Tuesday 20 December 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Sunday 18th December- helping to host a christmas party for Walthamstow Labour Party. 
  • Thursday 22nd December - attending the Community Hub Christmas Lunch for older residents. 
  • Friday 23rd December - attending the Salvation Army party for volunteers. 



My office will close on Friday 23rd December for the Christmas and New Year period. It will re-open on Tuesday 3rd January 2017. During this time if you need to contact me in an emergency please call the Waltham Forest Direct service on 020 8498 3000 and they are able to contact me. The e-newsletter service will return in the new year- best wishes for this festive season and for the New Year to all Walthamstow residents.

Friday 16 December 2016

Walthamstow CLP members - don't forget - festive social this Sunday (18th)

Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow invites you to join her and Cllr Chris Robbins, 
the Labour Leader of Waltham Forest Council, for a festive afternoon tea party on 

Sunday 18th December between 3-5pm in central Walthamstow 
This informal social event is open to all members of our local Labour party and their friends to join us as we look back on 2016 and ahead to 2017. Whether our work to help the refugees in Calais, helping to get Sadiq Khan elected as a Labour London Mayor, making the case for Britain to stay in the European Union or winning the campaign to save the Butterfields residents from eviction it’s been quite a year! 

As well as lots of festive food, there will be entertainment and a visit from Santa Claus...

To help us plan for this event please RSVP for full details of the venue. Children are very welcome and to help us plan for Santa Claus when you RSVP please let us know the ages and number of anyone under 10 coming with you. 

Finally, we would appreciate help with catering so if you can bring cake or mince pies please do let us know- all contributions gratefully received. 

We hope you will be able to join us for this festive and fun event next weekend, 

Saturday 10 December 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Monday 12th December- in parliament to support legislation to help credit unions in the Savings (Government Contributions) Bill. 
  • Tuesday 13th December- starting work as a member of the Children and Social Work Bill Committee. The time this committee will take means I will be in Westminster for most of the week until mid January. Please see below for the details of the legislation I am tabling as part of this process for child refugees and sex and relationship education.
  • Thursday 15th December- in parliament for the Children and Social Work Bill Committee.
  • Friday 16th December- in parliament to support private members legislation on ratifying the Istanbul Convention and then holding a party to introduce the residents of Butterfields to their new Landlord Dolphin Living. 
  • Saturday 17th December- attending the bazaar to raise donations for child refugees.
  • Sunday 18th December- helping to host a christmas party for Walthamstow Labour Party.

Putting Consent on the Curriculum: 
Providing Sex and Relationship Education to Safeguard Children 

This week I tabled legislation in parliament to make the provision of sex and relationship education part of safeguarding all children in schools in England. This follows on from the work I have done for many years with residents in Walthamstow about how to support all young people to make positive choices about their relationships with each other. 

Currently composting and recycling are part of our national curriculum. However, whilst children are taught about the mechanics of reproduction, concepts such as consent and equality are not required learning. It’s time to change this- One in three young girls say they have been sexually harassed in school. There have been 5,500 assaults reported in schools in the last three years alone. Sex and relationship education which covers consent, sexual violence, healthy relationships and domestic violence is a crucial part of preventing harm.

The proposal I have put forward would ensure all pupils were given lessons not just in the biology of sex, but healthy relationships and consent. It would also require these lessons to be age appropriate, balanced, inclusive and religiously diverse - and give young people themselves the right to say if they want to take part in these sessions. 

Teaching these skills isn't about replacing the role of families in guiding young people - it is about ensuring the peers of every child share the same respect for other students any parent would wish for their child. If you would like updates on this proposal which is for the Children and Social Work Bill or to discuss it please do get in touch. You can also watch my speech on this, and the child refugees campaign here.

Monday 5 December 2016

What's Your StowStory? We17 Campaign

We17 Part 2: What's Your StowStory? 
Community Social Saturday 10th December 

As part of the We17 campaign to tackle the impact of the brexit vote on the local community, on
Saturday 10th December at 2pm Walthamstow Labour will be holding an informal social event to share the stories of how different communities came to live in Walthamstow and their role in the history of our area. This event will hear in particular from representatives of several different refugee communities living in Walthamstow about their life stories and how they came to be part of our local community. 

This informal event is open to all local residents and hosted by Hibo Wardere, a local award winning campaigner. It is free to attend and informal, but participants are asked to bring an item of food to share with others - if you would like to take part in this event or learn more about this project please email.

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Saturday 3rd December- launching the StowXmas Business Map as part of Small Business
    Saturday at Today Bread in Central Parade at 3pm. Details below.
  • Sunday 4th December- attending the Poets Corner Christmas Fair and the E17 Designers Market.
  • Monday 5th December - please note my office will be closed for staff training. I will also then be speaking in parliament in the debate on the Children and Social Work Bill.
  • Tuesday 6th December - attending the Waltham Forest Asian Seniors Club AGM
  • Wednesday 7th December- Dj'ing at the Labour Women's Network Christmas Fundraiser
  • Thursday 8th December- holding an appointment only residents advice surgery. To book an appointment please call 020 8521 1223.
  • Saturday 10th December- taking part in the StowStory community cohesion event.

