"Cash for Petitions" - MP for Walthamstow involved

l-r: Mark Carney, Stella Creasy, Caroline Criado-Perez

The campaign to retain a famous woman on at least one of our banknotes has won a significant advance. Since Elizabeth Fry - the previous sole woman - was replaced on the fiver by Sir Winston Churchill, under the benign governorship of Mervyn King, it looked like our folding cash was an indication that women don't really count. 

However thanks to a campaign started by Caroline Criado-Perez and spread very effectively through change.org, yesterday the new Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, announced the design for a new £10 note showing the (only surviving) image of Jane Austen. 

The Guardian today reports on the significant role played by Walthamstow's MP:

"Stella Creasy MP, who helped organise a letter from 46 Labour MPs to David Cameron in support of the campaign, said: "Britain has many women in its history of whom we should be proud, and today's decision is part of creating a culture of expectation that there will be many more in our future too." Read the full article here.

The new design launch took place yesterday at the Jane Austen Museum in her old house Chawton Cottage in Hampshire. As well as the portrait of Austen, the new note will include images of her writing desk and quills at Chawton Cottage, in Hampshire, where she lived; her brother's home, Godmersham Park, which she visited often, and is thought to have inspired some of her novels, and a quote from Miss Bingley, in Pride and Prejudice: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!"

Wood St. al fresco - Sunday August 11th 2pm

"Summer's here and the time is right for (dining) in (Wood) Street"

Following a tremendous Chapel End ward pub quiz in April, East Walthamstow Branch Labour Party continue their fundraising drive with an invitation to all members and supporters from tribute band Angie and the Vandellas (aka Cllrs. Bean, Sweden & Barnett) to the Wood Street al fresco buffet on Sunday 11th August, starting at 2pm:

Tickets are strictly limited, on a first come basis

To book, and for more details:

• call 07702 436793
• or email cllr.angie.bean@walthamforest.gov.uk
• or contact any of the Wood St councillors

All proceeds go to East Walthamstow Branch Labour Party campaign funds, 23 Orford Road, London E17 9NL

Walthamstow CLP Euro Hustings - July 25th

First of all a big 'welcome to Walthamstow' to all members who have joined recently - whether new party members or transfers from other CLPs. A recent update means we have a sizable number of new members locally. 

Our final event this month (after yesterday's sweltering KING SIZE QUIZ - jam packed at the Rose & Crown, despite the heat) is the all member GC(General Committee) meeting on Thursday 25th July at the CLP offices at 23 Orford Road in Walthamstow Village. The meeting starts at 8pm.

• The main business of the meeting is an informal hustings for the London MEP candidates selections. 

All 6 of the new candidates will be joining us and this will be a chance for a 'question time' session to get to know more about them. No formal voting will take place in this session; there won't be a 'no latecomers' rule, but of course you wouldn't want to miss out on any of the debate! At the end of this post are links to the candidates' websites for more information.

Voting closes in the party's OMOV ballot on July 31st, so there is still time to vote, by post or online, after this meeting. If you haven't had your ballot papers (during early June) let me know and I'll try to find out what's happened. You can read more about the MEP selections process here.

• The hustings question time will last about 90 minutes, and there is then a short session of more formal business, finishing by 10pm at the latest. 

This will be the last meeting before the summer break. The next will be in September. Members will have been sent an agenda and the minutes of the June meeting. Discussion is open to all members, but in voting only delegates may take part. If you're interested in becoming a delegate to the GC let me know.

The six newly nominated Labour Party candidates in London are

• Women - Sanchia Alasia, Lucy Anderson and Ivana Bartoletti; 
• Men - Andrea Biondi, Seb Dance and Kamaljeet Jandu.

Clicking on each name links to the candidate's website.

Note there is also a separate ballot for the two sitting MEPs - Claude Moraes and Mary Honeyball

KING SIZE QUIZ with Baroness Oona

Weds July 17th, Rose & Crown, Hoe St E17 
Details here; book online here at the Labour Shop

Selection2014 - assessment interviews this weekend

As part of the process by which the local Labour Party chooses its candidates for the local council elections in 2014 a series of assessment interviews is scheduled to take place over the coming weekend. All eligible party members who wish to be considered as potential ward candidates have had to submit an application, and reports will have been submitted on them by branch secretaries, and in the case of sitting councillors wishing to stand again the Labour Group Whip will also have been asked to submit reports. Progress on this will be reported here as it becomes available.

