Haringey’s Labour Council has provoked a storm of criticism for failing to answer key question put to it by the opposition Liberal Democrats regarding the council’s much-criticised Social Services department.

At last night’s full council meeting, Lib Dem Social Services spokesman Ron Aitken had asked for details of how many times, and in which years, the department had been reorganised since 1970. But Labour’s lead member for social services failed to answer, calling the questioning “a complete waste of time.”He said that the Council did not have to provide the information, and implied it could not, saying of Haringey only that: “We are keeping our records as of now.”

Lib Dem Social Services Spokesman Ron Aitken comments:

“There was a disgraceful arrogance and lack of information forthcoming form the council. The Victoria Climbie tragedy was years in the making, yet the council will not even provide this basic background information as to how the department has been run. I will be calling again for these details to be published.

“It is also clear that enquiries by councillors about child protection and children’s homes have also been destroyed, because the Council says, they are destroyed after six years.”