Thursday 1 December 2016

Chingford & Woodford Green CLP fundraiser quiz with Neil Gerrard - Sunday 11th Dec



























 Come and join Chingford & Woodford Green Labour Party on Sunday 11th December 2016 for a bit of fun and the opportunity to raise money for the local Party
All Saints Church Hall, Church Avenue, Highams Park E4 9QD
  • Doors open at 7.30pm 
  • The quiz starts at 8.00pm
  • £10 per person (Light refreshments included but do bring your own drinks and glasses)
Former Walthamstow MP, Neil Gerrard, will be quizmaster for the evening

Booking essential to reserve your place. Pay on the door.
  • phone 07504 739520, 02085319836 
  • or email m.dore27@ntlworld.com 
Organised by Chingford and Woodford Green Labour Party, E4 6LP





Saturday 19 November 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Saturday 19th November- speaking at a trade union conference on hate crime in Bedford. 
  • Monday 20th November- co-sponsoring amendments to the Higher Education Bill to prevent students being retrospectively charged higher costs for student loans
  • Wednesday 23rd November- attending the Autumn Statement debate in parliament
  • Thursday 24th November- discussing funding for nursery education in Walthamstow with local providers and supporting an event regarding Cooperative Councillors. See below for more details. 
  • Friday 25th November- speaking at a breakfast seminar on workplace change, supporting the Salaam Peace bike ride in Walthamstow and holding an appointment only advice surgery for local residents. To book an appointment please call 020 8521 1223.
Becoming a Coop Councillor: Event for Local Labour and Cooperative Members  

On Thursday 24th November, Waltham Forest Co-op Party are holding a ‘Be a Co-op Councillor’ evening in Walthamstow. This is an event for Labour and Co-operative party members in Waltham Forest who are interested in standing as Labour and Co-operative candidates at the next London local elections in May 2018. 

As well as Labour and Cooperative MPs who represent the cooperative tradition within the Labour movement, there are also hundreds of Labour and Cooperative councillors around Britain. This event will be a great opportunity to hear about the role of the Co-op in local government and more generally what it is like to be a Councillor, and how Labour Party and Co-op Party selections work. If you are interested in attending this event, then please register online so that the organisers can get an idea of the numbers, as space is limited. 

Online registration and further venue details here: http://party.coop/be-a-cllr-wal-for.

Saturday 5 November 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Monday 7th November - attending the Prime Ministers statement in parliament regarding the high court ruling on triggering Article 50 and then speaking at a debate at the Royal Geological Society on the impact of Brexit on London.
  • Thursday 10th November - taking part in a discussion at the National Theatre on gender politics to discuss the outcome of the American presidential elections. 
  • Saturday 12th November- running a women's leadership workshop at the Fawcett Society conference in central London. 
  • Sunday 13th November- taking part in Remembrance Sunday in Walthamstow at the Town Hall.

Interested in becoming a Labour Councillor? 'Be a councillor' events


Labour Councillors play a vital role in their communities and can make a real difference to people’s daily lives. The Labour Party needs people of vision, leadership, integrity, ambition and commitment to help deliver strong leadership and quality public services. If you think this could be you but you would like more information and the opportunity to discuss with serving councillors, the London Labour Party is working with the Local Government Association to deliver a number of Be a Councillor Events. This will cover the role of a councillor and the process to become one either in the near future or later on.
The first of these will take place on 5 November and there will be another taking place at the London Regional Conference on 12 November with further dates specifically for women members and young members later this year. To register for any of these events please sign up on http://www.labourinlondon.org.uk/events

Please email london2016@labour.org.uk or phone 020 7783 1170 if you have any questions. An agenda and further information will be sent out to all delegates and visitors closer to the day.

There will also be local 'Be a councillor' events specific to Waltham Forest. More details here soon.

Monday 31 October 2016

Butterfields Estate - Dolphin Living completes purchase. No evictions of tenants for at least 5 years

Residents of the Butterfields estate, and those who have been following the case with much concern, will be pleased to hear that Dolphin Living - a charitable housing association established in 2005 - carries the following news on its website today:

"Today we announce the completion of the acquisition of the long leases of 49 homes on Walthamstow’s Butterfields Estate. The vendor is the private company Butterfields E17; Glasspool Trust will remain the Freeholder of the Estate.















"This announcement follows an agreement between Butterfields E17, the Greater London Authority, local Member of Parliament, Stella Creasy, and the London Borough of Waltham Forest over the future ownership of 49 properties, and how best to secure its residents’ immediate future on the Estate."


Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Sunday 30th October- participating in the We17 Community Cohesion Women's Dinner in support of the Forest Nightshelter.
  • Monday 31st October- taking part in Home Office questions to continue to press the Government to help the children in Calais
  • Tuesday 1st November- supporting Walthamstow Labour Party Secretary Phil Creasy and Waltham Forest Coop Chair Andy Dixon as they give evidence to the Boundary Commission about the importance of keeping the Walthamstow constituency together and meeting the National Audit Office to discuss my concerns about PFI. 
  • Thursday 3rd November- attending the Waltham Forest Coop Fundraiser with special guest Chuka Umunna MP which is to help support the campaigning work the Cooperative party is doing on refugees and housing in Walthamstow. All local residents welcome- to buy tickets see the link below.
Waltham Forest Coop Fundraiser: The keynote speaker at this event will be Former Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Ummuna MP and ticket prices include a three course indian meal. 

or by contacting the organisers directly on coopcampaignse17@gmail.com 
or ringing or texting the campaign's office 07957228019.

Sunday 23 October 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Sunday 23rd October- appearing on the Sky Murnaghan programme to discuss the situation in Calais 
  • Tuesday 25th October - speaking at an event on tackling misogyny and hate crime organised by Nottingham University and then hosting the discussion on how to support the Yazidi community in their quest for justice following the actions of Daesh. See below for more details. 
  • Friday 28th October- attending parliament to support the Homelessness Reduction bill and then speaking in Colchester at the Civic Oyster Festival 
  • Sunday 30th October- participating in the We17 Community Cohesion Women's Dinner in support of the Forest Nightshelter - for more details and tickets please see below.
________________________________________

Many residents are concerned about what is happening in Iraq and Syria. As part of supporting those brutalised by Daesh, I will be hosting a parliamentary meeting in the House of Commons on Tuesday 25th October alongside local Walthamstow campaign 'UK Supports Yazidi Women and Girls'. The meeting will be to discuss what the UK government can do to help women and children who have escaped sexual slavery and torture at the hands of Daesh and are now living in unsafe refugee camps with little to no medical care or psychological support. For more information or to get involved please email eventsukyazidi@gmail.com

In the light of concerns about community cohesion and to promote and encourage women's leadership within Walthamstow, there will be a special We17 community dinner from 7pm on Sunday 30th October. This event is to bring women of all ages and all backgrounds together and to raise funds for our local homelessness night shelter, the Forest Nightshelter. I hope women in Walthamstow will be join me at this special evening to help break down barriers within our community - tickets are £10 each and this will take place at 455 Chingford Road. To book a ticket or find out more please contact the organisers Fatima 07552 611843 Roshan ben 07460 542172 and Ruquyya 07872 479069.

Friday 21 October 2016

'Not a refugee problem but a political problem' - Stella Creasy MP in tonight's Standard

Susannah Butter writes in tonight's Evening Standard 'MP Stella Creasy has led the fight to bring the children of Calais to London. As the first wave to arrive sparks a row over age, she tells Susannah Butter why she will take the grief to get it right'

"What’s happening in Calais is a legal process" says Creasy. "The children are being extensively checked. The idea that we’ve gone ‘let’s just let them all over and figure out what to do later’ is not the case. It’s important that when a process like this has been put in place, we acknowledge it and support it.”

So why are the refugees overwhelmingly male? “The children that have come here so far are ‘Dublin’ kids, But a lot of the girls are Dubs so there are around 40 of them still in Calais, in limbo, waiting to be processed.” She’s referring to the EU Dublin III regulation, which allows a child to come to Britain if they have family here, and the Dubs amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill that allows unaccompanied children to be offered safe refuge in the UK if it is in their best interests. The Dubs amendment was passed in May but the infrastructure to enforce it is still being implemented."

Full article here

Wednesday 19 October 2016

Chuka Ummuna at Waltham Forest Co-op Party curry night November 3rd

Chuka Umunna Labour MP for Streatham joins Labour and Cooperative MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy for a Curry evening hosted by Waltham Forest branch Cooperative Party to raise funds to support the party's local campaigning.

This is on Thursday 3rd November at Waltham Forest Community Hub 18A Orford Road E17 9LN (map). 

Doors open at 8pm. There will be a three course curry meal (with vegetarian options), a donations bar and raffle.

Tickets are £25, with concessions for unwaged, £80 for groups of 4, and £150 for groups of 8.

Book: online at Billetto, by email, or by call / text to: 07957 228019

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Monday 17th October- returning to parliament to continue the fight for child refugees 
  • Tuesday 18th October - attending a memorial service. Please note my office will remain open for queries. 
  • Thursday 20th October- taking part in a statutory instrument debate on the Misuse of Drugs Act and then speaking at the Northwood and Pinner Labour Party fundraiser
  • Friday 21st October- holding an appointment only residents advice surgery - to request an appointment please call 020 8521 1223. 
  • Saturday 22nd October- running a session at the Why? Festival to encourage young people to take part in political campaigning. More details can be found here.

Saturday 8 October 2016

"Butterfields deal agreement" - the movie

Stella Creasy MP, councillors Angie Bean, Richard Sweden, Peter Barnett, and Khevyn Limbajee met residents of Butterfields this afternoon to share the promising news about developments in negotiations over the future of the Butterfields estate. . .

