Category Archives: Blog

Olympic bid

Posted on by

Haringey Full Council meeting. For me the big issue of the night was skateboarding. Children from the borough were in the gallery to hear a motion on skateboarding provision debated.

The motion had the support of both parties but there was a bit of friction in that it was a Labour motion about all they intended to do on skateboarding (for which facilities are currently poor) – lots of promises of jam tomorrow. But to date, Labour’s much vaunted scheme had produced two days of a mobile skateboarding facility.

Now this dovetailed nicely with a presentation on the Olympic bid by Richard Sumray who is a man of many hats: Olympics, Met Police Authority, magistrate and Chair of Haringey Primary Care Trust (PCT). Busy man. He only had five minutes to present the bid – which must be the shortest presentation on the Olympics on record – in fact a world record in its own right. The general sentiment from across the chamber was ‘ what’s in it for Haringey?’ Yes – of course we all support the bid – but its a bit rough for the boroughs who will have the pain and no gain.

Who knows, perhaps we should make skateboarding an Olympic sport. Perhaps that’s quicker than waiting for Labour to fund a skate park?

Entry phones

Posted on by

I go to Cranley Dene sheltered housing to meet with residents and officers – which is something I do twice yearly so that residents can raise any problems they are experiencing.

Cranley Dene is a pretty happy home. The new residential manager is absolutely great and really caring and active on the issues that arise. Consequently, I think, the officers try their best and reading the list of action points from the last minutes six months earlier – almost all the problems raised then have been resolved.

But not quite all. The really serious outstanding problem is that the entry phone on which all of the residents rely does not work. This means that visitors often cannot get in. Even more seriously – sometimes carers or chemists delivering vital prescriptions also cannot get in if the warden is not on duty.

The officer promises that he will get a new system installed. I make it clear that I regard this as vital (and should be the most obvious basic provision) and if he has any trouble getting the budget for it – to let me know and I will harass, nag and publicise until the council does their duty.

Even worse, after the meeting he tells me about how many entry phone systems across the borough need replacement at the cost of around £3million and how his budget for the whole year is around £300,000. And there are areas of Haringey where the high levels of crime make these installations and maintenance absolutely vital.

This always makes me angry. In some ways it’s just such a vital but everyday requirement of blocks of flats – whether residential or sheltered residential. If that much is need to repair or replace to an adequate standard in Haringey you have to know they have been appalling in their programs over previous years.

I did, however, have confidence that this officer was tackling the issue to the best of his budgeting ability – but will have a think about where the council should find the money to fulfil this basic function. Labour always find money for glossy brochures and publicity puffs – better spent on entry systems…

Transport plans

Posted on by

Polling day in the Fortis Green by-election.

I make myself get up, having lain awake all night waiting for my 4am alarm call. Delivering early morning leaflets is a real labour of love. But actually once you are up and out – if it’s going to be a nice day it is a very beautiful time to be out and about. You get to see the dawn breaking and the world waking up. Call me an optimist.

Then rush off to City Hall to Chair Transport Committee. Today’s special event is Transport for London coming to answer to their 5 year business plan. Their Head of Finance, Jay Walder (one of the infamous Americans) is in the spotlight. One of the real difficulties when you are chairing someone like Jay is, trying to curtail very long answers and explanations without being rude.

Witnesses often want to bring in the history of their decisions in answer to our questions – which is fine with an audience who don’t know the situation. But the PR side is less useful for Transport Committee members from all parties who are all very experienced and knowledgeable on these issues already.

Anyway – my anxiety on that was simply to do with timing. We had an awful lot of questions we wanted answered in a relatively short time.

One of the key issues for the committee was the Mayor’s fares strategy. Having listened to the back and forth explanations of TfL – topped by Jay’s admission that they have created the most complicated fare structure in the world – I think they have got themselves in a mess over fares.

Their argument, to be fair, is that as electronic ticketing becomes more widespread it will allow them the flexibility to encourage the best use of the bus network’s capacity.

My view is that it just confuses the public – and as with Oyster at the moment, the public end up paying more as there is no cap on a day’s usage. Flat fares are much better for the travelling public. The simpler the fare structure the better.

The next key issue was really about risk. The business plan has to make assumptions about fares rises and also the levels of government grant over the next four years. If nothing goes wrong or slips – the plan is viable and the loan agencies will stump up the £3 billion in borrowing.

The big question for the Committee was who underwrites the risk, e.g. if costs escalate. Couldn’t really get an answer on this in plain English. I can’t really see the government bailing us out if things go wrong – so the answer is Londoners, through their council tax bills, will have to shoulder most of the risk.

Whilst I’m a fan of bonds and of London government being able to borrow to fund the big transport improvements we need – in practice the government seems to be using the ability to borrow money as a cover for not giving London enough money directly.

And there were other issues – but enough is enough.

We passed the Assembly report on the West London Tram. We basically like the idea of a tram – but have serious concerns as to whether it will work. There are three key concerns: the suitability of the Uxbridge Road to take a tram down its middle; the viability of the business case (dodgy) and the lack of investigation into cheaper viable alternatives.

It was a good report based on substantive investigations and witness evidence. Needless to say – although sporting almost exactly the same concerns – the Greens and Labour brought out a minority report which is attached in the Appendices.

And we finally agreed the revised terms of reference for the Parking Scrutiny which begins in the New Year. The fun never stops.

