Waltham Forest CouncilManagement is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things -
Peter Drucker |
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Between 2006 and 2009, council financial maladministration led to the dismissal, sudden resignations and sackings of senior council officers. An Independent External Panel found that those involved were sometimes 'protected'. | |||||
In 2000 Waltham Forest Education was a mess. | |||||
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Waltham Forest, a traditional English working class London borough, changed fundamentally and permanently following the collapse of local industry and manufacturing. read ... |
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The Times Educational Supplement, 13 October 1995 editorial reported, parts of Leyton and Leytonstone are 'post-industrial deserts,' adding: ' no less than 37 per cent of its children qualify for free meals, and 48 per cent of pupils do not have English as a first language.' read ... |
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In 2000, behavioural problems and low standards of achievement in Waltham Forest schools led council to seize power and gain political control over education. To reduce council expenditure and gain more control over education, the post of Chief Education Officer was abolished and council's Education Committee disbanded. Responsibility for the borough’s schools and skills training was given to professional politicians. Control of the borough’s education was ceded to the politically powerful. |
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In 2001 Waltham Forest Education was a mess. 26 June 2001 read ... An Ofsted inspection listed five failings, including not doing enough to raise standards in secondary schools, and not giving sufficient help to schools with behaviour problems. Former Ofsted chief Chris Woodhead claimed that Waltham Forest Education had a "culture of failure and hopelessness." Ministers made it clear that they would use their power to take over the authority's functions if the private sector was not called in.. |
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BBC News - Scathing report on council chaos 26 November 2009 read ... A scathing report has criticised "damning" failures of leadership at an east London council that led to an era of financial chaos. |
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May 2002 - Collapse of trans-national EU project which was meant to regenerate small businesses in the south of the borough. THE borough's head of planning and development, Bob Bennett, has been sacked by the council, following the Le Cheile debacle in which £123,000 of European grant money went unaccounted for. Shaukat Khan, the project leader on the Le Cheile scheme until it folded in July 2000, has previous convictions for theft and forgery and spent six months in prison in the early 1990s. Khan, who was appointed even though his conviction was not spent, denies misappropriating any of the money. more ... |
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Le Cheile debacle read ... Bennett, a former chairman of the Association of London Boroughs Planning Officers, was suspended along with two unnamed "senior" officers following alleged failures in the management of two European-funded regeneration projects. An extraordinary panel meeting of five council members last week recommended to the council cabinet that Bennett should be dismissed.Cabinet members were due to consider the recommendation as Planning went to press. The allegations centre on two projects - a trans-national project called Le Cheile and an Objective 2 regeneration project.The Le Cheile project, locally known as the "Business into Community" scheme, is a European programme linking Waltham Forest with Dublin, Madrid, Rome and Vila Nova De Gaia in Portugal which aims to help minority groups establish small businesses. It is alleged that checks made on payments involving the Objective 2 project were inadequate. |
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2002 - Audit Commission judged Waltham Forest a 0-Star council | |||||
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In December 2002, Ken Davis, Comprehensive Area Assessment Lead, published his Audit report. Council achieved. zero star performance and was rated as poor with little hope of improvement. | ||||
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Waltham Forest Council at war 6 May 2003, Tony Buckley Simon White https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6249591.waltham-forest-council-at-war/ A long-standing rift between council leader Tony Buckley and chief executive Simon White is responsible for Waltham Forest Council's dire performance. |
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Labour 'sacks' council leader, Tony Buckley 28 July 2003 read ... Town hall veteran hires Max Clifford to fight removal |
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Simon White, is leaving the authority by mutual consent Waltham Forest LBC today announced that its chief executive, Simon White, is leaving the authority by mutual consent 3 March, 2004 read ... |
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2003-2009 - Clyde Loakes council leader |
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2006 - Audit Commission judged Waltham Forest a 1 -Star council | |||||
