Category Archives: Blog

Holocaust Memorial Day events in Haringey

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With fighting, hated and discrimination still present in the world, it is vital that we never forget some of the horrors of the past, and keep working to prevent them occurring again.

Holocaust Memorial Day is an annual event (27th January) dedicated to the remembrance of Holocaust victims.

This year, there are three events in Haringey to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.

There is the annual multi faith commemorative gathering, taking place on the 26th January at Bruce Castle Museum.

There will also be an exhibition at libraries across Haringey about the role of the Righteous Muslims in the 2nd World War. The exhibition starts at Highgate Library on Monday 13 January for 2 weeks and then moves to the libraries at Muswell Hill, Alexandra Park, Coombes Croft, St Ann’s and Stroud Green & Harringay.

And on the 4th Feb, Muswell Hill is hosting a one woman performance of Etty – a play about Etty Hillesum before she is first deported to Westerbork and later Auschwitz.

All events are free. For further info about the events and bookings, please see the poster here.

Haringey Council Tax

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Did you know that the average Council Tax bill in Haringey increased by a whopping £474 under the previous Labour Government?

That’s right – under Labour, year on year Council Tax for Haringey residents increased way above the rate of inflation.

Constantly rising Council Tax did not help individuals and families with the cost of living – particularly after the recession began.

That’s why the local Liberal Democrats and I campaign for a local Council Tax freeze year on year in Haringey. And since the Lib Dems entered Government in 2010, Council Tax in Haringey hasn’t risen at all.

In short – local authorities like Haringey Council are now being given extra money from the Government if they do not raise Council Tax. And with the pressure from local Lib Dem campaigning, Labour-run Haringey Council have had no choice but to accept.

Lib Dem action locally and in Government is protecting people from the kind of Council Tax increases we saw under Labour. That’s something to be proud of!

You can read more about Haringey’s Council Tax here.

If you need any help with your Council Tax or are having problems with Haringey Council – you can contact me here.

Could you rock or film the House?

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Rock the HouseEvery year Parliament runs competitions to reward and promote the UK’s creatives.

Entrants will have their work judged by the leading lights of industry and win prizes ranging from festival slots, studio time, equipment, and the opportunity to have your work premiered in London’s West End to name a few!

Rock the House is open to musicians, and its patrons include Alice Cooper and Brian May.

Film the House seeks to help celebrate the best up-and-coming amateur film producers, directors and script-writers.

I encourage all local musicians and film makers to find out more by clicking on the links above, and get involved in the competition.

The deadline for entrants is the 31st March – Good luck!

How to recycle your Christmas tree in Haringey

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Local Lib Dem campaigner Dawn Barnes today sent the very helpful email (below) to local residents. You can sign up for email updates by opting in here.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to 2014.

It’s time to take the Christmas tree down and if you are looking for ways to recycle it you may find the following information useful.

If you receive a green garden waste collection, you can cut your tree into smaller pieces (maximum length 1 metre) and put it out for collection. Christmas trees can also be taken to Haringey’s Refuse and Recycling Centres:

Hornsey Centre – 35 High Street, N8 7QB
Tottenham Centre – Park View Road, N17 9AY
Opening times: Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 4pm

Alternatively, you can take them to designated sites in the following parks from Monday 6 January – Sunday 26 January:

  • Albert Road Recreation Ground (Staff yard) – Bidwell Gardens, N11
  • Bruce Castle Park (Staff yard) – Lordship Lane, N17
  • Down Lane Recreation Ground (Staff yard) – Park View Road, N17
  • Downhills Park (Staff yard) – Downhills Park Road, N17
  • Finsbury Park (Staff yard) – Endymion Road, N4
  • The Gardens Community Garden – Doncaster Gardens, N4
  • Priory Park (Staff yard) – Barrington Road, N8
  • Woodside Park (Staff yard) – High Road, N22

I do hope you find this information useful and feel free to pass it on to other local residents who want to dispose of their trees too.

A year of local delivery!

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Here’s my latest Ham and High column, following a great year of working with local residents to protect our services

2013 was a year of people power in Haringey – with thousands of local residents and Liberal Democrats joining forces to protect local services.

At the beginning of the year, the proposed sell off of land at the Whittington Hospital was successfully halted, following a campaign by over 4,500 local residents and the Haringey Liberal Democrats.

