Author Archives: Lynne Featherstone

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About Lynne Featherstone

I'm a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.

Owners of disused building told to clear up their act by Liberal Democrats

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The owners of a disused building in Hornsey will be forced to clear rubbish from their land after a successful six-month campaign by local Liberal Democrats. Cleopatra House, in Boynton Road, Hornsey, was abandoned last year when a business collapsed. The owners left the building in a poor state and rubbish in the surrounding area.

Local councillor Errol Reid contacted Haringey Council to pursue the owners to clear up and Haringey Council has now confirmed that legal action will be taken.

Cllr Errol Reid, Hornsey ward, comments:

“Cleopatra House was abandoned by its owners last year. They left it in an awful state with piles of rubbish outside. It has taken a while to track down them down but now after our successful campaign the Council will take legal action so they will have to clear up their mess. It is important for the residents in the local area that their community is clean and I will continue to fight for them.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“Local residents deserve to have a clean community and Haringey Council should take a more proactive role in ensuring that these problems do not get any worse.”

New timer for Muswell Hill bus stop after action by Liberal Democrats

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A bus stop in Muswell Hill, which was removed after being damaged in an accident in December 2007, was finally restored to full operation last week after a new countdown timer was installed.

Local councillor Gail Engert welcomed the move by Transport for London after a successful campaign for the timer to be installed at the bus stop on Priory Road.

Cllr Gail Engert, Muswell Hill, comments:

“I am glad that this has finally been installed. It has taken a while, but it is good news for local bus users.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“Residents would have had to have a large stopwatch to count down the time it has taken Transport for London to install this timer.

“Good information is key to getting residents out of their cars and onto public transport so I am pleased that this has been introduced.”

Simon Mayo

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Hazel Blears must have known what she was writing in that article. ‘Lamentable’ and ‘You Tube if you want to’ are hardly accidental insults.

At PMQs, David Cameron went for Gordon – sensing a weakened and beleaguered Prime Minister – somehow he managed to mess it up and come over like a bully-boy – unpleasant and over-political. Every one of his six supplementries was attacking Brown. So whilst Brown was wooden and unable to make quips – he didn’t suffer the way he ought to have given his fragile state and the week from hell just passed. He was desperately trying to be a serious man for serious times – coming back at Cameron for not asking a single question on policy or the economy. Underwhelming on both sides I thought.

Actually – the duel was deeply depressing. Red / blue, blue / red – same old same old. About time we had a different way of doing politics! Yes – us.

The only really decent questions (apart from Nick Clegg – obviously) was about the Gurkhas and the complete failure of Brown to understand the mood of the nation and somehow believe that rattling immigration bars (no doubt guided by focus group) would somehow trump the hearts and minds of British people. our souls are built on fair play! But Gordon doesn’t get it.

So – we ranged over this in Simon Mayo – and ID cards (waste of money and won’t work), swine flu (briefly thank goodness) and the Gurkhas again – and the demise of Gordon. Doom and Dust!

It’s a great program – and I note that Simon ‘I’m being made to tweet’ Mayo (last time I was on re twittering) now finds it irresistible!

Road repairs, Haringey Council style

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It’s ridiculous but it’s true – Haringey Council has been tarmacing over manhole covers when repairing roads with the result that (1) dealing with leaks etc becomes much harder as the manhole cover is covered in tarmac! and (2) it makes for a weak road surface, with the tarmac breaking and causing potholes more quickly than would otherwise be the case. As I said – ridiculous! My colleague Martin Newton (Fortis Green councillor) spotted this one on Fortis Green Road:

Fortis Green Road manhole cover

As Martin puts it, “Residents are rightly fed up with a system that plasters over the cracks rather than carrying out a proper job which would make our roads better, safer and, in the long run save Haringey Council money.”

One hour bus ticket campaign

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Was out campaigning in Wood Green over the Bank Holiday as part of a London-wide Liberal Democrat campaign to get a one hour Oyster bus ticket introduced – the idea being, you pay for one hour travel and can hop on and hop off as many different buses as you need during that one hour without having to pay for a new ticket each time:

(You can also watch this video on the YouTube website.)

It’s the sort of thing that’s popular and effective in many other cities. It’s also just the sort of policy that’s win all round: it would stop people being put off those journeys where at the moment you run up the costs by having to change a lot, so encouraging more bus use, but also by taking a little bit of traffic off our roads, it would help everyone else needing to use the roads too.

If you agree – do sign our petition at ourcampaign.org.uk/1hourbusticket

Haringey's lies exposed!

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So – Haringey Council knew that Baby P’s mother had a boyfriend – in fact they had a video of her talking about him. And there was a record in the case notes. And yet when asked during the furore of the first trial – as ever – they denied that they knew that he was living there . Just when we think this horrific tragedy will have bottomed out – and there surely can’t be any more shocking revelations of Haringey’s incompetence and lies – we find out there are.

Panorama revealed the existence of this video interview with Baby Peter’s mother last night – a video made by a senior social worker.

Yet another reason why we still need a public inquiry. So far, the spotlight has more or less remained on the Children’s Services department at Haringey – but given how much is still surfacing – just imagine what lies beneath in terms of how Haringey is working (or not working).

