The Liberal Democrats have urged Labour to come clean over the funding for works on Parkland Walk after documentation unearthed by Lynne Featherstone revealed the intention is to increase cycling speeds on the Parkland Walk through “decreasing journey times for cyclists” and to “increase in the number of people cycling”, despite assurances to the contrary from officials at the recent Area Assembly.

The revelation is made Haringey Council’s bid submission to Transport for London obtained by Lynne Featherstone in a Freedom of Information request.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Hundreds of local residents were completely and deliberately misled at the recent Area Assembly as Labour councillors sat watching and saying nothing.Haringey Council clearly have been given this money to turn the Parkland Walk into a cycle track.

“I could point to a hundred roads in the borough where the cycling provision is poor to dangerous and where money to improve cycling could be well spent – and yet £400,000 is being spent on cycling for the Palkland Walk nature reserve.

“The Council should have consulted residents before they entered into a Faustian pact with Transport for London.Labour must come clean and reassure us that they will not prostitute the Parkland Walk in their bid for cash.”

Councillor Laura Edge, Crouch End, Hornsey & Stroud Green Area Assembly Chair adds:

“The Parkland Walk is first and foremost a nature reserve.Money is needed improve drainage and enhance facilities, but not at any cost.”

Note: Lynne Featherstone is running an online survey on the future of Parkland Walk.

Local Lib Dems are urging Haringey Council to listen to their own Government Minister to ensure that Haringey’s young people can benefit from facilities at local independent schools. The party, which has already asked the Labour Council to investigate the matter, says recent well-publicised comments by Labour Minister and Deputy Leadership candidate Alan Johnson should be taken up by Haringey Council.

Lib Dem councillor Martin Newton says that Alan Johnson is highlighting a policy already pioneered by local Lib Dems. Local councillors have already met with independent schools in Haringey to help to forge new links with community schools in the borough.

Liberal Democrat councillors working on a scrutiny report into the ‘extended services’ provided by local schools proposed that the Council should seek links and partnerships with independent schools. Councillors discussed their ideas with the Masters and Bursars of both Channing and Highgate schools, who responded very positively to this pioneering proposal.

A number of possible pilot projects were discussed, with the Council being asked to follow this up with urgent discussions with the schools to get these exciting projects off the ground – for the benefit of pupils from both the state and independent sectors.

Cllr Martin Newton, comments:

“We raised the issue of private schools providing extended services to the state sector in early March with positive feedback from both Channing and Highgate and the Council in subsequent meetings.

“There are lots of opportunities here. We should look also at the provision of university entrance tuition, sporting activities, and tuition in subjects not provided in other local schools.”

Cllr Gail Engert, Lib Dem spokesperson for Children and Young People adds:

“It is vital that we keep looking for innovative ideas to ensure that all Haringey’s children receive a better education. This pioneering idea is a great example and one that if taken forward should provide real benefits for the children of Haringey. Lib Dems welcome renewed pressure from the minister, and we hope it does not fall on deaf ears with the local Labour council – they must be pushed into taking action.”

Commenting on the naming of Robert Zoellick, former Deputy Secretary of State, to be the next President of the World Bank Liberal Democrat Shadow International Development Secretary, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“No offence to Mr Zoellick, but this is another American and another Bush appointee.

“The World Bank has fallen into disrepute through political appointments.

“It is not credible for the World Bank to preach good governance to developing nations when its own governance is based on such an outdated and patriarchal world view.

“The President of the World Bank should be chosen according to a transparent process on the basis of merit and qualification.

“It is a shame that the British Government has done nothing to push for an open and meritocratic selection process for the World Bank presidency.”

Councillor Wayne Hoban, Liberal Democrat member for Alexandra ward, has criticised Haringey Council over its ‘ Alice in Wonderland’ approach towards the Golf Course Allotment Holders in Alexandra ward. Allotment holders secured a new allotment community building through a recent successful Lottery application but now have been disappointed that the news that Haringey Council will now not insure the building.

Cllr Hoban has expressed astonishment that despite years of inadequate maintenance and support from the Council of the previous building, which forced the allotment holders to apply for Lottery funding, Cllr Brian Haley Labour Environment boss, has now informed Cllr Hoban that Haringey Council will not insure the new building because “the council does not own the building”.

Cllr Hoban comments:

“This is a completely bonkers approach by this Labour Council. The old building was insured by the Council; therefore, there can be no justification for not transferring this insurance cover to the new building.It is not as though the allotment holders, who should be congratulated for their fantastic efforts in achieving lottery funding, plan to take the building with them if they cease to be allotment holders.

“A perfectly sensible solution would be for the allotment holders to sign a document which would effectively transfer ownership of the building to the Council on the understanding that the building will remain on the Golf Course Allotment site for the use of their allotment holders. This simple measure would enable the Council to insure the building. I will be pressing Haringey Council to adopt this simple solution at the earliest opportunity so that allotment holders can have this pressing and unnecessary financial commitment removed from their shoulders.”

Recently uncovered figures have supported residents’ and Lib Dem concerns that fly-tipping in Haringey is an ongoing problem blighting the cleanliness of the borough.

Data received from Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database, show that Haringey is fourth in a list of councils with the highest incidents of fly-tipping in England.

