Go to speak at the Muswell Hill and Highgate Pensioners Action Group in Tetherdown, Muswell Hill.

I love speaking to this group – none feistier in London. Transport and policing are the issues of the day – and as ever top of the list for pensioners are bus driver behaviour and not being able to get through to the local police when you need to. Two of my favourite campaigns.

The man who runs the group is no fan of the local Labour party (although real old Labour himself) and always wants me to put a bit in about the lack of democracy in Haringey. So I oblige by telling them tales of Labour’s misdoings. Last week it was the abolition of the Crime Committee at Haringey Council without consultation with anyone.

People would not believe what Labour do to stop us standing up for the residents of Haringey. They certainly wouldn’t vote for them ever again if they witnessed it. In fact, when residents come to full council or the executive meetings about an issue and see how Labour operate – we love it – because they always come out saying they can’ believe how Labour have behaved!

Canvassing in Hornsey for the London and European elections. Simon and Ken are neck and neck on the doorstep – no one even mentions Norris. Fantastic weather to go out door knocking. So different from the Stroud Green by-election in January – but I’d like the same result: 30% swing from Labour to us – that would do it!

Urgent meeting on the school places crisis in Muswell Hill. Around 40 children don’t have places for next Autumn. Fantastically informed presentations from four of the parents – showing that this year is an exceptional ‘bulge’ year but that Haringey Council had done no planning to accommodate this even though it was known from the statistics available.

Two extra classes are urgently needed – and there is space at some of the schools in the area to accommodate extra classrooms. In desperation, people have even been talking about portacabins being better than nothing.

The council officers and lead member for education were unwilling to give a commitment to providing these, saying there were legal and other barriers that they would investigate and that there were enough places in the borough elsewhere.

This was cold comfort for parents whose lives are complicated enough without having to travel large distances on top of their daily activities anyway. Moreover, the Government says it wants children to go to local schools and parents to have choice. Well – all three local choices have been refused these children.

And as Chair of Transport at the London Assembly – I spend my time trying to persuade people not to use their cars for the school run. But that means the schools need to be reachable by public transport, and in reasonable time.

Where there is a will there is a way – and I couldn’t say why the council lead member for education couldn’t at the very least have given a commitment to create the needed extra places subject to agreement by heads and governing boards of the three Muswell Hill schools.

A steering group was set up with four of the parents to investigate the way forward.

Meet local campaigners at West End Green to examine why the 139 bus uses Mill Lane to go out of service back to bus garage. The road seems to be too small for the buses to use.

The campaigners are desperate for it to take another route. Having viewed the – clearly dangerous – manoeuvres required of this double-decker in a road far too small for it, I am even more convinced they are right.

I’ve got as far as getting the MD of Metroline to agree that a compromise is needed and he has called for a report on this issue. So – hopefully can push this to a happy outcome.