Haringey Liberal Democrats have claimed a success after Haringey Council finally declared that it would not introduce fortnightly rubbish collections.

Lib Dems launched their opposition to the introduction to fortnightly collections on 23rd June 2007 saying that Haringey would not be suited to alternate week collections and called on the Labour Council to verify its uncertain position. The Labour Cabinet member for Environment clarified the Council position at last night’s full council meeting.

Cllr Bob Hare, Lib Dem Sustainability Spokesperson, comments:

“Our pressure has ensured that Labour cannot think about introducing fortnightly collections in Haringey. Alternate week collections will never be right for an urban area like Haringey and Labour should have made this clear from the start. Finally our demands have forced Labour to nail their colours to the mast and confirm to residents that they have no plans to introduce fortnightly collections.”

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

“Of course we want to see boosted rates of recycling, but risking public health and safety in the process is not the answer.As much as Labour might scoff at our pre-emptive campaign, this is an issue residents have real concerns about.I am pleased that we can now put their minds at rest.”

Liberal Democrat councillors in Haringey have expressed outrage after it emerged that the Labour-run council has banned residents from planning site visits after the implementation of secret changes to planning protocols.

The new ‘rules’ have yet to be agreed by councillors and will not be brought for discussion and decision until 3rd September 2007, but the Labour Chair of Planning has decided to enforce them sooner. Lib Dems have demanded assurances that public will still be invited and that the protocols are not implemented until the change has been officially agreed by Haringey Council.

At last Monday’s planning meeting the Labour Chair of Planning refused a request by Lib Dems that local residents living around a site should be allowed at a planned visit to the site by members of the planning committee

Cllr Jonathan Bloch, Lib Dem Spokesperson on Planning, comments:

“This is the most incredible and blatant abuse of power yet by a Labour Council that has ridden roughshod over local people. Councillors simply cannot do their job properly under Labour’s new restrictive rules.

“These new rules are already being applied, despite the fact that they have not been approved by any committee of Haringey Council, nor are they in the newly agreed Constitution.

“The gold standard for planning procedures is the Government’s Planning Inspectorate, whose Inspectors judge appeals, and who always carry out their site visits with ample notice, and with the interested members of the public invited and able to participate fully. It is absolutely fundamental that those people who are directly affected by an application are able to point out local circumstances to the members of the planning committee.”

Lib Dem Leader, Cllr Neil Williams, adds:

“It is hard to imagine what possesses this Labour Council other than their misguided wish to do as much as possible with as little intervention from the public as possible. It is said that doctors bury their mistakes. Unfortunately, with planning local people have to live with and look at the mistakes of this Council for the next 50 or 100 years. Lib Dems will be doing everything we can to force Labour to back down over this and to achieve proper consultation.”

The shocking u-turn by Haringey Council on its promise to aim to be the ‘greenest borough in London’ has come under criticism by Liberal Democrats.

This month the Council Leader, Labour Cllr George Meehan and Cllr Brian Haley, Cabinet member for the Environment, openly boasted of their aspirations to become the greenest borough but the turnaround shown in recent Council papers setting out the Council’s priorities shows only to make Haringey ‘One of the greenest boroughs’. Lib Dems have criticised the admission as evidence of Labour failures on green issues.

Cllr Bob Hare, Lib Dem Sustainability Spokesperson, comments:

“Not only does this show that Labour have not done as well on green issues as they wanted but also that their objectives have changed. The admission that they no longer want to be the greenest borough is alarming.”

Haringey Liberal Democrats are supporting a campaign focusing on the unacceptable numbers of empty properties across London. London Week of Action on Empty Homes (9th July 2007 – 13th July 2007) encourages residents in Haringey to report vacant property to a hotline number and urges Local Authorities, private owners, and others to take positive action to bring empty property back into use. Latest figures show there are 3,260 empty homes in Haringey and 1,275 of those have been empty for more than six months.

Lib Dems highlight the crippling shortage of housing in Haringey that blights the lives of so many entering the borough and for those who have to live in sub-standard or overcrowded housing. Lib Dems seek to encourage the Labour-run Haringey Council to consider taking firm action to encourage landlords to repair properties for these to be let and used.

Cllr Catherine Harris, Lib Dem Housing Spokesperson comments:

“Haringey is experiencing a chronic shortage of housing. It is a crying shame that people throughout the borough are experiencing overcrowded and sub-standard accommodation whilst houses lie empty. I hope Haringey Council will consider taking action to encourage landlords to repair and let out empty properties as soon as possible, so that those in housing need can be assisted.”

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

“This is a shocking statistic given the horrendous local waiting list and thousands of families waiting to be homed. Haringey needs to pull its finger out and do all that it feasibly can to bring these urgently needed homes back into use.”

