Work is the answer to so many things – outside of the most important ability to pay the bills – it gives all of us a place to be, a purpose, self respect and fulfillment. So jobs are at the top of the list of priorities and that is what LibDems in government are creating. Locally, we’ve helped treble the number of apprenticeships – vital extra help to give people in Haringey the skills that will help them, will help the community – and will help the economy.
This is my most recent column published first in the Ham & High.
Every week, at least one local resident contacts me about the state of their roads. This comes as no surprise to me. I regularly walk and drive around my constituency, and am constantly making mental notes of the new, hazardous potholes which have appeared on the road surfaces.
Along with local residents, the Haringey Lib Dems and I have run a long campaign, calling on Labour-run Haringey Council to do something about this urgently. After all, we do pay one of the highest Council Tax rates in London – the least we deserve in return are safe roads!
Don’t let anyone try to tell you this is a non-issue. These holes in the road damage cars, and cost motorists dearly. They also increase the chances of accidents, as drivers instinctively swerve to try and avoid them.
They are also incredibly dangerous to pedestrians. Just recently, Haringey Council were ordered by a Court to pay a local man £1million in compensation – after he tripped in a pothole in Hornsey and suffered a serious brain injury.
For years, Haringey Council has refused to step up and take action – preferring to pay out money on compensation for injuries, rather than investing the money in improving the roads. And this isn’t about their cash flow – they were as negligent back in 2009 when Gordon Brown was throwing money around, as they are now when we have all had to tighten our belts.
So where do we go from here? Well, under enormous pressure from local residents and the Haringey Lib Dems, the Labour Council have finally admitted that the current state of our roads is not acceptable. They are going to lower their intervention levels (that is, the criteria at which they will repair a pot hole) from 6cm deep to 3cm deep.
We now want to make sure that they do the job properly. Already, I have exposed a huge flaw in the Council’s strategy. Their road condition survey is inaccurate. For instance, one of the roads the Council marked as in ‘general good condition’ is in fact riddled with holes.
To keep the Council on track, the Local Lib Dems and I have been asking local residents to identify the most dangerous holes, so that we can pass on the information. We’ve asked residents via emails, via my 2013 annual survey and on the doorstop.
We are part way through collating the results, and already we have identified almost 400 potholes on 173 roads across the Borough. We will continue to put the results together and send a full list to the Council for their attention. I hope they will finally take this seriously and do some proper repairs!
Any local resident who wants to add information can contact me here.
Bill Gates opened the DFID building on Friday.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a real force for good. The work that is being done to vaccinate children in the developing world thanks to the Foundation is phenomenal.
And the new (well – adapted and refurbished) No 22 Whitehall is a much better and more modern environment in which to work. Not only that – the move is nearer to parliament and is a great deal cheaper than the building we moved from.
Hurrah! For years we (Liberal Democrats) have been campaigning for 20mph zones in Haringey – and now it’s paid off.
I guess Labour finally realised the level of support we had on this issue – and hence this massive u-turn – when for so long they refused to even consider it.
Campaigning works!
So thanks to everyone for supporting this campaign to date. We very much want to now know local peoples’ views on the detail so please fill in this survey.
I have written an urgent email to the Chief Executive of Homes for Haringey today calling for answers over the halting of a scheme to bring local council homes up to standard.
The Decent Homes scheme, meant to improve council homes across the Borough, has been suspended by the Labour-run Council, affecting a number of Hornsey and Wood Green residents.
Homes for Haringey say this relates to a failure by the council to secure an appropriate contractor for the 2013/2014 Decent Homes programme. I wonder why they failed to secure an appropriate contractor? Could it be that they messed up the process?
Strangely work will continue in Tottenham – though work to improve council blocks will be halted in Wood Green, Bounds Green, Crouch End, Highgate and Stroud Green.
Causing further concern, the Council have as yet not confirmed that the suspended works will be carried out next year, only that those homes not receiving attention this year will be recommended for inclusion in the Decent Homes programme in 2014/2015.
It’s just one disaster after another – but sadly – it’s local people who suffer for Haringey’s mess ups.
Since starting as UK International Development Minister with responsibility for Africa, I have been struck by the strong growth rates and enormous economic potential of many African countries. But a key block to further growth is the difficulty of trading within Africa due to tariffs, red tape and a lack of infrastructure to connect countries and peoples. Multi-country infrastructure projects – like roads, ports and regional power plants – are complex and expensive. They require political cross-border agreements and policy reforms.
This is one of the areas where the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) mandate and expertise can help to turn Africa’s economic potential into reality. The AfDB – Africa’s premier economic development institution – focuses on driving inclusive growth through the private sector and improving governance, as well as breaking down trade barriers. It provided $4.4 billion financial flows to Africa in 2011.
I am currently at the AfDB Group’s annual meetings. The theme this year is ‘Africa’s structural transformation’. The UK, along with other donors, will decide later this year on our contribution to the next cycle of the AfDB’s concessional lending fund (2014-2017).
