Working for Walthamstow to tackle debt, knife crime, unemployment and voter registration:
How You Can Help in 2012
In the year ahead Walthamstow will face many challenges – as your MP I cannot change anything on my own, but with your help together we can change lives in our local community.
This email is to let you know about some of the campaigns I'm running locally and how you can be part of this work in 2012 - I would welcome the chance to work with you on these matters and hope you will be able to join me next year in working for walthamstow. If you have other issues you would like to raise with me please feel free to get in touch too!
With best wishes to you and your family for the festive season,
Stella Creasy
Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow
________________________________________
Walthamstow's Debt can be Defeated Week: January 20 – 28 2012
As legal loan sharks continue to target our local community and the cost of living increases in London, I'll be running a series of events at in the last week of January to help those in Walthamstow struggling to pay their bills following the costs of Christmas.
• On Friday 20th January I will be once again leafleting outside our local legal loan sharks to try to encourage residents not to use these firms and instead join our local Waltham Forest Community Credit Union in Walthamstow High Street at lunchtime.
• Too many people in Walthamstow struggle financially without seeking help – the more residents and community groups who know what support can be accessed locally the more we can share this information and protect them from getting into debt. On the morning of Tuesday 24 January I've organised a workshop with local debt advice providers about what assistance is available in Walthamstow. This training is free and will be held in central Walthamstow and open to anyone- whether a member of a residents association, voluntary group or interested local resident. If you would like to book a place please reply to this email.
• On Saturday 28 January I will be working with a new local venture to collect non food to distribute to local families who are facing the choice of paying their heating bills or feeding their children. The 'heat or eat' project will be collecting tinned goods, rice, pasta and milk outside our supermarkets which will then be distributed via a local Surestart Children's centre. If you would like to help with this event or make a donation of food directly please get in touch.
I am also organising for a financial education session to be taught in a local college – if you would like to know more about organizing such a session with young people you work with please do get in touch.
Bringing Jobs and Investment to Walthamstow
With nearly 5,000 people in Walthamstow alone who are unemployed, it is vital to make the case for our area as a place for businesses to invest and bring work. Following our successful jobs fair in November I will be organizing a follow up event at the end of February. If you are a local business and would like to advertise vacancies at this event please do get in touch.
I will also continue to support the Waltham ForestWaltham Forest Cinema Trust to make the case for the refurbishment of the former EMD Cinema in our town centre and efforts to restore the Walthamstow Dog Track. Ambitious and fraught with problems arising from the conduct of the owners of both sites, both projects offer the potential to bring a substantial number of jobs to our area as well as the nighttime economy so critical to the regeneration of Walthamstow.
Finally, I will also be working with local businesses to make the case for a substantial investment project in Lea Bridge and to support those businesses who are concerned about the impact of Westfield Shopping Centre on their trade.
Tackling Knife Crime in London: Keeping Young London Safe
As knife crime continues to rise in London, I will be working with young people from across the capital to hold the Mayor to account for his failure to tackle the causes and consequences of this. This week figures show a 20% rise in violent robberies on our buses, and with London set to lose 1,800 police officers I am concerned that the support we need to keep our capital safe for young people is at risk. Young Londoners need to take responsibility for their own actions so I will be working with local young people to promote leadership skills and conflict resolution. If you work with young people in London or are a young person who would like to help make tackling knife crime a priority for the London Mayor please do get in touch.
Making Sure Walthamstow is heard: The Million Voices Project
Shocking figures show that one in ten residents in Walthamstow is not registered to vote, meaning they are not being heard in shaping the choices facing our community and our country. Plans to change the voter registration system put forward by the Government could see even more people fall off the register all together. I'm working with local activists to challenge this and encourage residents to register so that Walthamstow can have its say on the decisions that affect our lives. If you could give an afternoon to helping the team please let me know.
Emergency Contact over the Christmas and New Year Period
My office will be closed from 5pm on Friday 23 December until Tuesday 3 January for the Christmas and New Year period. During that time emails and phone calls will not be reviewed on a regular basis– if you need to get hold of me in an emergency please contact Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. The Working for Walthamstow e-newsletter will return on Friday 5 January 2012 so please send items for inclusion by Thursday 4 January 2012.