"Breaking Walthamstow News: I’m pleased to now be able to announce that after several weeks of negotiations a deal has been agreed between Dolphin and the Butterfields E17 to enable Dolphin to purchase this estate, subject to contract. If completed, this deal will enable all the tenants to remain on the estate and end the threat of evictions as they will all become tenants of Dolphin. . . . "
Stella Creasy MP on Facebook.

Help the Butterfields residents by 
  • welcoming Dolphin Living to Walthamstow @dolphinliving
  • and thanking RBS for their help with this matter @RBS

Butterfields Estate Update: "Deal to Save the Estate Agreed" Stella Creasy MP

Writing in her working for Walthamstow newsletter this week Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy says:

"Butterfields Estate Update: Deal to Save the Estate Agreed - Help Me Thank Dolphin and RBS

I’m pleased to now be able to announce that after several weeks of negotiations a deal has been agreed between Dolphin and the Butterfields E17 to enable Dolphin to purchase this estate, subject to contract. If completed, this deal will enable all the tenants to remain on the estate and end the threat of evictions as they will all become tenants of Dolphin. I’m grateful to RBS, Dolphin and the current owners of Butterfields E17 for their efforts to make this deal happen and offer these families and residents of Walthamstow the opportunity to stay in our community. We may have had our differences, but their willingness to get round a table and work together for the best interests of Walthamstow residents has paid off.

Having spoken to the residents I know how pleased they are that we have managed to make this progress. I want to thank the Wood Street local councillors Richard Sweden, Pete Barnett and Angie Bean and Cabinet member for Housing Khevyn Limbajee for their help with supporting the residents through this time as well supporting all our work on this matter, and specialist housing lawyer Giles Peaker who has given kindly of his time in advising the residents on their legal rights. Finally and most importantly, I want to congratulate the residents on their resilience and determination to make their case for their tenancies.

I will continue to liaise with Dolphin, Butterfields and RBS to ensure that this deal is completed and will update Walthamstow when this occurs. To ensure that this deal is not disrupted or delayed, I would now urge all those interested in this issue to be patient and await this news. In the meantime, if you wish to support this deal, I would be grateful if residents in Walthamstow could show their support for this deal by helping me welcome Dolphin Living to Walthamstow (@dolphinliving) and thanking RBS for their help with this matter (@RBS)."
_________________________________________

Earlier posts about the Butterfields Estate - April 2016

". . . I have secured a parliamentary debate on the future of the Butterfields estate in Walthamstow in the main parliamentary chamber."

". . . their homes in highly desirable Walthamstow Village had been sold by their previous owners, the charity Glasspool, to a private developer."

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Monday 10th October- returning to parliament to continue the fight for child refugees 
  • Tuesday 11th October - taking part in the Day of the Girl young mentoring project at the London Southbank
  • Wednesday 12th October- attending a discussion in parliament about human rights in Kashmir to support the call for independent investigations. 
  • Friday 14th October- holding an appointment only residents advice surgery - to request an appointment please call 020 8521 1223. 
  • Saturday 15th October- supporting action to help the child refugees. 
Stella says: "Please note my diary is subject to change this week depending on events in the Calais Refugee Camps."

Wednesday 5 October 2016

How You Can Help Safeguard Children in Calais - from Stella Creasy MP

Screen_Shot_2016-10-03_at_02.41.14.png
Click here to watch this short video 
The French Government have confirmed their intention to evict the whole of the Calais refugee camp- including over 1,000 children - by the end of October 2016. Please join our fight to safeguard them. 

Right now our Government has the paperwork for 387 of these children who we believe have the right to be in the UK legally. Yet still they fail to act. Working across political parties we are proposing the Dub II law - an amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill which will force the Government to protect these children. Read more about this law here

Here are four actions you can take to help these children right now:
  1. Please consider making a donation to pay for mobile phone credit so we can keep in touch with them if they are evicted, and buy suitcases with wheels so they can try to keep any belongings they have. You can do so online here. 
  2. Please ask your MP to support the Dubs II amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill. You can find a suggested text below to use and if you get a positive or negative response please let us know!
  3. Please contact members of the House of Lords online to ask them to support Dubs II amendment - you can find a list of twitter handles here
  4. Please share this email with family and friends around the country to ask them to join us acting to help child refugees. I'm sending you this email as you have been in touch about how to help our campaign and shown support for my work to help child refugees - if you know others who would like to receive these updates on this campaign please ask them to email me to be added to this mailing list. 
With your help we can ensure no child is left in the Calais Camps by Christmas. 

Stella Creasy MP
Labour and Cooperative MP for Walthamstow
___________________________

Suggested text for contacting MPs

Dear

As my MP I’m writing to you to ask you to pledge to safeguard child refugees in Europe.

The Dubs Amendment was passed by parliament in March 2016- it committed us to taking our fair share of the refugee children in Europe who have fled persecution. Yet six months on not a single child has come here under its protection – now there are over 1000 children alone in the Calais camp, which the French Government has said it will evict by the end of October 2016. These children live in tents with strangers, begging for food and hiding from traffickers for want of someone to process their paperwork. The French asylum system has ground to a halt- without action by the UK these children face a very uncertain future.

