A wave of TikTok-fuelled posts has recently encouraged school pupils to organise fights between schools, using slang borrowed from US gang culture. Actual incidents appear limited, but the trend is worrying.

The Liberal Democrats have proposed a film-style age-rating system for social media. Platforms would default to 16+, with stricter 18+ limits for services hosting graphic violence or other serious harms. Ratings would be set using an Ofcom framework assessing addictiveness, mental-health impact and harmful content.

Disappointingly, Labour MPs have just voted against a proposal to tighten age limits on social media access.

Local Lib Dem campaigner Alan Jones said, “While no single measure will solve the problem, this approach would help protect young people online, give regulators clearer powers, and push tech companies to design safer platforms.”

Many social housing tenants are telling us they are facing long waits for repairs – which often aren’t done properly even when they finally happen. Yet the Council has approved a 4.8% rent increase for 2026/27. Average rents will rise by £6.41 per week – an extra £333 a year.

At the same time, the Council admits there is already a large gap between Local Housing Allowance and private rents. With the Labour Government freezing Local Housing Allowance, the risk of homelessness is rising and more families could end up in temporary accommodation.

Local Lib Dem campaigner Kath Pollard says “Tenants deserve decent homes, repairs done on time and fair rents – not inflation-busting rent rises.”

The Labour-run Council in Waltham Forest recently voted through a budget that will hurt our borough for years to come. It is a budget that attempts to balance the books on the backs of residents' pockets. It is a budget that could have significant long-term consequences.

Back in 2022, Labour promised residents that a Labour Government would deliver us a fair-funding deal. They promised help with the cost of living. Their top pledge? A brand new lido. 

Two years later, the Council Leader Grace Williams urged local voters to back Labour in the General Elections claiming that the funding challenges we faced locally would be fixed by a Labour Government. Their local Parliamentary Candidates Calvin Bailey and the soon-to-be Health Secretary Wes Streeting from neighbouring Ilford, also pledged to rebuild Whipps Cross Hospital.

What have we got in 2026? Plans for Whipps Cross shelved for a decade and a ‘Fair Funding Review’ that provides 6.4% less in real terms than Waltham Forest received 15 years ago.

We have the near maximum annual 5% Council Tax rise not just this year, but for the foreseeable future. Rent increases on Council dwellings are above the level of inflation. And the lido? Well, that promise wasn’t worth the leaflets it was printed on.

Having squandered taxpayers’ money on frivolous items, such as £7,600 on heated toilet seats at Waltham Forest Town Hall and over £62,000 on a vanity PR campaign called ‘Together Waltham Forest’, the Council now requires an emergency bailout to the tune of £19 million from the government to help balance the budget.

That loan will incur significant interest and it is the local tax payer who will see a sizeable chunk of their hard earned money spent on the repayments.

Equally concerning is the lack of clarity over how the Council will deploy the emergency funds and service the loan, despite Labour Councillor Paul Douglas insisting his party had “clear plans” for both.

Perhaps most worrying of all, Waltham Forest’s own Chief Financial Officer does not believe that the use of this emergency loan is a sustainable financial strategy. Labour have applied for the loan anyway.

Waltham Forest Labour have failed to make the case to their own government for fair funding. They have failed to persuade their own government to fund the Whipps Cross rebuild in this parliament. They have failed to persuade the Labour London Mayor to keep his promise to keep our last police front counter open.

Labour have given up on Waltham Forest. The Liberal Democrats believe it’s time for change.

Alex Marshall-Lewis is the chair of Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats and a community activist in Higham Hill.

Recent incidents near Blackhorse Road station have highlighted the urgent need for traffic calming in our area.

Anyone who walks along Higham Hill Road or Billet Road will have seen cars regularly exceeding the speed limit, with little in place to stop them.

Higham Hill Road is a vital local link, home to two schools, local amenities and our pub.

Billet Road is similarly busy, serving two schools and two nurseries, with heavy traffic throughout the day.

At peak pick-up and drop-off times, the risks are clear.

We believe it’s time to install speed cameras on both Higham Hill Road and Billet Road.

Local Lib Dem campaigner Alan Jones said: “It’s 20 for a reason. Most drivers respect it, but it only takes one speeding car to cause a disaster. We need an effective deterrent to keep our streets safe.”

Labour’s latest Medium-Term Financial Strategy report paints a grim picture for Waltham Forest. In September, the Labour-run Council revealed a future of rising council tax, deepening cuts and an increasing reliance on dwindling reserves.

This is a far cry from the bold promises Labour made in 2022: a "no cuts budget", new youth centres, a thousand new council homes, even a new lido. Yet those plans have quietly vanished. The lido was quickly shelved, and Labour’s pledge to rebuild Whipps Cross now won’t begin until at least 2034.

You can still sign our petition against Labour's delay to the rebuild of Whipps Cross at www.walthamforestlibdems.org.uk/campaign/whipps

Meanwhile, residents have faced rising council tax bills and cuts to council tax support, while Labour councillors voted to increase their own allowances. Now the Council warns of more cuts and tax hikes for three years running – and even suggests it may need a bailout.

Liberal Democrat campaigner Alex Marshall-Lewis said, "Labour’s manifesto was unrealistic and undeliverable. In 2026, Waltham Forest deserves better. It’s time for real change."

In September 2025, TfL launched a six-week consultation on a new Superloop bus route between Stratford Bus Station and Chingford Hatch. The proposed SL14 would largely follow the existing 158 route but, in Higham Hill, would only stop at Shakespeare Road and Guildsway.

At present, the 158 is meant to arrive every six minutes between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday - around ten buses per hour. TfL proposes cutting this to eight buses per hour and adding five SL14 services, a net increase of three buses per hour.

While we welcome investment in public transport, the SL14 would miss five existing Higham Hill stops. This risks a reduced service for many residents.

Local Lib Dem campaigner Alex Marshall-Lewis said “The Lawrence Avenue and Higham Hill Road stops serve two nurseries, a school and many nearby residents. We will push for an additional SL14 stop here and for current 158 service levels to be maintained.