Author Archives: Lynne Featherstone

Unknown's avatar

About Lynne Featherstone

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

Local Liberal Democrats launch campaign for one hour bus ticket

Posted on by

Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone, GLA member Caroline Pidgeon and local councillors last week launched a campaign to persuade the Mayor of London to introduce one hour bus tickets on local buses.

The scheme, which already exists in other European cities, would allow passengers to switch from bus to bus within an hour for a fixed cost of just one ticket.

A petition to support the campaign can be found on www.ourcampaign.org.uk/1hourbusticket or by phoning Lynne’s office on 020 8340 5459.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“It’s really ludicrous that you have to pay for a new ticket every time you change bus. Getting the bus from say Highgate to Wood Green can cost you as much as £3, but if a ticket was valid for an hour, it would really help local residents, not least in these days of recession.

“And let’s face it – the current system is certainly not the best way to get people to swap their car for the bus. This is a brilliant idea and I hope that lots of local residents will show their support for the campaign by signing the online petition.”

Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, adds:

“Bus travel should be treated the same as tube travel. You can already switch from tube to tube on the same ticket so it makes real sense to allow people to do the same with buses.

“One hour bus tickets already operate successfully in Paris, Rome and Brussels. It is time London caught up and gave buses users a fair deal.”

Local MP demands apology for local residents for Oyster PAYG delay

Posted on by

Local residents in Haringey will have to wait an extra four months after a train company broke promises last week on introducing Oyster Pay As You Go (PAYG) on local trains. First Capital Connect (FCC), which runs the Overground train line north of Finsbury Park, recently agreed that train users would be able to use PAYG from September this year; but this has now been delayed until at least January 2010.

The disappointing news comes following a long running campaign spearheaded by Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone , that culminated in assurances from Transport for London, Mayor Boris Johnson and First Capital Connect that local trains would ‘go Oyster’ by September 2009. Lynne has now written to the three organisations demanding an explanation for the delays and an apology to local residents for the extra wait.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I can’t believe that local residents will have to wait at least another 8 months to use their Oyster cards on local trains. It’s broken promise after broken promise. I think local residents deserve an apology for yet another wait.

Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, adds:

“The Mayor made a big claim in the election campaign that he would call an ’emergency summit’ with the Train Operating Companies within weeks of being elected, to address issues just like this.

“Boris has failed to call this summit and, not surprisingly, the rail companies have felt no need to deliver on the commitments they themselves have made. It really is time that the Mayor of London and the rail companies worked together to ensure a better service for train users.”

Iraqi interpreters – Government set to end help

Posted on by

I’ve blogged a few times about the fantastic campaigning done by Dan Hardie and others to highlight the dangers faced by Iraqis who had worked with our armed forces in Iraq. I sponsored a meeting in Parliament in 2007 and wrote about it:

Mark and Andrew both gave eye witness accounts of what is going on in Iraq and how those who helped us by translating or other service now are being hunted down and killed. It was graphic, appalling and compelling.

These horrors made the mealy-mouthed, half-arsed announcement by G Brown yesterday to allow those who worked for us for more than 12 months some financial (very low) package to resettle and under agreed circumstances admittance to the UK look completely inadequate.

To me, I longed for Gordon just to say what needed to be said – we have a moral responsibility towards you and you are welcome in our country. That’s what Denmark did. In fact Denmark recognising the danger in which their employees now were – flew them and their families out.

Whatever you think of the Iraq war (and I opposed it) – we should look after those we employed. But even the limited amount the Government was willing to do is now coming to an end. As today’s Times puts it,

The Government has been accused of deserting former Iraqi interpreters who risked their lives for Britain, after announcing that it would close its assistance scheme in a fortnight.

Britain’s treatment of the Iraqis was compared last night with that of the Gurkhas as it emerged that scores of families are still living in fear of being murdered by militias who accuse them of collaborating with the enemy.

MPs from all three parties have described the assistance scheme as deliberately restrictive and called for a review…

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat MP, said: “There are going to be people still in danger. The enemy is still out there. It is mean-spirited.”

The Express also has coverage here.

Joan Bakewell on the Equality Bill

Posted on by

She’s got a rather feisty piece today:

Legislation for change has at any time to confront the natural resistance of those who are happy with the status quo. In times of recession it is even more instinctive for businesses to cling to old, familiar ways — they assume that new legislation means increased red tape: in fact, this Bill often frees businesses to act more independently.

