There is fury in Haringey following to the latest astonishing moves by the ruling Labour group to block any debate or questions in the Council over the devastating report into the death of Baby P that was published this week.

A special meeting next Tuesday will currently only include the formal appointment of a new Leader of the Council and Children’s Services member after the resignations on Monday. Requests by opposition councillors for a statement and discussion on the damning report have been rejected.

Liberal Democrat councillors are moving to call a further special meeting to ensure Haringey Council does debate the report and its implications in public.

The Liberal Democrat opposition says that Haringey is slipping into a disastrous ‘business-as usual’ amnesia over the case. Cllr Robert Gorrie points out that only last week, the acting Leader of the Council, Lorna Reith, had defended the now removed Labour councillors Liz Santry and George Meehan, by saying she had “seen how effective they had been”.

She went on to describe as “unfortunate” Liberal Democrat attempts to hold the two councillors to account. Calls for their resignations were blocked by another Labour councillor, the chief whip, and now leader of the Labour group, Claire Kober.

Liberal Democrats say that the refusal shows Labour-run Haringey Council is determined not to change in the wake of the Baby P tragedy, and that Haringey Council must answer questions about the report, what happens next, and how the Council orchestrated a ‘whitewash’ into the initial Baby P review.

Liberal Democrats say the new leaders of the council and its Chief Executive must set out in detail and in public how Haringey can move forward and show it is working with the team brought in to protect the borough’s vulnerable children.

Liberal Democrat Leader Robert Gorrie comments:

“There is immense anger that Labour are already showing signs of business as usual.

“It is extraordinary that Haringey Council’s leadership and its Chief Executive are actively avoiding the opportunity to set out a clear plan of action in response to the devastating Ofsted report.

“Their behaviour sets the culture and context for council officers in the future, and the first signs are not encouraging that the necessary root and branch changes necessary will be made to the services that protect our most vulnerable citizens.

“It is an absolute insult, and residents in Haringey will simply see this as further proof that after almost forty years of failure, Labour are simply unable to change.”

Hornsey & Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone adds:

“It’s another shocking denial of debate and scrutiny over this issue by Haringey. This is one of the roots of the problem, and this must change.”