Haringey Liberal Democrats have expressed their concern over the sustained failure of Labour-run Haringey Council and its partners to provide adequate support services for businesses in Haringey.

Liberal Democrat councillors highlighted at a meeting of the Council’s ‘watchdog’ Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 27th March 2007 that services still failed to provide an acceptable, up-to-date service and that recommendations made in 2004 had not been implemented.

Cllr David Winskill (Crouch End) highlighted that many of the present business support tools available are still not up to standard. Telephone messages left with business support agencies were not returned and website portals not regularly updated.

Top regeneration officers present at the meeting themselves admitted that Haringey only provided a “fragmented service” and agreed with Lib Dem proposals that the Council should work towards a single point of advice for businesses in Haringey.

Cllr Wayne Hoban, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Regeneration comments:

“The admission of the fractured service Haringey provides confirms what many in the borough, not just Lib Dems, have believed for a long time. The vast majority of our businesses employ less than four people and it should be a priority to support them and attract new businesses and start up companies.

“Labour are guilty of hypocrisy, as Labour councillors recently supported a Council motion that claimed the Council had a ‘clear focus on promoting enterprise and string of successes in making Haringey a great place to do business’. In reality, the Council’s own officers seem to be saying that the exact opposite is the case.”

Cllr David Winskill (Crouch End) adds:

“Many businesses, particularly in the East of the borough will be reeling from the latest Labour budget that has increased the burden on small businesses. The fact that their own borough is offering little support will only add to the woes of small businesses in Haringey.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green adds

“We are in the run up to the Olympics and it is hard to see how Haringey small businesses, particularly in the east of the borough, will be able to take full advantages of the opportunities that it will bring if business support is so woeful.”

The Liberal Democrats in Haringey have voiced their concern over the state of the borough’s roads and questioned the service provided by the contractors who are paid thousands to maintain the roads.

At a meeting of Overview and Scrutiny, Haringey Council’s ‘watchdog’ committee, last week the Liberal Democrats highlighted the ‘potential death traps’ posed by increasing pot holes and uneven surfaces. One councillor cited a six-inch deep hole on a busy road in Bounds Green that was left untouched for two months.

When questioned about the problem, the Labour councillor responsible for the roads, Brian Haley, had no idea why the roads weren’t being repaired and had no answers to how this service would be improved.

Cllr Martin Newton, Lib Dem spokesperson on traffic issues, said:

“Anyone who uses the roads of Haringey will know that the roads are riddled with potholes and bumps. Holes are getting bigger, deeper and more dangerous for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

“The Labour Council seems to have little or no control over the contractors it is paying. Haringey residents have every right to expect their council to make sure they are getting value for money from the companies they hire.”

A last minute concession to the proposed cut in Haringey health spending has been described as Labour spin by the Liberal Democrats.

The Haringey Primary Care Trust (PCT) told Haringey Council’s ‘watchdog’ committee last week (26th March) that instead of the original 3.6%, the reduction would be revised to 2.4%. The revision of the figures has angered Liberal Democrats who have highlighted the fact that this will still cut spending by £8 million.

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green comments:

“No matter how much tinkering Labour does with the figures, the fact is that Haringey residents’ health care will suffer. This is yet one more example of people having to pay for Labour’s poor management of the NHS.”

Cllr Richard Wilson, Haringey Liberal Democrat spokesperson on health issues adds:

“Last year’s £10 million raid on our local health budget resulted in hospital wards and clinics closing across the borough. The Government has now confirmed that £8 million will be raided from Haringey’s health services this year because of Labour’s continuing NHS financial crisis. This double-whammy means patients will lose out as more health services are cut by Labour.”

Haringey Liberal Democrats have welcomed this week’s court judgement that concluded a three year legal battle over the sacking of two women from the Bridge New Deal for Communities (NDC) in Haringey. Mr Justice Keith followed his decision made in February 2007 to quash the decision, by judging that at no time did the NDC board consider the allegations against Joyce Oyeyi-effiong and Ibiola Campbell. Liberal Democrats have once again renewed their demands for an independent forensic investigation of the accounts of Bridge NDC.

Acting as voluntary chair and vice-chair of The Bridge NDC finance committee, Joyce and Ibiola were dismissed after they raised questions when the board was asked to spend £3.8 million for a lease on a property without adequate information regarding the lease. Following complaint letters received by the Bridge NDC Board about their “aggressive” and “disruptive” behaviour, which chairman Lorne Horsford described as “bringing the programme into disrepute”, it was decided on 22nd September 2004 to remove them permanently, accusing them of breaching the Code of Conduct.

They also queried the movement of millions of pounds of Bridge NDC money to Haringey Council accounts without proper authorisation, the spending of £259,000 on a study for the Haringey Chamber of Commerce, for which no final report was ever issued.

The Chief Executive of Haringey Council at the time of the dismissals, and head of the Bridge NDC’s ‘accountable body’, was judicially barred from the Board’s disciplinary meeting, but a Government Office for London (GOL) observer was present. A month later GOL received a petition signed by 600 Tottenham residents asking for The Bridge’s accounts to be examined. But Parliament was subsequently assured (April 4, 2005) on behalf of GOL’s Minister, John Prescott, that his office remained “satisfied that the expulsions were handled fairly”.