There has been no real examination of the gagging clauses that prohibit staff who leave from speaking about their former department. There has been no examination of Haringey’s arrogance in its failure to listen to whistle blowers, the family or opposition politicians – all who raised real concerns about child protection in Haringey. There has been no examination of the budgetary issues that gave rise to a reported memo instructing the department not to take more children into care. There has been scant attention to Ofsted finding Haringey ‘good’ when it wanted to make them look good – and then ‘bad’ when heads had to roll. (Panorama did at least touch on this – possibly because when I did an extensive background briefing for them I emphasised the lack of scrutiny of their role). The health team has thus far got off virtually unscathed – with its management bullying unquestioned – even though there was a locum doctor who failed to recognise a broken back and ribs. Why was there a locum? Why had all the paediatrician’s left in the previous two years? And so o and so on………

Without a public inquiry – much of what went wrong will stay wrong. Moreover – allowed to fester under the radar – the culture which was the rotten bottom of what goes on at Haringey will remain.

Liberal Democrat warning to Labour over elected Mayor

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Liberal Democrats have warned Haringey Council to ensure the public has the fullest possible say over the how the council is run, as Haringey embarks on a major consultation on whether the failing Labour Council should move towards an elected mayor in time for 2010.

The move comes after a stormy meeting at Haringey Council last week, when it became clear that Labour has not planned for a local referendum on the issue, should local residents demand it in the run up to local elections in 2010.

Councils are now under pressure from the Labour government to consult on the issue. Liberal Democrats say they are concerned that Haringey Labour is also paving the way to ignore the views of local residents should they want the change for 2010.

Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Williams comments:

“We have yet to be persuaded of the case for an elected mayor, but we need the fullest possible consultation so that we can engage in debate with local people, as we need to hear what they think.

“That means abiding by the outcome of any consultation, and embracing the concept of a borough-wide referendum on an elected Mayor if that is what local people want. What mustn’t happen is Labour pulling a fast one on the consultation results, and ignoring the outcome. If that happens, there will be enormous trouble ahead.”

Disabled residents to wait until the end of the year for parking bays

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Disabled residents will have to wait until at least the end of the year to get new parking spaces, it has emerged.

Haringey Council admitted that they will not process applications for disabled bays until the summer due to a review in policy and the average length of time to process a claim is four to six months. The information was revealed in questions tabled by Cllr Martin Newton at the Council’s watchdog committee on 20th April 2009.

Local Liberal Democrats have criticised the delay, saying that local residents should not have to wait. Currently seventy disabled drivers are waiting for Haringey Council to process their applications and only urgent applications will be processed earlier.

Cllr Gail Engert has successfully helped a local resident in Muswell Hill to have a disabled bay installed after forcing Haringey Council to acknowledge her application was urgent.

Cllr Gail Engert, Muswell Hill, comments:

“I am glad that Haringey Council have finally agreed that Mrs Bone needs her disabled bay now rather than after they get their policies in order. I am concerned that seventy other disabled residents may have to wait until the end of the year for the installation of disabled parking bays.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“This is completely unacceptable level of service for some of our borough’s most vulnerable residents. Whilst Labour councillors are busy pushing paper in the town hall, local residents with disabilities are going without parking facilities they desperately need to make their life easier. Haringey Council needs to pull its finger out and get this backlog processed as soon as possible.”

Highgate residents to have their say on parking controls

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Highgate’s Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed long awaited moves to consult local residents on an extension of parking controls in the area – but have asked Haringey Council to ensure that residents’ views are heeded on the details of the scheme.

Haringey Council is about to consult on the extension of the Highgate station controlled parking zone (CPZ) into the Kenwood area. Liberal Democrats say that residents in streets such as Denewood Road and Stormont Road have endured parking misery since the introduction of controls in the adjacent parks of Highgate, and say that action is long overdue.

Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Williams says that following recent parking problems in Crouch End, the consultation needs to make absolutely clear the impact of displacement parking on the streets concerned, if the CPZ gets the go-ahead. However, areas should not be included if that is still their wish.

The Liberal Democrats also want the private roads, View Road, and part of Denewood Road, to be kept fully informed on how the plans are unfolding.

Highgate Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Williams comments:

“Putting these plans before local residents is long overdue. Highgate residents in Stormont Road and Denewood Road in particular, have been experiencing parking misery in the past year. It’s important that as many people as possible respond to the consultation, so Haringey Council can get the exact details right for local residents.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“We do not want a repeat of the parking chaos we have seen in Crouch End. We need a consultation that listens to local residents views.”

The streets to be consulted are:
Bishopswood Road
Denewood Road (between Broadlands Road and Stormont Road)
Gaskell Road
Hampstead Lane (between the eastern arm of Bishopswood Road and Compton Avenue)
Kenwood Road
Sheldon Avenue
Storey Road
Stormont Road
Yeatman Road

Comment on Panorama Baby P revelations

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Lynne Featherstone, Hornsey & Wood Green MP, commenting on the revelations in last night’s BBC Panorama that Haringey Council knew of the existence of the boyfriend of Baby Peter’s mother, in spite of public statement to the contrary, said:

“This appears to be clear evidence of deceit by Haringey Council.What confidence can local residents have in the process to rebuild the Haringey Children’s Service if they have tried simply to cover up their mistakes? Now more than ever we need a public inquiry to get to the bottom of what went so tragically wrong.”