The Home Office currently has the paperwork for 387 children currently in the Calais refugee camps who have the right to be in the UK legally under either international law or the Dubs amendment. That’s why a cross party group of MPs has tabled the Dubs II amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill to require the Government to put in place a safeguarding process for these children and so protect their welfare. This will be debated in the Lords in October 2016 and will then come to House of Commons for approval.

There is not a moment to lose in the fight to protect these children. When the French evicted part of the camp earlier this year, 100 children went missing. With your help we can ensure these children have a better future. Please let me know if you will pledge your support for this campaign- or let the office of Stella Creasy MP know if you wish to cosign this amendment.

Thank you for your support for this important campaign.

Statement on Refugees by Waltham Forest Council leader Chris Robbins

Dear Friends

I’m sure that you, like me, have been appalled by the continuing tragedy in Syria and Calais, the children and families who have been left devastated by the worst humanitarian crisis in recent history and face another hard winter.

Having watched these terrible events unfold, I made a commitment last year that Waltham Forest would be prepared to house 10 Syrian refugee families by 2020.

Our support for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Waltham Forest is already doing a lot to help those in need. At the start of this year the Council provided support to 40 ‘Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children’; finding new homes and loving families in the borough for young people from countries like Syria and Afghanistan who have been left with nothing.

The ongoing conflicts around the world have meant that demand for our help has soared, and we now support almost three times as many Asylum seeking children as we did just in 2013, when 15 children were in our care. As a borough Waltham Forest have stepped up to manage this increase in demand, which has exceeded the average across the country over the last year – a 38% increase on last year in Waltham Forest, compared to 35% across the country.

The care that we provide does come at a cost, however. Each vulnerable child that we place with a foster carer costs the council in the region of £25,220 per child or young person fostered. This equates to a cost of over a £1,000,000 to place asylum seeking children with foster carers in Waltham Forest - £630,500more than in 2013.

Following our campaign last year 12 additional foster carer families in Waltham Forest came forward to provide homes for children, including those who have had to flee from their country. The Council has been instrumental in its support to ensure that these vulnerable children are cared for within the Waltham Forest community, as opposed to through external companies.

Including adults, the Council now continues to provide support for a total of 218 asylum seekers, which is 37 more vulnerable people than in 2011. On top of this we also provide homes and support for 159 children in 67 families with ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ – vulnerable families who have come to this country but are not yet eligible for support from the government.

We know that there is always more that we can be doing, and that’s why Waltham Forest has also committed to taking in an additional 20 Asylum Seeking children by 2020: five additional children per year. I am very proud that we are continuing to do our best to help these children despite the huge rise in demand and cost to the council. 

Our asks of the Government

At the same time, we need to make sure that we receive the right level of support from the Government to allow us to properly support these vulnerable refugees, and ensure that the funding will cover essential costs such as suitable accommodation, social care support, assistance to register for schools and GPs and English language classes.

One of the hardest challenges is housing refugees in London, and sourcing private rented accommodation that is both available and affordable. The Government’s funding is set at a flat rate across the country, which means that councils in areas of the country with low house prices and low demand for housing are allocated the same amount of money to support refugees as London councils where two bedroom flats can cost half a million pounds.

Unfortunately, due to the extremely high cost and low supply of temporary accommodation in the area, our financial projections are that accepting more families under the current scheme would leave the Council filling a funding gap of around £10,000 per refugee per year.

We know this isn’t realistic if London is to do its bit. That is why we’ve worked with other boroughs and the Mayor of London’s office to ask for a fairer deal, and why it is so important that we are given clarity as soon as possible from the Home Office and Mayor of London’s office over whether councils in London are going to get the support they need to take in Syrian refugees.

Twenty eight of London’s thirty three borough councils have still not been able to take in the refugees they want to rehouse, because they are awaiting final guidance around Government funding. I know that this is not acceptable and that’s why I am pushing for a clear steer from the Government in the coming weeks. I will update you once we have this.


Cllr Chris Robbins

Sunday 2 October 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Monday 3rd October- please note my office will be closed for queries due to building works taking place. 
  • Tuesday 4th October - participating in a briefing for Citizens UK volunteers on how to participate in the campaign to help child refugees. 
  • Thursday 6th October- holding a residents advice surgery. This is by appointment only so please call 020 8521 1223 to request an appointment. 
  • Saturday 8th October- taking part in the Old Vic " If I Had A Voice" debate to talk about attempts to silence women in the public domain.

Sunday 25 September 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Sunday 25th September - Wednesday 28th September- heading to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool to support Walthamstow's fight for safeguarding child refugees 
  • Thursday 29th September - holding a public meeting for the somali community in Walthamstow about public services and then attending the Walthamstow Labour Party General Committee Meeting 
  • Friday 30th September - holding an appointment only residents advice surgery. To book an appointment please call 020 8521 1223.

