Haringey Council is to repaint double yellow lines on Queen’s Wood Road, after pressure from Highgate’s local Lib Dem councillors. They had complained to Haringey Council that the intermittent double yellow lines, which allow traffic to pass safely in the heavily parked road, had faded and are currently covered with autumn leaves, causing traffic snarl ups.

Queen’s Wood Road is part of a busy local route connecting Hornsey and Highgate. The double yellow lines were placed on the road some years ago after pressure from Lynne Featherstone, now the Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green. The road, which winds through one of Highgate’s top beauty spots, was often the site of traffic jams as parked cars on both sides blocked the route and had to back up.

After Lib Dem pressure, the Labour Council has also agreed to step up parking enforcement in Queen’s Wood Road, which Lib Dems say should further ease traffic problems if carried out.

Local Lib Dem Councillor Bob Hare comments:

“I am pleased Haringey Council has agreed to repaint the yellow lines, which were badly faded and causing real problems. When working well, they make a real difference. After Lynne Featherstone had them introduced, it really eased traffic jams in Queen’s Wood Road. Extra patrols should also help to relieve the situation.”

The extent of crime and anti-social behaviour in Haringey’s open spaces has been revealed in figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats.

Official figures obtained from the Metropolitan Police show that between December 2006 and November this year, 527 offences were committed in parks, commons and heaths in Haringey. The Liberal Democrats say these figures highlight the need for the Parks Police, which Labour-run Haringey Council is planning to disband.

The 527 offences included 127 robberies, 71 thefts, 36 incidents of actual bodily harm, 13 assaults and 36 bag snatches; 107 people were apprehended for possession of cannabis.

Cllr Ron Aitken, Lib Dem Crime and Community Safety Spokesperson, comments:

“These staggering figures show how complacent Labour is when they propose to disband the Parks Police. Visitors and staff in the parks deserve adequate police resources to be on hand to deal with crimes such as assault, drug dealing and robbery.

“The Parks Police are equipped and trained, with three fully-trained dogs to see off the criminals.

“Those people whom the Parks Police have helped in the past year surely would say they are worth every penny.”

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

“Keeping up the public faith to enjoy our parks and public spaces should be a priority. Haringey must put the safety of local residents first.”

An innovative campaign by a group of Crouch End traders to encourage shoppers to go green was launched last Thursday with the support of Lynne Featherstone MP.

‘The Crouch End Project’ will help local residents to do their bit for the environment with the new Crouch End Bag. Budgen’s have led the charge on reducing the use of free plastic bags and are hoping to be plastic bag free by the spring.

The launch comes hot on the heels of Ms. Featherstone’s action, calling on all local supermarkets to seriously reduce excess packaging and plastic bags.

Commenting Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, says:

“With the new Crouch End Bag, local shoppers can kill two birds with one stone – support local retailers and do their bit for the environment.”

Lib Dem councillors have expressed their outrage as Labour members of Haringey’s Planning Committee this week voted through new rules which will exclude members of the public from attending site visits concerning planning applications in their local area.

The new protocol relating to site visits limits the attendees of site visits to council officers, councillors and developers. In exceptional circumstances, local residents would be permitted to attend but only if the Labour Chair of Planning agreed.

The new rules, which have been drawn up without any input from opposition councillors were forced through by the 5 Labour members of the committee despite Liberal Democrats urging a delay so that there could be a proper discussion of the proposed changes.

Councillor David Beacham (Alexandra ward) comments:

“This makes a mockery of Haringey claiming to be a listening council. If a government inspector holds a site visit for a planning application appeal, members of the public affected by the decision are allowed to be present. Haringey should adopt this gold standard.”

Local residents and Liberal Democrat councillors in the London Borough of Haringey are crying foul, as they will have no say over a major application that should transform parts of Tottenham.

Plans for the redevelopment of the Greater London Supplies (GLS) Depot site in Ferry Lane include 1,210 homes, a new primary school, office space, retail units, a hotel and a health centre.

The decision to grant the final details of the application will be made by the Chair of the planning committee and Haringey Council officials rather than the Planning Committee itself. Lib Dems have criticised the move as undermining councillors’ and residents’ involvement in making these vital decisions, which could determine the shape of the area for decades to come.

Lib Dem councillor, Monica Whyte, who is also her party’s Greater London Assembly spokesperson for Enfield and Haringey, comments:

“Haringey Council christened this site as the biggest planning application in Haringey’s history, yet public involvement is to be minimal. It just shows Labour’s total disregard for their residents if this project is not given the public scrutiny in deserves. Labour are trying to create a flawed process which is completely inappropriate given the large scale and significance of the development.”

