Local Liberal Democrats have expressed their outrage at the reaction shown by Labour’s regeneration boss disregarding the effect of the economic downturn on Haringey’s small businesses.

Cllr Amin, Cabinet member for Regeneration and Enterprise, has been criticised for her comments that Haringey Council will closely monitor the financial situation rather than take decisive action. Liberal Democrats say that Haringey Council should take action now before the grip of recession takes hold.

Cllr Amin was quoted in the press last week saying, “To date there is no discernable increase in the closure of shops or businesses in our main shopping centres”.

Cllr Amin’s comments come three months after a meeting with Crouch End traders and Liberal Democrat Cllr David Winskill. They are still awaiting a response from Cllr Amin on actions agreed at the meeting.

Cllr David Winskill, Crouch End, comments:

“There is precious little evidence that Haringey Council is doing anything to help our threatened shopping centres. In September, I brokered a meeting between traders in Crouch End and Haringey Council to discuss the growing crisis yet no action has been taken. I have written to Cllr Amin asking what has been done. We have already lost Meyers and the sad closure of Woolworths is imminent. I really wonder where she is getting her information from.

“I would encourage any residents that are worried about their local shops to write to her as well asking what help she can offer. This is something Haringey Council cannot sit back and wait to happen. Before this Labour Council gets its act together the borough could really be in trouble.”

Cllr Rachel Allison, Liberal Democrat Regeneration and Enterprise Spokesperson adds:

“Local and family run shops face a bleak New Year. They are the lifeblood of all our main shopping centres and must be supported.

“I would urge all small businesses who are not currently claiming small business rate relief to take a look at the council’s website and see if they are eligible. It’s extremely easy to apply and the form should only take a couple of minutes to complete. You can claim up to 50%, which could be backdated.”

Last night Haringey’s Labour councillors rejected calls from the opposition for a series of re-inspections of Haringey’s services.

The request follows the admission by chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, that Haringey officials misled Ofsted during a key inspection. Council services have been subject to thirteen separate inspections over the last few years and the Liberal Democrats want re-inspections to find out whether other inspectors were also misled.

Haringey opposition leader, Councillor Robert Gorrie, and local MP Lynne Featherstone are now be writing directly to the heads of government inspectors to request re-inspections.

Commenting, Councillor Gorrie says:

“Council officials provided misleading information to Ofsted inspectors only weeks after Baby P died.

“The culture of secrecy and cover-up is endemic in Haringey Council. It is extremely unlikely that its Children’s Services are alone in misleading inspectors or councillors.

“Now that the Labour Council has failed to recognise the significance of providing misleading reports to government inspectors, we will be ourselves to ask for a blanket re-inspection.

“Local residents need to be confident these inspections provide an accurate report of the services provided by their council.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, adds:

“These are critical services affecting the everyday lives of thousands of very vulnerable people in Haringey. Inspections play a vital role in allowing us to make sure these people are getting the service they deserve.

“How can we trust any of these reports? We need to start again with re-inspections across the board to start rebuilding confidence in these key services.”

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.”