Liberal Democrats throughout the borough have recently gathered photos to show that fly-tipping is a problem that continues to ruin the cleanliness of the borough. Latest incidents of fly-tipping highlighted by Lib Dems include much-loved green spaces Parkland Walk and Queens Wood (Highgate) that have been subject to unsightly waste dumping.

Recent Audit Commission figures show that clean streets was second only to the level of crime in Haringey resident’s most important issues.

Cllr Martin Newton, Lib Dem spokesperson for Traffic, Street Cleaning and Rubbish comments:

“People obviously want clean streets but fly-tipping continues and at what seems an increased rate. Haringey Council needs to ensure that it clamps down hard on the fly-tippers to make the borough a cleaner place. We cannot continue to see more people indiscriminately dumping waste wherever they please.”

Cllr Karen Alexander (Harringay ward) adds:

“Despite continual requests for improved street cleaning, rubbish collection and enforcement of fly-tipping, many of the Harringay Ladder roads are still plagued by unsightly clusters of rubbish bags and other discarded items. My main concern is that clean up operations only seem to occur where residents or councillors are active at alerting Haringey Council to its existence. In other areas, where residents are less active, dumped rubbish seems to remain untouched.”

Cllr David Winskill, who chaired a recent Overview and Scrutiny review of fly-tipping in Haringey, adds:

“The blight of fly tipping is a big problem caused by a small number of thoughtless, anti-social people. The Review had the brief of looking at prevention and the key message is that Haringey needs a joined up, cross agency approach. The Lib Dems are keen to ensure that preventative action is properly resourced and will hold Haringey Labour to account if it diverts cash elsewhere.”

Continued pressure by Liberal Democrats in Highgate has been rewarded with a promise by Haringey Council’s Urban Environment Department to spruce up some rundown planters in Highgate.

In April councillors requested a Council ‘Spring Clean’ to provide a more attractive environment. Planters and raised beds on the junctions with Hornsey Lane Gardens and Milton Park amongst others will now be revamped by 27th May 2007.

Haringey Council has also assured Cllr Bob Hare that the area will be included in the Open Space Improvement Plan for 2007/08 to improve the area further.

Cllr Bob Hare, Lib Dem Spokesperson on Green Issues, comments:

“This is great news. I am glad we have been able to make progress towards these sorry looking planters and the raised beds getting a new lease of life.They will make the area much more attractive.”

Harringay Lib Dem councillor Karen Alexander joined over 15,000 women and men to successfully complete the Playtex Moonwalk on Saturday 19th May 2007 to support the fight against breast cancer.

The walk started at midnight and followed a 26 mile route around London. Cllr Alexander completed the course in 7 hours 25 minutes and has raised £400 for the charity to date.

The Playtex Moonwalk 2007 is in aid of Walk the Walk, a charity established 10 years ago when 13 women power walked the New York marathon in their bras to raise money and awareness of breast cancer. Since then the charity has raised over £20 million for breast cancer research and cancer care.

Cllr Alexander comments:

“This was a fabulous event to be part of and to complete the course. I had a great time raising money for an excellent cause.”

In response to the announcement that charges should be brought in the Litvinenko murder case Lynne Featherstone, Hornsey and Wood Green MP said:

“At last, this is a serious step in the right direction. It should not be possible to murder a man in Britain without facing up to the law, no matter where you are from.

“Mr. Litvinenko was my constituent and I will continue to monitor the case closely to ensure that this case will be pursued without fear nor favour. Justice must be done.”

Following the problems people have had using the consultation provided by Haringey Council, Lynne Featherstone has this week launched her own online survey to make sure local residents can have their say on the TfL proposals for the future of the Parkland Walk.

People wishing to have their say should visit www.libertyresearch.org.uk/take/103

Lynne Featherstone MP says:

“Parkland Walk is a local natural treasure and it’s important that everyone should be able to have their say on its future.I have been contacted by a number of local people who have complained that the Council’s online consultation is inadequate; therefore I have offered an alternative.

“Nobody’s views can be excluded and this survey is about making sure any changes that happen to the Parkland Walk follow from a decision the whole community has made.”

Haringey Lib Dems have expressed disappointment at Labour’s partisan approach to the issue of first citizen of the borough – which means that the west of Haringey will not have a local councillor as Mayor – or even Deputy Mayor in the foreseeable future. The Liberal Democrats say this is a serious problem if Labour wants to govern for the benefit of the whole of Haringey.

Labour rejected a Lib Dem offer to withdraw their candidate for Mayor, the experienced and highly popular Alexandra councillor Susan Oatway, in exchange for Labour accepting a Lib Dem as Deputy Mayor ahead of yesterday’s Mayor making at the Civic Centre.

Councillor Susan Oatway (Alexandra) comments:

“The Mayor and his or her deputy should represent the whole of the borough, I would have been happy to serve the Mayor as deputy, with the opportunity to be an ambassador for Haringey.”

Councillor Neil Williams, Haringey Lib Dem leader, adds:

“Labour are sending an unfortunate message to the people of Haringey, and it is undemocratic that they should overlook the Haringey voters’ wishes in the appointment of someone who is supposed to be an ambassador for the borough as a whole. We are happy to work with Labour on this.The Lib Dems were the most popular party in the 2006 council elections, topping the popular vote tally.It’s a shame Labour can’t accept the fact, for the good of Haringey.”