Cllr Jonathan Bloch, Lib Dem planning spokesperson, adds:

“Outline planning permission was granted only on the guarantee that more detailed plans would be provided later for the committee to consider. It is totally unacceptable that a decision of this size should be taken in a back room rather than within a democratic system with much needed checks and balances.”

Ten years after he organised the first Tree Warden scheme in Haringey, Liberal Democrat councillor Bob Hare spoke at the introduction of the new Tree Warden Scheme.

The new initiative, which was launched at Bruce Castle on 1st December 2007, attracted a packed lecture hall of residents and included the planting of two trees in Bruce Castle Park.

Cllr Bob Hare, Lib Dem Sustainability Spokesperson, comments:

“I was delighted to be able to take part in the launch of a new Tree Warden Scheme for Haringey. The scheme provides training that will help everyone both defend and add to Haringey’s trees. For some people who would like to take it further, the scheme could be an introduction to further training and even work.

“As the organiser of the first Haringey Tree Warden Scheme and a founding member of the Tree Trust I am pleased to see this scheme re-launched for a new generation.”

One in ten business units in the Lee Valley Technopark are empty, costing Haringey Council £406,231 per year in lost revenue, according to new figures unearthed by the Liberal Democrats.

The Lib Dems say that this is evidence of Labour’s continuing failure to deliver successful regeneration projects, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds and with little return.

Cllr Wayne Hoban, Lib Dem Regeneration and Enterprise Spokesperson, comments:

“Technopark was unveiled in 1992 as a flagship project that would revolutionise the area in the dot com world. Fifteen years later and we are left with a site that has never been full and is steadily losing tenants. Unfortunately for the borough, the ‘easy come and easy go’ slogan that the Council uses to advertise the units should read ‘easy come and most gone’. The bubble has definitely burst and Haringey Council should be doing more to make sure that this site does not go to waste and that the taxpayer does not.”

Cllr Carolyn Baker (Harringay Ward) adds:

“Almost 1 in 12 adults are unemployed in Haringey and unemployment is significantly higher than the national or London average. The Technopark development was meant to bring much needed jobs for local residents but has failed to deliver.”

The Liberal Democrats have condemned Labour’s continuing failure to protect vulnerable elderly and disabled people – as the Government’s inspectors issued a damning verdict on Haringey’s social services.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) has for the second year in a row found that Haringey is amongst the worst performing councils in the country and awarded the Labour-run authority 1 star – the lowest rating awarded this year and contrary to Labour promises that the service would improve.

The inspectors criticised Haringey Council’s slow procedures for helping older people, and its lack of support for residents who care for elderly and disabled family members. Nearby councils such as Islington and Camden were found to be excellent – and achieved the highest 3 star rating, but Haringey failed to increase its star rating.

Cllr Richard Wilson, Lib Dem Adult Social Services spokesperson, comments:

“Under Labour, Haringey has become one of the worst places in England to get ill or old, with care services rated amongst the worst in the country. There is just no excuse: over the borough boundary in both Islington and Camden the inspectors found that support for elderly people was excellent. If these councils with Liberal Democrat leaders can give elderly people the respect and support they deserve why can’t Haringey?

“Haringey Labour has consistently told the public that the service is on track, improvements have been made and that they expect that reports will recognise this. Unfortunately for the residents of Haringey the Labour administration has not delivered the service that they deserve but instead let the down the people that need help and support the most.”

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

“It is the most vulnerable people in our community who are being let down. They really don’t need empty promises, but just decent services to make their lives that little bit easier. Labour claim to be the party of social justice, but I don’t see much of what is fair or right in the poor standard of services on offer to our elderly and disabled.”

The increasing number of people living illegally in overdeveloped homes is a result of the lack of action by Haringey Council say the borough’s Liberal Democrats.

Cllr Wayne Hoban has expressed his concern that Labour-run Haringey Council has not tackled effectively the problem of illegal Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and has demanded that Haringey Council urgently review its policy.

In response to a request from local residents to tackle suspected illegal HMO in Alexandra ward, a Council Planning Enforcement Officer responded: “there is no planning definition of what a HMO requiring planning permission is.” He also stated that: “we are working on producing a fixed definition but at the moment we use our best judgement.”

Cllr Wayne Hoban (Alexandra ward) comments:

“I am staggered that the Labour Council is running a borough which clearly has a major problem with illegal HMOs, that often blight the lives and environment of many local residents, and yet does not have a clear policy on this important issue. Leaving such decisions to a planning enforcement officer’s best judgement is just not good enough.

Cllr Jonathan Bloch, Lib Dem Planning Spokesperson, adds:

“The provision of good housing should be the Council’s goal rather than turning a blind eye to illegal substandard HMOs. These illegal developments are often poorly built, badly maintained and overload services and schools without contributing revenue to the Council. Without providing a robust and clear policy to take action Haringey Council is allowing illegal developers to pocket the profits.”