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2005 - 2007 Jacquie Dean appointed Chief Executive She joined the council from the Audit Commission where she was an Associate Director. Previously she was Assistant Chief Executive at Cardiff Council. Allegedly hand picked by Cllr Loakes from the Audit Commission and known for her integrity, ability, and drive to create her career in local government, suddenly left in 2007 after giving the borough 1 star for performance. Jacquie Dean quit the council for personal and family reasons. Sources close to council implied she had been harrassed after giving council one star. |
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2007 - Roger Taylor, allegedly hand picked by Cllr Loakes from Pinnacle Public Services, gave the borough 3 star performance, after being suddenly employed in 2007 on an allegedly well paid contract with two salaries. Roger Taylor, was headhunted by a firm owned by a company he was the director of. He earned up to £1,275 a day. He left the authority in September 2008 to be replaced by Andrew Kilburn. - Former CEO's firm paid £1m Commen - [1] |
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2007 - Audit Commission judged Waltham Forest a 3 -Star council | |||||
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2007 -
It's official: Labour has made Waltham Forest the fastest-improving Council. The Audit Commission has judged Waltham Forest a 3 -Star council. This is a dramatic improvement on the 1-Star we received last year and makes us one of the most improved councils in the country. |
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2008 - Audit Commission judged Waltham Forest a 4 -Star council | |||||
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In 2008, council achieved a glowing audit report and a four star rating. A glowing report portrayed a council which was strongly led and had a clear vision for the future of the borough. It also had clear accountability for performance management. The Local Strategic Partnership, which had overseen a widespread systematic failure to monitor the spending of millions of pounds earmarked to help the poor, is described as “well led and focused in its approach to meeting community priorities”. The council is now the only previously-failing authority to achieve the four-star rating. |
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External Independent Panel | |||||
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2008 - Chief Executive Andrew Kilburn's shock exit, Independent External Panel, set up by Andrew Kilburn. Five council officers were under investigation for not reporting the alleged fraudulent use of public money by EduAction, the private company which formerly ran education in the borough. Investigations uncovered a systematic failure to safeguard the proper use of money earmarked to help the most disadvantaged in Waltham Forest. Cllr Loakes said: “We have let residents down - I am very disappointed.” He went on to say: This council has a lot of work to do to rebuild confidence in this organisation and how residents believe we are operating. It is clear this council cannot hide. |
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On 3 December 2009, an Independent External Panel censured council for serious widespread financial mismanagement. The contents of the EduAction audit report were ‘strictly confidential’ and protected the anonymity of councillors, officers and others by deleting (redacting) those parts of the report which identified individuals. Report into NRF fund use within EduAction. The 2007-9 financial audits led to dismissal and sudden resignations of senior council officers. The report protects the anonymity of councillors, officers and others by deleting (redacting) those parts of the report which identified individuals. |
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Scathing report on council chaos Sir Peter Rogers Independent Investigation. November 2009 read ... A scathing report has criticised "damning" failures of leadership at an east London council that led to an era of financial chaos. The review of Waltham Forest council, by London Development Agency chief Sir Peter Rogers, found numerous contracts were awarded against the rules. Sir Peter Rogers commented: "Good organisations learn from problems and rectify them. Waltham Forest appears to do neither." |
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2009 - Cllr Chris Robbins elected council leader | |||||
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2009 Cllr Chris Robbins was elected council leader. Following the publication of the investigation's report, he apologised and promised "a new era of openness and transparency." |
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2009 - The year of councillor deselections | |||||
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Labour Party deselect Mayor Cllr Anna Mbachu and Cllrs Shameem Highfield, Tarsem Bhogal, Elisabeth Davies and Milton Martin June 2009 read ... Cllr Davies said: "I'm angry. Of course I'm angry all three black councillors have been deselected. Is it racially motivated?" A Labour party insider said the cull was motivated by the rejected councillors' association with former council leader Clyde Loakes. Forest member Cllr Faiz Yunis confirmed that he too had been deselected but said he would not yet comment on reports that he was set to follow Cllr Martin's lead. |
Rejected Labour councillor wins appeal 3 February 2022 read … A Labour councillor told she was not fit to represent the party in this year’s local election has successfully overturned the decision. Cllr Anna Mbachu, who has represented Grove Green ward since 2006, was one of four current Labour councillors rejected at interview, alongside a cabinet member and his two relatives. While all four appealed, Cllr Mbachu is the only one to have succeeded and will be able to run for re-election in May, provided she is shortlisted and chosen by a members’ vote in her ward. |
