The new leadership in Haringey starts in the same vein as the old one ended with Haringey Labour refusing a raft of measures proposed by opposition Liberal Democrats to improve scrutiny and restore confidence in inspections.

In an extraordinary Full Council meeting this evening, the new leader of Haringey Council and the Lead Member for Children’s Services refused to agree to vital steps to improve the democratic framework of the council. They rejected calls for:

* The Chair of Council’s key watchdog committee, Overview & Scrutiny, to be passed to the opposition. This change would be in response to the criticism in the Joint Area Review (JAR) that showed scrutiny of performance across the Council was insufficiently developed.

* The issuing of a cross-party request to auditors and inspectors for a re-inspection of the 13 investigations that have taken place following the revelation that Ofsted inspectors were misled by officials.

The meeting was called by opposition councillors following Labour’s blocking of debate on the emergency Ofsted report ordered by Ed Balls at the Full Council held on 10th December.

The only point of consensus of the meeting was agreement that Haringey Council urgently needs extra resources from central government to ensure other key services are not put at risk through the channelling of much needed resources to children’s services.

A request was made for the Chief Executive of Haringey Council to make a public statement to councillors. However this did not take place.

Councillor Robert Gorrie, Haringey’s Leader of the Opposition, says:

“This is just more of the same. The new leadership have started as they mean to go on. It does not bode well for the future of Children’s Services in Haringey.

“More rigorous and more independent scrutiny might have uncovered the severe failings before it was too late.Haringey Council needs a watchdog committee with teeth to prevent inadequacies in services being missed again.

“There have been 13 inspections into Haringey over the last two years.Following the chief inspector’s revelation that they were misled by Haringey officials, what confidence can we have in these other reports? It is disappointing that the whole council could not agree a new set of reports.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey & Wood Green adds:

“Scrutiny-phobia in Haringey has led to a culture where it is impossible for whistleblowers to raise the alarm.I am saddened that Haringey Labour has missed an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and to put its watchdog committee on a better footing to do what it is supposed to.

“I will be supporting the cross-party demands for more resources for Haringey.Other keys services cannot suffer.Ed Balls must follow up his swift action with real investment to improve our local children’s services.”