Saturday 24 September 2016

'Don't leave children to rot in the mud of Calais' – plea to Conference from Stella Creasy MP


Writing on the LabourList website, Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy has issued an urgent plea to delegates to the Labour Party Conference that Children must not be left to rot in the mud of Calais

"Five months ago Parliament voted to help unaccompanied child refugees in Europe. Leading this humanitarian call to offer them sanctuary against those who argued they were someone else’s problem was our own Yvette Cooper and Lord Alf Dubs.

Alf himself came to Britain as a child as part of the kindertransport during the Second World war. Three weeks ago I sat with Alf in the camp in Calais and listened to testimony from children who have a right under this law to be here on our shores now. Children who had been in the camps for months, with only volunteers to protect their welfare. Children who face a French asylum system creaking at the seams and unable to even begin reviewing their needs for months. And contrary to stereotype, they were children. Young boys trying to act tough, with fear and despair in their tired eyes.

Despite the vote in May, still not one child has come here to Britain. Those who say providing this protection will simply encourage more to come ignore the reality that they are coming anyway. Running from conflict and war, whether in Eritrea, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria or Ethopia because however grim the camps and the journey may be, to stay in their home is not an option either."

She continues . . .

"Conference delegates have the chance to show solidarity and unite the party in common voice saying not on our watch will children as young as eight be left to rot in the mud in Calais. Walthamstow CLP is asking for your support for our contemporary motion [see below] on ensuring no child is in the camps by Christmas in the priority ballot this weekend. Please ask your delegate to vote for this motion to be one of the four chosen for debate to put this issue on our party’s national agenda too."


If you want to join our campaign and help secure the rights of these children please email:
stella@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk

Read the full article here
____________________________________

Earlier this month Walthamstow Labour Party agreed the following 'contemporary motion' to go before Conference:

To Ensure No Child Refugees In Calais by Christmas

Walthamstow CLP notes:
  • There are now over 21 million refugees fleeing conflict and persecution across the world. 
  • At least 3.5 million are children, and in the Calais ‘jungle’, the same distance from Walthamstow as Southampton, there are currently 850 unaccompanied children living in subhuman conditions. 
  • Previous ‘evictions’ at the camp by French authorities have led to vulnerable young children going missing. 
  • Britain has committed to take around 20,000 Syrian refugees. By comparison, Germany accepted over 1 million Syrian refugees in 2015. 
  • Peace talks on 25th August in Geneva have failed to secure a ceasefire, despite the worsening humanitarian situation inside Aleppo and other regions inside Syria. 
The work many in Walthamstow are doing to support refugees in Calais and commends this initiative.

Walthamstow CLP believes
  • The refugee crisis is a global humanitarian crisis on a scale not seen since WWII and we have a moral duty to act by giving asylum to those we are able to and leveraging our influence in the world to secure peaceful solutions to conflicts and support human rights. 
  • In light of threats to conduct more ‘evictions’ at the Calais camps in September 2016, the Labour Party must lead urgent action to ensure the Dubs Amendment of March 2016 to help refugee children is honoured. 
  • Calls on the Labour Party to back proposals to legislate to ensure no children are left in the Calais refugee camps by Christmas.

Friday 16 September 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Saturday 17th September- meeting with volunteers from the Christian Kitchen which feeds our local homeless and joining the march for refugees in parliament square.
  • Sunday 18th September- supporting the Curryoake to raise funds for Walthamstow's Nightshelter. 
  • Tuesday 20th September- meeting with Waltham Forest CCG to discuss the Healthy E17 campaign and patient participation. All welcome so if you would like to attend please reply to this email.
  • Wednesday 21st September- supporting the launch of the Cultural Map of Walthamstow at the William Morris Gallery 
  • Saturday 24th September- supporting the #We17 campaign to celebrate Sonita's birthday and then helping with the Wonder Women of Walthamstow campaign showcase. Details below - all welcome. 
  • Sunday 25th September- heading to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
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Mark Carney, Stella Creasy,
Caroline Criado-Perez, Jane Austen
The Wonder Women of Walthamstow: Local Campaigners Showcase and Networking New Date + Caroline Criado Perez 

Our Campaigns showcase for projects being run by women from the Walthamstow community has been changed to Saturday 24th September between 3.30pm to 5.30pm. We will now also be joined by special guest Caroline Criado-Perez who helped to secure women's representation on British bank notes and is a leading feminist campaigner. 

This event will showcase projects tackling violence against women, supporting the Yazidi women in their quest for safety and justice and promoting good sexual health education and services for all. We'll hear first hand from local activists about their campaigns and crucially how you can support or join them. 

This event will be held in central Walthamstow and is free to any woman from our community over the age of 14 - to help us with the logistics attendees are asked to RSVP by email for further details of this event including the venue. Although there won't be a creche, children are also welcome to attend - I'll be providing tea, coffee and juice but attendees are welcome to bring cake. I hope women in Walthamstow can join us in supporting these amazing campaigners and helping ensure their voices are heard.

