Council and democracy

European Parliamentary elections

The results of the European Parliamentary elections are now available.

Voting: Registering to vote

If you cannot find your name on the Register, or if you have recently moved into the borough, you can complete an Electoral Registration Form.

» More about registering to vote

» More about results of local elections

» More about elections and voting

Housing benefit, local housing allowance, and council tax benefit

If you are on a low income or receive certain state benefits, you may be entitled to housing benefit or local housing allowance (help with your rent) and/or council tax benefit (help with your council tax).

There is also Alternative Council Tax Benefit which you can claim regardless of how much you earn, if you have someone living with you who is on a low income or gets certain state benefits.

From April 2008, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) replaced Housing Benefit to help with the cost of rent for new claims from some private tenants.

» More about the Local Housing Allowance

» More about benefits

» Make a claim online for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit or LHA

» Important information about how selling your home and renting it back may affect your housing benefit/LHA entitlement

Council tax

Find out more about council tax, how much it is, how to pay it, and when you can pay less:

» View council tax levels for 2009/10

» Set up a direct debit to pay your council tax automatically each month and find out the advantages of paying by direct debit including spreading your payments over 2 extra months in 2009

» Make an online payment by credit or debit card

» View your recent bills and payments

» Find out about discounts, exemptions, and reductions and empty properties/second homes

» More about Council Tax

Waltham Forest: Our Place in London

Waltham Forest is getting ready for one of the most exciting and challenging chapters in its history – and you could help decide what our borough should look like in 20 years.

We want you to have your say in the biggest discussion ever held about the future of Waltham Forest.

» More on Our Place in London

Council corporate plan 2008-2011

The Corporate Plan informs the way we plan and deliver our services. It records our performance over the past year against our key improvement priorities. It sets out key actions we will carry out over the next three years along with our partners, to deliver the priorities and commitments in the Sustainable Community Strategy.

» More on the Corporate Plan

Councillors and council meetings

Reports for council meetings are now available online, along with agendas, minutes, and key decisions. There is also more information about councillors, and you can view the council diary.

» More about councillors and council meetings

Community engagement

The Community Engagement Unit works closely with council departments and external partners to ensure high quality engagement with residents and stakeholders whose opinions and concerns are used to help inform decision making and improve local services.

» More about Community Engagement

» More about Community Councils

Other information

This section also has details about Data Protection, Freedom of Information, Comments and Complaints, the council's transforming government agenda, and central and regional government.