For more information on this process see the Elections 2014 Local page here. (Also accessible from the link in the right hand column of your browser)

MP Pay: IPSA Consultation and Expenses Panel

Stella Creasy MP writes in this week's Working for Walthamstow newsletter:

"This week many residents have been in touch with me regarding the widely reported proposals by IPSA – the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority which evaluates and manages the MPs expenses and pay - on the next phase of its review of MPs’ pay and pensions. It was set up after the expenses scandal in 2009, to take decision making and policy about these matters out of the hands of MPs entirely. 

"This independent body has suggested an increase in salary for MPs from 2015, as well as bringing pensions in line with other parts of the public sector, changes to redundancy packages to business costs and the expenses scheme. You can find full details of the proposals by visiting IPSA’s website. A consultation on the proposals is now open for submissions until 20thOctober 2013 and you can email your comments to IPSA or visit the website for more information. I would encourage anyone concerned about these proposals- which I personally do not support- to participate in this consultation and raise their concerns. In addition, since my election I have held a regular residents panel to oversee my own parliamentary expenses proposals and approve my annual budget. Any resident who wishes to participate in this process should contact my office."

• To subscribe to the Working for Walthamstow newsletter email: stella@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk
• Visit the Working for Walthamstow pages here

Where to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow this week

• On Friday 12^th July – speaking at the Women’s Aid Conference in Warwick and then running a workshop on tackling violence against women in Dudley 
• On Saturday 13^th July – attending the Ditchley Foundation lecture on national security issues
• On Monday 15^th July – taking part in questions to the Home Secretary in parliament as part of my role within the shadow home affairs team.
• On Tuesday 16^th July – holding a number of meetings with organisations and campaign groups
• On Wednesday 17^th July – attending the Walthamstow Labour Party fundraiser with Baroness Oona King- see below for more details. 
• On Friday 19^th July – holding a number of meetings with local campaign organisations in Walthamstow
• On Saturday 20^th July – holding a drop-in surgery at The Mall from 2pm till 4pm. For an appointment at a future appointment only surgery contact my office on 020 8521 1223. Then speaking at the Croydon Labour Party Dinner. 
• On Sunday 21^st July  - attending the Walthamstow High Street Art project

Ascham Homes go PV in Waltham Forest

Have you noticed a recent outcrop of solar pv panels in places you might not expect them? Ascham Homes has been installing them on the roofs of houses in Waltham Forest. 

According to Ascham Homes Chair Paul Lowenberg: 

"We won the NFA National Award for Best Green Initiative. I thought I should let you know that at the National Federation of ALMOs conference yesterday we won the national award for best Green Initiative for our Solar PV scheme. It was really great getting the positive feedback from so many people, who commented on the fact that the award was an illustration of how much the organisation has improved over the past 3 years. It was also really nice to see how pleased our staff that attended the event felt about us winning a national award.

"I look forward to seeing you all at the Board meeting on the 22nd July if not before.

"Very best, Paul"

Chair of Ascham Homes

020 7263 9797

To see the National Federation of ALMOs awards page click here 

and scroll down to the 'Best Green Initiative' category

Project 2013 6mth progress July 2013 - what's building in and around E17

Waltham Forest Council leader Chris Robbins writes:

"At the start of the year I promised that 2013 would be the year we would start to deliver on our regeneration commitments to residents, and as you can see from the hoardings that have gone up, the diggers that have started work and the bricks that are being laid we really are delivering our ambition of creating a better place for residents.

"We have secured over £160 million of investment to make this happen and all the developments will benefit the borough and the people who live here, offering them better high streets, leisure facilities, schools and housing. All of the projects are now well underway either behind the scenes or on site and I look forward to seeing the borough develop and change over the coming months creating a better place to live."

Click here for the full report 'Six month progress summary July 2013'

Where to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow this week

• On Saturday 6^th July – attending the Edinburgh Primary School Summer Fair 
• On Sunday 7^th July – attending the Shakir Youth Trust AGM at the Asian Centre and then supporting the Stand Up For Women event at the Garrick Theatre
• On Monday 8^th July – holding an appointment only surgery for constituents – for an appointment at a future date ring my office on 020 8521 1223 and in the evening speaking at a fringe event at the Methodist Conference.
• On Tuesday 9^th July – holding a number of meetings as part of my work as a shadow home affairs team meeting in Westminster.
• On Wednesday 10^th July – holding a summer party for those involved in the #7days4stow project in Parliament. Details below.
• On Thursday 11^th July – attending the launch of the Paladin network to tackle stalking and sexual harassment
• On Friday 12^th July – speaking at the Women’s Aid Conference in Warwick and then running a workshop on tackling violence against women in Dudley