Entries tagged with “dogs” from Working For Walthamstow

I'm honoured to have been elected as the new MP for Walthamstow. I love this area. It's been home to me and my family for over thirteen years. I want to celebrate what happens here - all the people, activities, events that make Walthamstow special to us as residents.

 

I also want to tackle the many challenges we face here - from community cohesion, to gang crime and child poverty. But I'm determined that, together with public services, we can and will resolve these. As our MP I want to support this work, and to be a strong local voice for Walthamstow and the things that matter to us here. I learnt this not least from working closely with Neil Gerrard. Neil has been a fantastic MP for Walthamstow for the last eighteen years, serving the needs of people here from every background and fighting for our public services. It is a tremendous privilege to follow in his footsteps.

 

I don't want to live in a society where a child has to be lucky or privileged to succeed. The kids I work with here in Walthamstow deserve better. And we all benefit when they're given the chances they crave to achieve. I do not seek to address these challenges on my own because if my experience campaigning in this community has taught me one thing, it's this: when we work together, we can achieve more. We can challenge the injustices we see. We can secure the services we need. We can enjoy a better life here together. 

I want to say thank you to everyone who has worked with me in Walthamstow over this last decade for our community - and now as your MP to ask you for your help with the work we need to do next.

 

Whilst the implications of the election are considered at a national level, I want to reassure you that I am focused on working on the local priorities residents have told me matter to them. That's why in the weeks ahead my focus will be on helping our local young people to ensure that they are given opportunities to achieve their potential, working with the Council and businesses to get our cinema and dog track back and bring jobs and investment to Walthamstow and continuing to support our vital local healthcare services; these are just a few of the reasons I stood to be your MP in Walthamstow and I've already started to work on these issues with groups and public services within our area. If you would like to be part of these projects please do get in touch.

 

There will of course be a period of practical transition over the next couple of weeks while we set up a parliamentary and constituency office as well as redesign the features of this website. During this time if you need my help as your local MP you can contact me via email stella@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk or phone on 020 8520 6586.  The Working for Walthamstow e-newsletter will also continue to be distributed each week- so please do get in contact if you would like to receive this. It details where you will find me out and about in Walthamstow if you wish to speak to me - and if you have activities you would like me to include please do get in touch!

 

Thank you once again Walthamstow for your mandate- I'm committed to working for a better future for us all here.

 

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN  

I write in support of the view that the restoration of Walthamstow Dog Track as a viable commercial enterprise is both possible and desirable, and would be in the best interests of the people of Walthamstow.

For many visitors and tourists the Dog Track defines E17, and the story of its development is for many the story of the changing East End of London. It has entertained not only local residents but brought people and investment to the area. It was also one of our major local employers with many jobs that were part time or flexible, so suitable for those with family commitments. Its closure in 2007 meant Walthamstow lost an iconic piece of local heritage and nearly 500 people lost their livelihoods.

Regeneration should not only be about the physical investment such as transport links or high quality housing but also the provision of "places to go, and things to do". Walthamstow struggles to offer many activities to fit this description meaning local residents often leave the area for leisure pursuits. This also means there is a lack of inward investment from visitors. Despite the challenging economic conditions of the last eighteen months, there has been persistent interest from commercial organisations in restoring the Dog Track. This highlights how there is not only a social but an economic case for action and that any such development would be highly likely to prosper. Indeed, the site is well suited to such activities, being close to main roads and transport hubs yet contained away from nearby residential properties.

I recognise that Waltham Forest is in desperate need of affordable housing and I want to participate in finding viable solutions to this challenge for our community. I also know it is difficult to identify other sites locally that could provide the opportunity for large-scale leisure facilities. I am hopeful that an acceptable deal for the site could be reached which could in turn finance alternative local housing provision.

As a local community activist I fear Walthamstow becoming a "dormitory town". It is why I have campaigned for many years to retain and expand the provision of venues that can offer jobs as well as entertainment for local residents. I hope that both the prospective buyers and the current owners of the site, London and Quadrant, will commit themselves to negotiations to see if a sale could be achieved for the benefit of our local people and ultimately our local economy and community.

I've recently dealt with a number of concerns raised by readers about dog fouling on local streets. Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 it is an offence for owners to allow their dogs to foul on the public
highway or in other public places to which a Dog Control Order applies and carries a £75 fine. You can find out more about which areas are subject to a Dog Control Order (including our local parks) here. One of the difficulties in dealing with this is enforcement; put simply catching irresponsible dog owners in the act of failing to clean up after their animals. If this is something that concerns you, you can help by reporting back to police and council officers if you do see someone behaving in this way so they can monitor the situation. If you wish to know the
direct contact details for your local ward police team for non-emergency issues please get in touch.