Police performance stats

Posted on by

Performance Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) where for the last few years I have slogged over the multitude of statistics that pour forth from the Metropolitan Police service as we hold them to account. Of course, the trick here is that the goalposts are always moving (the Met and the Government are always moving them to be more accurate) so we rarely find ourselves comparing like with like.

I have a long wrangle with a Met officer about violent crime. Violent crime stats are up. But the police say that they are recording them better so more are recorded – and the other defence is that the rise is the result of increased police activity.

It is clear – that nothing is clear. Why do I always get the feeling that performance stats are about protecting the Met and not about trying to deal with the real state of affairs – at least not publicly? Later in an informal session about how we can resolve these difficulties, there is an admission on the part of the Met that they cannot bear it when the media get hold of a poor performance stat and make mincemeat of them in say, the Evening Standard.

We (the committee members) basically feel that you have to get real. Continual defensiveness, spin and dumbing down leads to even worse situations where we (the public) lose trust in the police. And we need to trust our police. It’s not unlike Blair over Iraq – you start to doubt everything about the Blair government because you know they spin to avoid consequence and criticism. I think it better to hang out dirty washing. Show how complex policing is and how difficult. Have the debate, take the criticism and move on. Eventually the press will have to cover issues from a different perspective.

US election result

Posted on by

Early email from my sister saying she was so depressed about the prospects in the American elections that she couldn’t sleep and sat at her computer through the early hours. At 5.30am she said she logged on to my weblog for the first time ever and now finally knows what I do during the day. Desperate times, hey?

Fortis Green by-election

Posted on by

Knocking on doors in the Fortis Green by-election.

It seems pretty warm and friendly on the doorstep to me. I think our long campaign and work on both the 603 bus and the reopening of Muswell Hill police station have left a favourable impression. That view is further helped by Labour trying to claim these as their victories. Ask the original resident who started the bus campaign how much Labour MPs and the Labour council helped him!

As for the police station – at one point they were doing everything they could to stop it. I remember being told by a senior policeman that Labour were threatening all sorts if they didn’t stop me chairing a huge public meeting on the issue. Rather than lobbying the police to get the police station’s front counter reopened, Labour were trying behind the scenes to derail the campaign completely.

Anyway – polling day next Thursday 11th November. I have a fundamental belief that people recognise the real situation and won’t be fooled. We’ll soon see…

Congestion charging and CPZs

Posted on by

Ross Lydall from the Evening Standard rings me on my mobile to ask what I think of Ken’s statement. What statement? That he is likely to raise the congestion charge to £6.00 or more. ‘No surprises there’ I say. Ken has a hole in his budget and therefore feels his usual sticky urge to put his hands in London’s pockets to get him out of poor budgeting and overspending.

In the evening, am chairing a meeting of Wood Vale residents who are concerned that they haven’t been consulted about a proposed CPZ around Highgate Station. It doesn’t include their road – but as the next road along, they may feel any knock-on effect.

The meeting has been co-organised by two residents of the road – one vehemently against CPZs and the other for them.

However, the majority of residents from Wood Vale seemed to have no great appetite to fight the current proposals which I suspect Haringey will implement on the back of a ‘yes’ to the consultation in most of the roads.

It was great to see so many residents wanting to work together constructively, regardless of the differences of opinion along the road. They decided to form a residents’ association to take this and other matters forward.

I thought they showed a very balanced approach on an issue which historically has divided communities and bred hatred. I remember during the Muswell Hill CPZ consultation getting a death threat because I wouldn’t condemn outright all CPZs – although I did condemn Haringey’s ill-researched and draconian proposals and dreadful consultation. CPZs are not intrinsically good or bad – it depends how bad the parking stress is, how good the design of the proposed scheme is and how much residents trust the council to do a good job. In Haringey – no one trusts the Council – and with good reason on their track record.

Election predictions

Posted on by

My daughter is trying to inveigle a lift to her friend’s house in Primrose Hill. I avoid giving my children lifts the vast majority of the time. Firstly – I use public transport much of the time and want them to do same. Secondly – I have very little time. Thirdly – don’t think it’s good for them to be molly-coddled!

However, as luck would have it, I was going to speak as part of a panel to Camden Liberal Democrats at a supper / Question Time sort of fundraiser. And sod’s law – it was about two minutes from where she was going – so she won! On route we saw gangs of little witches, wizards and warlocks – it was so cute. Little covens of kids knocking on doors with a grown up figure lurking not far away overseeing their trick or treating. I quite like Halloween – but still won’t watch a horror film on my own!

The other panel members were Sarah Teather MP (she of Brent East by-election victory), Baroness Sally Hamwee (London Assembly and House of Lords frontbencher), Lord Tim Garden (our expert on Iraq, the military and on every TV program on the subject) and myself.

It was a lively old night with lots of questions – pretty challenging ones at that. Iraq figured very largely over the evening and with the impending American presidential election – no surprise. Of course, after Tim Garden speaks so informatively, knowledgeably and well on those key issues. It’s not an easy act to follow, but we did our best.

Asked what the panel felt would be the most significant factor in the forthcoming General Election, my answer was trust. Whatever the policies, I think the fundamental problem for Labour is that no one trusts them any more.

The bloke sitting on my left at the Camden supper put his hand up to speak and made the same point about loss of trust because Tim Garden had expressed the view that trust wouldn’t be the key issue – it would be policies. This chap, Alexis, then stated that he had left the Labour party for that very reason and had only joined the LibDems one week earlier. I rest my case!

The panel was asked in two words to state their bets on the result of the American elections and the date of the General. Earlier in the year, it looked to me like Bush might go. But now I go for Bush and May!