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Labour deselections reversed 18 February 2010 read .. Cllr Mbachu: " the episode should be a spark to make changes to the system for picking local election candidates." |
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Cathall member Cllr Milton Martin joined the Liberal Democrats after being deselected July 2009 read ... It was confirmed that Cllr Milton Martin made the switch after he was spurned by the party in a major cull. Martin said: “It's true that I've crossed the floor and I'm no longer part of the Labour group. It's to do with the deselection but it's a long story and it's also to do with a catalogue of things that have taken place over the last 12 years I've been a councillor.” He did not give the full reason for the shift but said a statement would be released in due course. Forest member Cllr Faiz Yunis confirmed that he too had been deselected but said he would not yet comment on reports that he was set to follow Cllr Martin's lead. |
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Leaked secret document reveals investigators found ruling councillors knowingly broke EU law 27 Jan 2010 read … A confidential 2006 report by council fraud investigators found council cabinet members, some of whom are still in place, were aware a decision to extend a recycling collection agreement with company ECT contravened EU legislation. Cabinet waived rules regarding the extension, which it is entitled to do in exceptional circumstances, but investigators found no justification for the move. The report states: “The inability to waive EU procurement rules was drawn to the attention of cabinet in the proposal. “When rules are broken for no apparent reason or necessity, there is little motivation for others to abide by them. “It is difficult to understand how (the council) expects to uphold the law when its own cabinet deliberately breaks it.” Council leader Chris Robbins, former leader Clyde Loakes and current cabinet members Liaquat Ali and Keith Rayner were all present at the meeting. The report also states that senior council officer Keith Weir deliberately misled the authority in pushing for the extension. The independent report by Sir Peter Rogers found rules to prevent fraud were regularly ignored over a number of years and those responsible were not held to account. The council declined to answer a number of questions regarding the report, but released the following statement: "We can confirm the recommendations of this confidential report were addressed after it was published in 2006. The Council cannot comment on the details of confidential documents. |
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Former Labour cabinet member for Waltham Forest Afzal Akram has joined Ukip in Ealing 8 October 2014 read ... Labour chief whip in Waltham Forest, Afzal Akram, was disciplined for trying to fix a planning decision and has emerged as the new chairman of Ukip in Ealing. Mr Akram, who is of Pakistani heritage, reportedly joined the right wing, eurosceptic, anti-immigration party about three months ago after becoming “disenchanted” with Labour. |
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Cllr Karen Bellamy, cabinet member for child and family poverty resigns 22 May 2015 read ... Cllr Bellamy, cabinet member with child and family poverty responsibility, resigned after council’s decision on the Pool and Track in Walthamstow |
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15th January 2010 - New law and governance director, Terry Osborne, hired following contracts fiasco read ... She has been tasked with improving contracting practices after the report, written by an independent panel of local government heavyweights, showed a systemic failings in financial management. Chief executive Andrew Kilburn has pledged to restructure the leadership team to “enhance collective responsibility”. Mr Kilburn stated in a report to the council’s cabinet that Waltham Forest had the largest senior management team in capital, second only to the City of London. A spokesman for the council said: “One of the things Ms Osborne will specifically be looking at is procurement where the council needs to improve. |
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August 17, 2011 - Waltham Forest Council’s Director of Governance and Law, Terry Osborne, is leaving to take another job after a mere eighteen months in post. It seems Ms Osborne will not be missed as it is rumoured she was not well liked because of her over zealous behaviour. |
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ANOTHER senior officer, Kathryn Myers, assistant director of Strategy and Communications, has left the council - the fifth in recent weeks. 22 August 2011 read ... Kathryn Myers, assistant director of Strategy and Communications, took voluntary redundancy as part of the authority's restructuring plans earlier this month, it has emerged. It comes following the announcement of the departures of the the council's director of Governance and Law Terry Osborne, chief finance officer John Raisin, executive director of children and young people's services Chris Kiernan and his deputy director Linda Cointepas. |