Wednesday 14 September 2016

15th Sept Polling day phonebank in Walthamstow for Labour's Philip Glanville as Hackney Mayor

Thursday September 15th is polling day in the Hackney Mayoral Election. Walthamstow Labour Party office will be running a phonebank to get out the vote for Labour candidate Philip Glanville from 17.30-20.30. All supporters very welcome to help us - 23 Orford Road London E17 9NL. Find us

Tuesday 13 September 2016

Information about the Leadership Election on ballot papers and reissues

Leadership election ballot papers and reissues

The Labour Party has sent the following message to constituency party secretaries

"By now, over 99% of eligible electors have received their ballots, excepting a tiny number of more complicated cases where checks have taken longer than anticipated. 

Ballot reissues

If a member or supporter believes they have not received their ballot, email reissues can still be requested until 5pm on Monday 19 September. Reissues requested before 5pm on Monday 19 September will be dispatched by email by midnight Tuesday 20 September. The ballot closes at 12 noon on Wednesday 21 September and votes must be received by then to count. To be sure ballots arrive in time, it may be worth suggesting to people to go online to vote, which is possible even if people just receive a paper ballot.

The easiest way for members and supporters to request a reissue is by going to www.labour.org.uk/re-issue. They can also do this by calling 0345 092 2299 or by emailing: leadership2016@labour.org.uk.

Before requesting a reissue, please encourage members and supporters to double check their junk folder, search their inbox for an email from labourelections@electoralreform.co.uk with the subject line 'VOTE NOW: Labour Leadership Election' and add the email address to their contacts to stop it going to junk. Please also ask members and supporters to double check that the email address we hold for them is correct. You can do this for them by checking their record on MemberCentre.

Thank you once again for all your hard work and support throughout this process."

Sunday 11 September 2016

When 'Amber' means the Calais traffic(kers) ain't moving . . .


In parliamentary questions Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy asks Home Secretary Amber Rudd why the Government has done nothing about child refugees in Calais (click the channel 4 logo)






Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Sunday 11th September- attending Walthamstow Cricket Club Multi Faith Game at Greenaway Avenue. All Welcome 
  • Tuesday 13th September - supporting the Women for Refugee Women campaign evening to call for the closure of Yarlswood Detention Centre 
  • Thursday 15th September - helping campaign for the next Labour Mayor of Hackney in their Mayoral by-election. If you would like to join us please email
  • Friday 16th September - Visiting local premises in partnership with Waltham Forest 4 Dogs and supporting the Quiz for Calais Fundraiser. See below for more details. 
  • Saturday 17th September- meeting with volunteers from the Christian Kitchen which feeds our local homeless and holding a workshop to support women campaigners. 
  • Sunday 18th September- supporting the Curryoake to raise funds for Walthamstow's Nightshelter.
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Dog Day Afternoon: Waltham Forest 4 Dogs Event Friday 16th September

Waltham Forest 4 Dogs is a local voluntary group of dog owners who have been working to support responsible dog ownership in our community and encourage Walthamstow to be a more dog friendly place. To support the great work done by this group in creating a database of businesses that welcome canine companions, on the early afternoon ofFriday 16th September I will be visiting different local dog friendly cafes and businesses involved in this scheme to encourage more to join - representatives of the Kennel Club will also be joining us to hear the views of local dog owners on dog control orders and to feature the work these volunteers in Walthamstow have been doing (plus they've promised to bring some goodies for local dog owners too!)

If you are a Walthamstow dog owner and interested in joining us next Friday please email my office to sign up .

Monday 5 September 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Sunday 4th September-attending the More in Common events in Walthamstow and the Pak Cultural Society Pakistan Independence Day celebrations
  • Monday 5th September - parliament returns and I will be holding the Adjournment Debate on the future of Private Finance Initiatives and their impact on our public services. This is likely to be very late at night so please watch social media for updates on timing. 
  • Tuesday 6th September - supporting proposals to extend parental leave entitlement to bereaved parents via a cross party private members bill.
  • Thursday 8th September - attending the Walthamstow Labour Party Special Meeting to discuss Labour Party Conference motions.
  • Saturday 10th September- supporting the opening of Lee Valley Rowing Clubs new facilities.

Friday 2 September 2016

Stella Creasy MP: "We can’t abandon refugee children – and that includes us, the politicians"


Writing in The Guardian online about the Calais Refugee camp Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow says:

"The unaccompanied children at the Calais camp are just a fraction of the people fleeing violence worldwide. The UK must do more to help them . . . . .

When parliament passed the Alf Dubs amendment to help child refugees in April this year we trusted the government to put it into practice. But not a single child has yet come here under its auspices. When parliament returns on Monday we will table further new legislation to make good on our pledges and try to get these kids out of the camps by Christmas. Because all of us can do more to help those running from terror in their home nations than just shout at the sky – and that includes us, the politicians."


As part of a group from the constituency she is off to the Calais refugee camp this weekend delivering cars full of clothes and following others who have taken food to the camps. They all know that however well-intentioned such actions are, nevertheless they are like "shouting at the wind to stop blowing."

