The IWCA -
which is standing candidates in the ward - have
accused Labour of trying to mislead potential
voters.
"In the leaflet - the Haggerston Rose - Labour are
claiming to have solved problems that they
themselves caused," said IWCA activist and candidate
Carl Taylor. "And they have claimed that things are
getting better when all the evidence is that they
are getting much, much worse."

The leaflet claims that the £30 million secured by
the council from central government has ended the
threat to libraries and nurseries, that Labour were
responsible for terminating the costly ITNet
revenues and benefits contract and that they have
brought improvements to schools, street cleaning and
social services.

"The news that the threat to libraries and nurseries
has been ended must be news to workers and users,"
said Carl Taylor. "Each week in the Gazette we read
about the ongoing libraries dispute and renewed
threats to existing nursery provision. The ITNet
contract was brought in by Labour in the first place
and they were forced to sack them only in the face
of the anger and misery of Hackney tenants. Thanks
to Labour, ITNet nearly bankrupted this borough.
Rather than claim credit for sacking them they
should be apologising to all of us for their own
incompetency. The massively overspent Service Team
street cleaning contract and the Initial school
meals fiasco shows that they haven't learnt anything
from ITNet. As for social services, how can anyone
claim that reducing home care for the elderly and
cutting Freedom Passes to the disabled are 'real

improvements'!?"

The IWCA have also condemned labour councillors
claims to have 'worked hard to keep open the Apples
& Pears Adventure Playground'. The IWCA's Peter
Sutton - another election candidate in Haggerston
Ward - said "the only reason this valuable site is
under threat in the first place is because Labour
councillors are determined to sell off our
facilities. Apples & Pears was only saved from the
hammer at auction because volunteer workers and
parents got a court injunction which has delayed the
sale. Are Labour now saying they have no plans to
sell the site, or do they intend to push the sale
again after the election when it will be less
electorally damaging? Whatever their plans are they
should come out and say so. No wonder people are
increasingly fed up with this kind of dishonest
'politics'."

The IWCA believes that Labour's claim that they will
'continue to stick up for local people and vital
community facilities' is nothing more than a joke,
and not a particularly funny one. "Labour's record
on community facilities is abysmal," said Peter
Sutton. "They have broken their promise in their
last newsletter, put out over a year ago, to reopen
Haggerston Pool. Why should people believe what
they read in this one? We share people's
frustration at this kind of 'economy with the truth'
and are committed to campaigning with local people
to prevent more cuts and sell-offs. We will
continue to do so whatever happens at the elections.
Fortunately people now have a choice in Haggerston."