Who can now deny that the legislation of the 1970s that launched society towards a more equal future was a fair set of measures to introduce? It wasn’t long ago that a woman could not open a bank account or raise a mortgage without a male signature on the application. Some were denied access to their company’s pension fund. Now such situations strike us as old-fashioned, even quaint. Young women starting out today would be amazed by such restraints. They approach their future expecting and rejoicing in their equality.

We have seen the times and the law change attitudes. The Equality Bill is the next step, bringing a multitude of small but significant improvements where they will be welcome: preventing gay children from being bullied at school; making religious dietary needs available from meals-on-wheels services; requiring job recruitment to consider flexible and part-time working.

Those who oppose it probably don’t suffer too many disadvantages. The chances are that they are white, male, middle-aged, middle-class and in full-time employment. They may have loud voices but they don’t speak for the rest of us.

You can read the full column here.

Latest Haringey tragedy shows why we need a public inquiry

Posted on by

Busy Saturday morning, so here’s the story from The Times about the latest heart-wrenching news from Haringey,

The failings of social workers at Haringey Council have again been exposed in a criminal trial.

The local authority, which is still reeling from the criticism it received after its failing in the Baby P case, confirmed the two-year-old rape victim was known to social workers and was on its “at risk” register.

Officials at the North London borough said last night that a Serious Case Review was under way into how the girl could have been raped while in their care…

The Serious Case Review into the care the child received from social workers is being conducted by Graham Badman, chair of the Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board.

But Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said that more questions about the performance of the council needed to be answered. “We desperately need a public inquiry to get to the bottom of this,” she said.

Shoddy road surfacing must stop, say Liberal Democrats

Posted on by

Local roads in Haringey would be better and last longer if Haringey Council stopped “slap-dash” repairs and resurfacing practices. Currently, when resurfacing roads contractors conceal manhole covers with tarmac, making them inaccessible for drain repairs, and making roads weak and prone to damage. Local Liberal Democrats asked, last week, at a meeting of Haringey Council’s watchdog committee for Haringey Council to stop shoddy resurfacing and raise manholes to road surface level.

Cllr Newton, Liberal Democrat Highways and Transport spokesperson, comments:

“This is symptomatic of the slap-dash attitude of the Labour administration. It is nonsense to be resurfacing a road by covering manholes and losing access to the services underneath – and at the same time producing a weak surface that will end up having to have repairs month on month.

“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.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“It’s ridiculous to be repairing roads but covering over manholes that often leak and you need to dig up again if you need to inspect the drain. Only Haringey Council could do this and think it is right.”

Four sacked at Haringey over death of Baby P

Posted on by

The BBC reports:

A social worker and three managers have been sacked for failings in the care of Baby P, Haringey Council has said…

Haringey Council said Cecilia Hitchen, the deputy director of children and families, had been dismissed for “loss of trust and confidence” following the damning Ofsted report in December last year.

A council spokesman said social worker Maria Ward, team manager Gillie Christou and head of safeguarding services Clive Preece were sacked for gross misconduct.

The Budget debate: unimpressed with Yvette Cooper

Posted on by

Yvette Cooper was really poor yesterday when she responded for the Government on the Budget Debate on Work and Pensions. Yes – I caught Mr Deputy Speaker’s eye – after jumping up and down for about five hours in a freezing chamber (air conditioning over kill).

I wanted to tackle four issues: support for Citizens Advice Bureaux who are struggling terms with the huge rise in people needing their help; the need to make the Small Business Rate relief (about £1,200 per year) automatic – as so many businesses fail to get this relief; the issue of help for women in the Budget – given the fine words the Government spoke in a debate just a short time ago about the need to help women in an economic downturn; and lastly – the need to fund (from the money announced in the Budget to guarantee all 18-14 year olds work or training) Martin Bright’s New Deal of the Mind.

You can read my speech here.

I said what I said about Yvette Cooper because when it was her turn, she simply ranted against the Tories – which may be pleasurable and her preferred pastime – but when it came to responding to the points raised by MPs in the debate – she didn’t. Nothing – not a word. Just listed who had spoken. And there were real questions on the Budget debate and real answers needed. So Ms Cooper – you’re off my list.