In advance of our decision, I have been pressing the AfDB President, Governors and senior staff for the Bank to focus on: supporting economic growth for all, not just the elites; leveraging much-needed finance from the private sector; ensuring investments are resilient to climate change; supporting the economic empowerment of women and girls; and responding more effectively in fragile and unstable states. I have urged the Bank to deliver and demonstrate results and value for money. And I have emphasised strong UK support for their plans to help transform Africa’s infrastructure and economic integration.
The UK’s priorities for the G8 this year complement strongly this agenda by focusing on global economic growth – advancing trade, ensuring tax compliance and promoting greater transparency. This agenda has particular relevance for Africa. The AfDB is in a unique position to lead Africa’s economic transformation – increasing jobs, improving governance and raising living standards for all.
Have you noticed an increase in the number of potholes in your road recently? Or are the ones that have been there for years getting worse?
Every month, I receive emails from constituents who are concerned about the state of their roads.
And it really is no wonder. Labour-run Haringey Council have neglected our roads for years and years, preferring to pay out compensation for terrible accidents, than actually investing in our road surfaces.
Just now, after years of pressure from the Local Lib Dems, the Council have said that they will take action on our roads.
I thought this was good news. But then, I saw this map. It highlights the roads which the Council think are in good or bad condition. Here is a picture of a road that they think is in good condition (Cecile Park)
This doesn’t fill me with confidence in the Labour-run Council’s road repair blitz. The Haringey Lib Dems and I have been collecting information separately, directly from residents, about the condition of our local roads.
Step by step, we are presenting the results to the Council and asking that they make the necessary repairs.
Residents of Haringey – take a look at the map and see what you think about the Council’s assessment of your road. If you don’t agree, or if you know of a dangerous pothole / stretch of road in Haringey that needs repair, just let me know, and I will add it to our list.
Last month, Lib Dem London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon revealed shocking figures regarding unclaimed Oyster refunds. A whopping £53 million currently lies dormant in the system – waiting to be reclaimed.
TfL are not very good at letting people know about this. But, like Caroline, I think TfL service users should easily be able to reclaim money owed to them.
You can read the full story on Lib Dem Voice here: http://www.libdemvoice.org/caroline-pidgeon-reveals-53-million-unclaimed-refunds-on-oyster-cards-34128.html
If you have an old or unused Oyster card lying around, you should be able to claim the money back at ticket offices across the Capital.
There have, however, been problems with getting refunds at ticket offices. Transport for London have now given a phone number for people to call if they are having problems getting a refund. It is 0343 222 1234.
Last week, the Labour leader of Haringey Council, Claire Kober, took to the local newspapers to complain about the shortage of housing for Council tenants.
She has a point. Here in Haringey there are well over 10,000 individuals and families on the waiting list for a council property – and most will have to wait for years before they are even considered. This poses a terrible problem for vulnerable individuals and overcrowded families, who are in desperate need of social housing.
It is all well and good to sit and complain about this – what we really need from our Council leader is action. The blunt fact of the matter is that Labour-run Haringey Council hasn’t built any new Council homes for almost 25 years!
Yes, that’s right. In 1989 the Council built six new flats – and nothing thereafter. It is no wonder that 10,000 individuals and families are now languishing on the waiting list.
And it’s not like the funding hasn’t been available. The Government have rewritten rules to allow Councils to build more homes, and borrow the money to do so. Leicester Council, for instance, were awarded £7 million in Government funding for new housing. They will now build 146 new homes.
In February, the Leader of the Lib Dems put down an amendment to the budget and suggested Haringey did the same as Leicester. The ruling Labour group – led by Claire Kober – rejected this amendment, turning down the opportunity to build more houses.
The Council also have a terrible record on bringing empty homes back into use. Late last year I exposed figures revealing that over 1,700 homes were left empty in Haringey, while the Labour group again spurned a Government grant, which was offered to Councils to help do up empty homes.
So there you have it. The Haringey Labour leader is perfectly happy to complain about the lack of housing, but won’t take action to make a difference – even when the funds are available.
Unfortunately, this is what we have come to expect from the Labour-run Council – all talk and no action. Haringey residents – particularly all those vulnerable and overcrowded people on the waiting list – deserve better.
I posted yesterday on having to beware of the amendment on opposite sex Civil Partnerships – because the proposers are no friends of Equal Marriage – which makes me uber suspicious.
However, I have always wanted both same sex marriage and opposite sex civil partnerships.
So my task this morning is to try and get some facts. The Conservatives are not champions of ‘living together’ – they believe in marriage – and that has been their rationale for their support on same sex marriage. I am concerned as to whether there is any truth in their assertion that this will delay same sex marriage implementation.
That is the key fact to understand – what would be the actual harm (if any) that this amendment could cause?
Lynne Featherstone 