Later in the year thousands of Lib Dem petition signers also prevented Royal Mail’s planned closure of Hornsey Sorting Office, and also stopped the threatened loss of local rail services at Hornsey and Harringay stations.

Local High Street traders also made their voices heard, calling for lower High Street parking charges. The Haringey Lib Dems and I backed them, by running a campaign for thirty minutes free parking and holding the Independent Shops Competition to give our best local stores some much deserved publicity.

The North London Waste Authority also finally backtracked on their idea to build a waste plant on the Pinkham Way site, thanks to a great campaign effort by the Pinkham Way Alliance, local residents and the Lib Dems. The NLWA still own the land, though – so we remain vigilant.

Last year was also great for jobs and apprenticeships – with more and more Haringey residents finding work. Since 2010, unemployment is at its lowest level in my constituency (over 1000 less JSA claimants), and youth unemployment has fallen by a third.

The apprenticeship event I ran this year was very popular and successful. I was so impressed with the ambition and drive of the young people who attended – and so were the employers. One Haringey young person was snapped up by an employer just a day after the event!

Looking forward to next year, I hope for more hard work and successes for the Lib Dems and people power. And one date in particular springs to mind – May 22nd, the next round of local elections.

Last year, Haringey Council (which is currently run by Labour) failed to deliver on many key local services. Our roads are in a state, two thirds of residents are dissatisfied with their rubbish collections, and Childrens Services has been tarnished with more child protection scandals.

And at the same time, the Labour-run Council continues to waste money. £3.7 million in shockingly large bonuses were dished out to repairs staff – while essential repair work to local homes was cancelled. It’s no wonder Haringey Council is the fourth most complained about in the country.

That’s why I want to see a change in how our local services are run and how our Council Tax money is spent.

And after this great year of local delivery and working with residents, I hope it’s the Haringey Liberal Democrats that take control of Haringey Council, so they can work with residents to fix Haringey for good.

Now, that really would be a happy new year!

Shop local this Christmas!

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During the festive season, I love shopping in our local stores for presents. From the Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green to the delightful delicatessens in Highgate – there is a big enough range to get gifts for everyone!

This year, the Haringey Lib Dems and I have worked hard to support and promote independent traders – through our campaign for cheaper high street parking and our independent shops competition.

And to round off the year, I’m happy to promote the following special offers from some of our best loved independents:

  • Crocodile Antiques in Muswell Hill are offering two mugs – with pictures celebrating Muswell Hill shops throughout the ages (example here) – for £10
  • Dunns Bakery in Crouch End are offering a box of 8 assorted mince pies for £6.99 (usual price £9.30), and a free jar of our homemade brandy butter with Christmas orders over £50
  • Little Paris are offering 10% off orders over £40. Customers can accept the 10% off, or give it back to Little Paris, who will then use the money to donate gifts to the Haberdashery coffee shop for their secret santa. The Haberdashery are open over Christmas, and on Christmas Day they will be providing dinner and secret santa presents to around 30 elderly and vulnerable local residents.

This Saturday (14th) Crouch End will also host a Christmas Craft Fair, with over 30 stalls, a brass band, school choirs, tombola, mulled cider, cakes and more!

And on Sunday 15th at 10am, Pickled Pepper Books in Crouch End are having a party to celebrate the first snow of winter – winter story telling, puppets, party games and crafts.

Happy shopping – and remember that buying gifts locally can make a big difference to our high streets and traders!

Power to Change

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The Big Lottery Fund has recently announced the launch of ‘Power to Change’. This is a community enterprise scheme, aimed at supporting local people to come together and improve their neighbourhoods.

From 2014, the £150 million fund will be invested in community enterprises to help them grow their membership and increase their range of activities.  This fund is available to all community groups, from pop-up shops to local run sports teams, and is designed to make sure they have the funds to start up, and the support to thrive.

These enterprises will have a business plan, and must be inclusive of the whole community within a specified geographical area. Power to Change will offer them financial and administrative support, and will be accepting applications from January.

Haringey has always had a fantastic community spirit, and it is one of the many reasons I am proud to be the MP for the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency. We have lots of volunteer-led organisations that give back to their local area, and I am sure that many of them could benefit from the new scheme.

Both existing and planned enterprises are eligible for help from the fund, and so if you think this could be of use to your organisation you can find out more at http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/powertochange.