Comment August 23, 2011 by truthwilloutinwalthamforest Once Upon a Time… …at the beginning of this year Waltham Forest’s Head of Communications was summoned to a meeting to discuss her redundancy. Suddenly, the Labour Party casts a spell, ‘Evanesco’, and the meeting is transformed into an interview for the post of Assistant Director of Strategy and Communications. The only ‘candidate’, Kathryn Myers, was given the job which attracted a salary between £71,000 and £127,000 a year. Even the Conservative leader, Cllr Matt Davis, was subjected to Labour’s ‘Stupefy‘ spell as he was on the ‘interview’ panel. 7 months later we hear Kathryn Myers took voluntary redundancy as part of the authority’s restructuring plans earlier this month. It seems the Labour Party looks after its own. By promoting Myers from Head of Communications to Assistant Director of Strategy and Communications her redundancy package must of improved dramatically. To add insult to injury it is alleged that the council is planning to give senior officers pay rises while cutting the wages of its lowest paid staff. |
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Chief Executive Andrew Kilburn quits June 2010 read ... Cllr Davis confirmed that Mr Kilburn left only a year into the job, added that he believed the chief executive was forced out because of his decision to commission an independent review which revealed widespread financial mis-management across the authority. He said: “"Both I and the Conservative group are extremely dismayed at the unwarranted and unilateral dismissal of Andrew Kilburn by Cllr Robbins in his first act as the council's 'strong leader'. |
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Martin Esom appointed Chief Executive 17 September 2010 read … Esom was a senior officer during a time when rules to prevent fraud were regularly ignored at the council, although there is no evidence to suggest he was involved. Confidential documents seen by the Guardian revealed that Cllr Robbins decided that Mr Kilburn should leave following a breakdown in the working relationship between the two. |
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Feb 2011: Council admit poor fund fraud took place The council is yet to reveal when the evidence emerged and what action was taken. PriceWaterhousCoopers (PwC) investigators in 2008 found the BNI in complete disarray, despite warnings about council spending in poor areas being made as early as 2004.- [comment] read ... 29 Nov 10, read ... 17 Feb 11 |
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Settlement reached over Youth At Risk dispute 7 June 2011 A legal settlement reached on March 31 will see EduAction pay the council an undisclosed sum. The figure has been withheld on the grounds of commercial confidentiality. Both parties will pay their own legal costs. The agreement means that neither EduAction or the council accepts liability or wrongdoing. They have also agreed to “co-operate, consult and work with each other” in a defence against a claim being made by an undisclosed person. |
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Four experienced senior officers leave council within weeks of each other. 5th August 2011 read ... It has emerged that the authority's director of Governance and Law, Terry Osborne, is quitting and chief finance officer, John Raisin, has already left his post. The news comes after it was revealed that the deputy director of children and young people's services, Linda Cointepas, had left "by mutual consent" following a damning Ofsted report of her department. Its executive director Chris Kiernan will also retire at the end of August. |
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2012 - Inspectors said the situation at Mission Grove Children's Centre, in Buxton Road, Walthamstow, was so confusing they had to ask the council "to immediately clarify who is in charge. read ... |
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2011 - Scandal of non payment of teachers' pensions to the Teachers Pension Fund | |||||
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Scandal of non payment of teachers' pensions to the Teachers Pension Fund 21 January 2004 - responding to questions about CLaSS pension problems, the, Head of Community Learning and Skills Service Dr Maureen Green said, "The problem as far as I understand it is that LBWF have been very late in trans. pension payments over to the TPF." Her statement was confirmed by the CLaSS teachers’ union NATFHE. March 2011 - Martin Esom, Chief Executive Waltham Forest, responding to questions about CLaSS TPF problems, refused to disclose financial statements of what happened to Waltham Forest teachers’ pensions in 2004. He said: "In terms of the financial statements of ‘what happened to the CLaSS teachers' pensions in 2004’, we have taken legal advice and the Council cannot disclose this information to you. The statements are confidential and will contain personal data within the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1998 and it would not be in accordance with the data principles under the Act to disclose this information to you. Further, this would exempt disclosure under section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000." 123 people |
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A history of library cuts and book burning in Waltham Forest 12 November 2016 read ... Waltham Forest resident, Keith Foster, has his say on plans to close libraries. As a local resident of over 60 years, and someone for whom the Higham Hill library was very much a focal learning point during my schooldays of the 1950s and 60s, I have been following closely the latest Labour council's manoevres to 'downsize' yet more of our leisure resources. There must be many residents still alive who like me, well remember the previous exercise which took place in 2007. |
