which I consider
relevant. |
I am also a Co-operative Party Member and if elected will be a Labour and Co-operative Party MP. |
There has been a lot of recent press reporting and politicking locally on school places. It's an issue I know many readers will have strong concerns about. As a local school governor, I've been keen to get clarity on what is happening here in Walthamstow. I've been investigating this issue for some time and I want to share the information I have.
There is no doubt we face a challenge in meeting the schooling needs of our local population, like a lot of other areas in London. This challenge has been driven by a number of factors. There's been a "demographic bump" reflecting an increased birthrate over the last few years. At the same time, a larger proportion of children are being schooled in the state primary sector. And, as families have moved more and more around London, it's been difficult to plan effectively.
These factors combined mean we need more places. To provide those places, we need more funding, as Ed Balls argued when he came to Walthamstow last week. That's why the Government has set aside money for Schools in London. Following this, along with Neil Gerrard, I've been seeking assurances from the local authority that no Walthamstow child who needs a reception place in September will be without one. I've also asked them to confirm that all these children will be given places in schools, rather than in buildings outside their school sites. I'm also determined to ensure these places are provided in line with the law so that this increase in the need for places doesn't lead to larger class sizes. In 1997, 33% of infant school children were in class sizes of more than 30 children. Now it is just 2.1%. For our children to continue benefiting from such smaller class sizes, local schools will have to be able to provide additional classes as well as additional places.
I've now been given those assurances. Specifically, I've been told that there are 3,300 places available within schools locally and that parents of children in this age group who have registered for a place will get letters about their children's school on 24 May 2010. That's why now I'd like to hear what parents have to say about this situation. I'm also keen to hear from other governors about the plans being made to provide additional spaces and their views on the proposals. If you're a parent, or a governor or a teacher, or you just want to let me know what you think, please get in touch.