Full article here


Saturday 27 August 2016

Brooke Road 'More in Common' & Play Street Sunday 4th September 3-5pm

A Brooke Road Labour party member writes: "The anti-racist organisation Hope Not Hate are organising a More In Common Weekend on 3rd & 4th September. The idea of the campaign is to highlight how much people from so many backgrounds have much more in common, than things that divide us. The idea is to encourage communities to come together, and the beauty is that in Walthamstow we already do this! On Brooke Road we recently saw this with how we responded to our flood. As part of the More in Common campaign Brooke Road residents are involved with 2 Community Events.

Brooke Road Play Street Sunday 4th September 3-5pm 

For 2 hours every Sunday in the Summer traffic along our road to restricted to resident access only and everyone on Brooke Road, and their neighbours, are invited to come out and reclaim our street from traffic and enjoy each other’s company. Kids can play together and adults can chat/clean their cars. Wherever people have come from and whatever our backgrounds are, once a month the community can meet up and get to know each other.

For those of us who regularly enjoy Play Street, none of this will be a surprise and our event will continue as normal. However, if you want to wear a football/sports shirt or indeed do anything to celebrate your cultural Heritage, it’s, as always, very welcome.

Manual Instruction Centre Community Clean-Up Day 10am – 4pm

The Manual Instruction Centre is at last being reclaimed by our Community. To help this happen the Friends of the Manual Instruction Centre are organising a Community Clean-Up Day. We really need some volunteers to help out. Equipment and refreshments will be provided and all are welcome to come along (and enjoy Play Street from 3pm). Any questions please contact Twitter @E17_MIC / manualinstructioncentre@gmail.com

Welcome to Mini Holland Plant Beds - as part of the Manual Instruction Centre Clean-Up Day the new plant-beds in the traffic filter will need some planting." Email for more info

Friday 26 August 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow


  • Friday 26th August- helping to host the Olympic homecoming party for Lutalo Muhammad in Walthamstow Town Centre at the Night Feast. All Welcome. 
  • Monday 29th August- sorting donations of men's clothes to go to the Calais Refugee Camps. Details below of how you can help.

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The Refugee Mens' Pantalonathon- Can You Help Pay for A Ticket for A Second Car?

Thank you to everyone who has been in touch so far to offer to help with donations for the refugees in Calais. Brilliantly, we have now received enough donations to require at least two vehicles to go to Calais and so I am appealing for donations of money to cover the cost of the transport of these items. You can donate men's clothes pr money for this onMonday 29th August at 23 Orford Road between 2-4pm. 

A reminder too, that The Refugee Kitchen volunteers in Walthamstow are also seeking to take 2000 flapjacks to Calais for refugees in the next week as well. They are asking for donations of such bakes with no nuts, cut small, packed with clingfilm or foil between layers and in Tupperware or a clingfilmed box or shoe box. These can be delivered to the Italian Deli on Hoe Street, The Hornbeam Centre at the Bakers Arms or Debbie Bliss's shop on Orford Road 27/28/29/30 August with the cut off 5pm on the 30th to make the Calais visit. 

Finally, you can also help the Side by Side Caravan project which is renovating caravans for refugees to live in and kitting them out by buying items for these caravans from Amazon. The link to be able to do this is here.

Monday 22 August 2016

Where, this week, to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow

  • Monday 22nd August - meeting with Waltham Forest Council to feedback on the management of social services cases. 
  • Tuesday 23rd August- holding a residents only advice surgery 
  • Thursday 25th August- working with campaigners on the case for reforming PFI and PF2 ahead of parliamentary debate on 5 September. 
  • Monday 29th August- sorting out donations of men's clothes for the Calais refugee camps. Please see below for how you can help.
The Refugee Men's Pantalonathon - How, What and Where You Can Donate in E17

Thank you to everyone who has been in touch so far to offer to help with donations for the refugees in Calais and our next Walthamstow action day. We are focusing this time on helping collect clothes for men at the camp, ahead of the autumn. The Help Refugees Warehouse in Calais is desperately short of small and medium men's clothes and is also asking for unused underwear for refugee men or donations of money to purchase underwear for them. 

All this coming week 22-26th August you can drop off donations of these items or money towards them at my office at 23 Orford Road between 9.30am and 6pm. Thank you to the Higham Hill Hub who have also offered to collect items via the Homemade Cafe and Patisserie - 311 Higham Hill Rd from 10am to 5pm. Finally, you can also drop off donations via 123 Salop Road by prior appointment. Please email and we will put you in touch with Abigail to arrange delivery. Please do also share the details of where and what to donate these items with other local residents. 

The Refugee Kitchen volunteers in Walthamstow are also seeking to take 2000 flapjacks to Calais for refugees in the next week as well. They are asking for donations of such bakes with no nuts, cut small, packed with clingfilm or foil between layers and in Tupperware or a clingfilmed box or shoe box. These can be delivered to the Italian Deli on Hoe Street, The Hornbeam Centre at the Bakers Arms or Debbie Bliss's shop on Orford Road 27/28/29/30 August with the cut off 5pm on the 30th to make the Calais visit.