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July 2012 - Thousands of town hall records to be destroyed. Campaigners said the revelation had the potential to be a "calamity for local democracy" and said it would be impossible to scrutinise the council if crucial records were shredded. The exact amount of paperwork to be destroyed has not been disclosed, but a member of council staff described it as a "vast number". more ... Nov 2012 - Asbestos Scandal Widens |
![]() August 16, 2017 read … In July of this year, LBWF CEO Martin Esom joined the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a part-time non-executive director – a post that entails approximately 30 days commitment per year for a remuneration of no less than £15,100 (that is £503 per day).. |
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![]() 8 March 2018 read … A WALTHAM Forest Council employee uploaded a video containing “sensitive information” to Youtube, a report filled with damning personal data breaches has revealed. The report by private consultants Agilisys noted the council is currently not currently compliant with data protection regulations. In total, 39 council employees and partners were investigated in 2017 for failing to protect important information. The number of investigations was up 50 per cent since 2016. The council has until May 25 to ensure it is compliant with data protection laws - if it does not, it could be taken to court. Issues highlighted included a lack of training and the need for more consistent handling of queries. Cllr Liaquat Ali, cabinet member for transformation and commercial services, said: “The new general data protection regulations come into effect on Friday 25 May and Waltham Forest Council is being proactive in preparing for the new guidelines. “The report outlines for members what work has been done to prepare for general data protection regulations and reassures them that the council is ready, reflecting the recommendations of an independent review into the council’s data protection practices.” |
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Experts call for public help on economy 26th September 2013 read ... A commission hired to help devise a growth plan for Waltham Forest’s economy is asking the public for ideas. Led by Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics, the commission is tasked with finding out why the borough has one of London’s smallest economies. |
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Council admit poor fund fraud took place 17th February 2011 read ... Fraud occurred in the handling of money intended for Waltham Forest’s poorest areas, the council has admitted for the first time. A report published in November last year into the authority’s response to the scandal over Better Neighbourhood Initiative spending found no evidence that lessons had been learned after the mismanagement of millions of pounds was uncovered. The council is yet to reveal when the evidence emerged and what action was taken. |
Waltham Forest Council report reveals internal fraud investigations 11 March 2018 read ... Waltham Forest Council council investigated 13 cases of fraud involving its own staff or partners between April 2017 and January 2018. Cases included theft, abuse of position and contractor fraud. The majority of cases involved council employees. Investigations resulted in four council employees or associates being dismissed or resigning. |
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2009 - Chris Robbins elected council leader | |||||
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2009 Cllr Chris Robbins was elected council leader. Following the publication of the investigation's report, he apologised and promised "a new era of openness and transparency. |
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2016 - Chris Robbins to step down in May 2017 | |||||
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Cllr Chris Robbins worn in as Waltham Forest Mayor 1 June 2019 read ... A council spokesperson welcomed Cllr Chris Robbins CBE as the new Mayor of Waltham Forest for the next year. Cllr Robbins has represented Grove Green ward since 2002 and announced he will be supporting Parkinson’s UK as his mayoral charity for the year and the Mayor’s Young Enterprise Fund, which will provide support for entrepreneurs between the ages of 16 and 25. |
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Improvement notice issued to Waltham Forest Borough Council due to poor performance in looked after children's services. Department for Communities and Local Government and Department for Education Last updated: 7 March 2013 read ... read document - pdf |
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Major changes have transformed the area for both residents and those visiting Waltham Forest Council's Leader Youtube ... |
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Walthamstow transformations in the last decade 29 August 2020 read ... Walthamstow, a major hub in East London, is probably known by many Londoners as the place where the Victoria line ends. Unless you're a resident, of course, and then it is home. A home that has gone through incredible transformation in recent years. From new shops and restaurants going up there to the opening of Walthamstow Overground station, making transport connections even better. All this change has made the area much more desirable as a place for both long-term Londoners and those moving to the capital for work to find a home in. |
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The council fraud and maladministration between 2006 and 2009, which resulted in the Independent Anti Fraud Investigation, appears to be continuing, unabated. | |||||