Young people in Muswell Hill will benefit from longer Youth Centre opening hours following a successful campaign by local councillor and Children and Young People Spokesperson Gail Engert. The centre will now be open three nights a week from 17.00-20.00 hours – Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and due to rise to four nights a week.

Youth attendance at the Youth Centre had declined dramatically over the year and had been plagued by anti social behaviour. Lib Dems continually pushed for the Youth Centre to provide a regular service that interested local youths to help tackle these problems and have praised the current Youth Manager who has implemented many beneficial changes.

Cllr Gail Engert, Lib Dem Children and Young People Spokesperson comments:

“It is so important for an area to have facilities for young people. These need to be regular and interesting activities. Unfortunately the Labour Council does not place enough emphasis on the Youth Service – luckily through Lib Dem pressure and good management of the Centre it is now open for young people to enjoy.”

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

“This is a real step forward for the whole community. Extending the opening hours will hopefully draw in more youths, giving them a safe and creative place to spend time in. It’s a win-win situation.”

Figures released by the Government last week reveal that Haringey Council collects a lower proportion of Council Tax than most London Boroughs.

In a comparative group of Outer London Boroughs only three councils were worse than Haringey’s performance of 93.8%. Haringey Liberal Democrats have criticised the performance saying that Haringey Council could have £1.5m more to be spent on vital services for residents if the collection rate matched the average.

Collection rates for Non Domestic Rates were also below average for London Boroughs and have got worse over the last twelve months.

Liberal Democrats highlight that Labour’s failure to ensure effective financial management and control is not restricted to collecting Council Tax. The proportion of rent collected on Haringey Council properties fell by one percent to 96.5%. That fall means an additional £600,000 of uncollected rent last year making a total of more than £2m uncollected rent.

Cllr Robert Gorrie, Lib Dem Finance Spokesperson comments:

“Labour continually uses the tight financial constraints as an excuse for lack of funds but consistently fail to collect the funds they are already due. Both for the Council and Homes for Haringey these are large sums of money that should be being effectively collected and invested in improving the services that residents expect and that that the majority pay for.”

Figures revealed by Haringey Liberal Democrats have uncovered the shocking cost of private funding to Haringey’s local schools. In answers to questions posed by Lib Dem Cllr Gail Engert, Haringey Council confirmed that Haringey’s secondary schools would be liable for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) back payments totalling over £2 million.

The extra payments follow the review of PFI contracts that will also see schools facing increased annual charges of around £1 million on top of the back payments. Lib Dems are concerned that the increase in the pressure on schools budget may harm the service that schools are providing to children in Haringey.

Cllr Gail Engert, Haringey Liberal Democrat Children and Young People Spokesperson comments:

“I am totally shocked by these figures. In combination they are around £3 million which is the equivalent of the salary costs of around 85 teachers. Education funding is at best tight but now as schools face these enormous back payments and increased annual charges we may see school’s struggling to provide for Haringey’s young people.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green adds:

“The PFI chickens are coming home to roost. The cost of these appallingly negotiated contracts must be met by the Government or Haringey Council who are entirely responsible for setting them up in the first place. The schools must not be made to pay for Labour’s mistakes.”

Lynne Featherstone MP helped launch the Renate Campbell Deaf Job Club last Friday at the Winkworth Centre in Wood Green. The aim of the club is to help deaf people gain practical skills, such as CV writing and interview techniques.

Commenting Lynne Featherstone says:

“The ability to work and provide for yourself and your family is a fundamental human right.We should therefore be rightly shocked that unemployment is about four times higher for deaf people than for the hearing.

“In our community we are fortunate to have the Renate Campbell Trust here to help right this wrong, with the support of the Big Lottery Fund. The help and support provided is vitally important to help local deaf people overcome the difficulties and exclusion that lead to joblessness.

“I warmly congratulate the centre and the people who have made this happen.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Wayne Hoban has once again slammed Haringey Council for failing to hold anyone to account for the bungled £10 million Tech Refresh computer upgrade overspend.

The continued criticism follows the latest letter received by Cllr Hoban in June 2007 from Haringey Council again refusing to disclose any further information and upholding Haringey Council’s decision to refuse to provide him with the information requested.

Cllr Hoban submitted his original Freedom of Information (FOI) request in March 2006 following an Audit Commission report which had highlighted many major management failures in relation to this IT project. He requested ‘full details of the terms under which the previous Tech Refresh Project Manager had left the employ of Haringey local authority, including details of any financial payments which may have been made in connection with his departure.’

Cllr Hoban comments:

“I am extremely disappointed that, yet again, Haringey Council has failed to take effective action to hold anyone to account for this huge management failure. Haringey residents deserve better.”