More homes – not bonuses for failure

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Here’s an email I sent to residents last week about housing in Haringey. Please do add your name to our petition, if you’d rather Labour-run Haringey Council spent money on houses, rather than bonuses for failure.

Haringey housing bonsues to be probedLabour simply can’t be trusted to run Haringey Council properly. They haven’t built a single new home in almost 25 years, despite over 10,000 local families waiting on the list for social housing.

The local Lib Dems and I are petitioning the Labour-run Council to spend more money on homes, rather than on bonuses for failure. You can add your signature here.

There is some good news, though. Following a local Liberal Democrat campaign, Haringey Council have finally agreed to build 100 new council homes.

Haringey Lib Dem leader and housing spokesperson, Cllr Richard Wilson, first suggested the idea back in February, when it was rejected by local Labour Councillors. Now, finally, it is going to happen.

It certainly won’t make up for the 25 years of neglect, but it’s a sensible first step. The project will also create local construction jobs, assist the economic recovery and help those in need.

If the Haringey Lib Dems were in charge of Haringey Council – the project would have started much sooner!

But until the Lib Dems are in charge, please do support our petition, calling on the Labour-run Council to spend their money on homes, rather than on bonuses for failure.

Energy access: the next thing to go viral?

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Here’s one of my recent blogs in my role as minister in the Department for International Development. You can also read it on the DFID site here.

Of all the things that have gone viral this year, there is 1 in particular that stood out for me. A Swedish professor, Hans Rosling, produced a survey that tests our assumptions about the progress of the developing world. It was reported on by the BBC a few weeks back, and Rosling’s TED talk has been viewed more than 6 million times.

Many people I spoke to said how surprised they were by some of the answers – like the fact that the number of children in the world will be the same in 2100 as in 2000, or that average life expectancy globally has reached 70.

I’ve been an international development minister for a little over a year now, but some facts and figures still teach me something new.

If you asked me a week ago about the biggest causes of death in the world, I would certainly have thought of malaria, as well as diarrhoea and malnutrition. Globally, heart disease, stroke and cancer are surely up there.

But what I hadn’t realised was the deadliness of smoke inhalation from cooking and heating in homes around the world. At least 2 million people die prematurely due to household air pollution every year, while a recent estimate has put the figure as high as 4 million. Even the lower figure is around 3 times the number of people who die from malaria. And 44% of these deaths are among children.

I learnt just how important this issue is during a visit to New York last week to represent the UK on the advisory board of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative, chaired by the UN Secretary General and World Bank President.

SE4ALL gathers the UN, governments, the multilateral development banks, the private sector and non-governmental organisations to try and make progress towards universal access to cleaner and more efficient energy by 2030.

This is a huge task, but an essential one. Without access to energy, medicines cannot be safely stored, children cannot study after dark, and businesses cannot prosper.

And if you are a woman or a girl, it is even more essential to have access to clean, affordable energy. Currently, women in Africa can spend 4 hours per day collecting firewood, time that could be better spent learning or working. Over 90% of rapes of women in transitional settlements occur while women are collecting firewood. And women make up 60% of adult deaths from indoor air pollution.

Right now, 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity – around one sixth of the world’s population. This can be because they live in remote areas, because there is no national grid, or simply because they cannot afford it. Burkina Faso, for example, has the most expensive electricity in the world – yet it is 183rd out of 187 in the Human Development Index.

So that is why, last week, I represented the UK government on the SE4ALL advisory board. And that is why I launched a personal campaign focused on improving the lives of girls and women through access to clean energy. You can see my speech to launch the campaign here (at 36:30).

As part of this campaign, I have joined the leadership council of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, an extraordinary organisation with the objective of ensuring 100 million clean cookstoves are in use amongst the poor by 2020. You can hear more about the work of the Alliance from its chair, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, here.

To kick off the campaign I also announced UK support of £7 million to learn more about how to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030, and £4.5 million for research through the Gender and Sustainable Energy Network – ENERGIA – to better understand how we can improve women’s skills, economic opportunities, health and safety through access to energy.

With the leadership of such a powerful range of people – from the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, to politicians such as Hillary Clinton, from business leaders such as Bloomberg New Energy Finance CEO Michael Liebreich to celebrities such as Julia Roberts – we have a chance to change the world. We can make it cleaner, brighter and safer.

We need to make clean energy access the next thing to go viral. And together, perhaps, we can remove one of those facts and figures that still have the power to shock and surprise.