The two women applied to the High Court for a Judicial Review of the sacking, but were initially turned down. They appealed, and after a court hearing on February 21st – 22nd 2007, Mr Justice Keith quashed the Bridge NDC Board’s sacking, highlighting that the Board gave no indication of the rules of the disciplinary hearing involving the two women before holding it and did not consider the allegations against them.

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green comments:

“What has happened to Joyce and Ibi is a travesty. These two brave women were doing their job properly – and asking totally appropriate questions. The whole move against them stinks. The tables should now be turned and it must be the Government Office for London, John Prescott and Haringey Council in the dock. I will be putting down Parliamentary Questions to find out why GOL lacks more effective controls on the expenditure of millions of pounds of tax-payers money.”

Cllr Wayne Hoban, Haringey Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and spokesman on Regeneration, who has repeatedly challenged Haringey Council on this issue, adds:

“Joyce and Ibi have fought hard for this legal judgment, which says they were wrongly sacked.

“I have been raising the same points with Haringey Council, which is supposed to be the Bridge NDC’s ‘accountable body’, for years, and I have been thwarted at every turn. I have never seen properly audited accounts, and am now told that, as an “unincorporated association”, it does not have to produce any.

“I think it is scandalous that huge sums of Government money can be dished out with so little proper control, and I hope this judgment will open up lines of inquiry which will make TheBridgeNDC properlyaccountabletothe community and the country at last.”

Joyce Oyeyi-Effiong said:

“We are naturally very pleased that the Court has declared that our sacking was improper, and has said that we are free to seek re-election. We are now taking legal advice about the investigation of our actual complaints. The judge was not asked to examine this issue, but he has given us full permission to raise the matter again. So we intend to pursue the same questions about financial probity that the NDC Board was so keen to suppress by sacking us. ”

Haringey Labour’s decision to press ahead with the ‘shop and stop’ proposals regardless of public opinion has led Haringey Liberal Democrats to demand the decision to be referred to Haringey Council’s watchdog committee for further scrutiny.

The ‘call-in’ of the Labour Executive decision could be held on 18th April 2007 for the Scrutiny committee to examine

Councillor Newton, Haringey Lib Dem Spokesperson for Traffic Issues comments:

“I am appalled that the Labour Executive chose to ignore the views of residents and businesses in the west of the Borough and just nodded this decision through.”

Commenting as the G8 international development ministers met in Berlin today, Liberal Democrat Shadow International Development Secretary, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“Debt relief has been a significant first step, but we need to make sure that we know precisely where the money is going.

“We cannot end up in a situation where people believe that the money intended to help them is actually being used to prop up corrupt regimes.

“Tracking the millions of pounds we spend on international aid must become a top priority.”

New Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) signs will be installed by Haringey Council following pressure from the Liberal Democrats. Cllr Richard Wilson requested that signs in the Finsbury Park CPZ should show warnings of upcoming football matches and events at weekends when the CPZ will be enforced. The request was made after a meeting on 1st March 2007, attended by Liberal Democrat councillors, where residents voiced their concerns regarding the inadequate signage.

In a letter to Councillor Wilson on 15th March, Haringey Council showed that they have now asked the Department of Transport to authorise an update to existing signage. Once authorisation is given they will seek to change the signage to advertise the date of the games/events in advance of them happening.

Councillor Wilson (Stroud Green) comments:

“This is fantastic news. It is about time that Haringey residents benefited from signs equivalent to those for people in Islington. It seems sensible that these signs show, in advance, the weekends that the CPZ will be enforced. I thank those residents that alerted me to this problem and glad that I was able to pressurise the Council to provide the signs.”

Supporting a legal bid from residents to overturn the Planning Inspector’s decision giving the go ahead to a phone mast on Mount View Road, N4, Lynne Featherstone MP joined protesters yesterday at the site.

Ms. Featherstone joined forces with local residents and local celebrities, Neil Morrissey, Joe McGann & Cliff Parisi.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Until we are 100% certain of the effects of masts on people’s heath, I fully support a precautionary approach.Masts should not be built within feet of people’s bedrooms as will be the case here.The mast will also spoil one of Haringey’s best views over the city.

“The fact that residents are being forced to launch an expensive court action shows yet again how unfair our planning system is for the people who will be most affected by new developments.It is a real case of David v. Goliath and developers cannot be allowed to get away with this.”

Haringey Liberal Democrats have criticised the long awaited release, on 21st March 2007, of the Lyons Report into local government funding. The Liberal Democrats say that the review does not go far enough to combat the unfairness of the current Council Tax system and that tweaking the existing system, as the Lyons Report suggests, will only perpetuate the tax burden on Haringey residents, especially the elderly.

The report proposes the introduction of two new Council Tax bands at either end of the spectrum – a new band for the most expensive homes and an additional lower one for the cheapest properties, changes to the Council Tax Benefit system and a tourist or bed tax as an extra source of local authority income.

Haringey Liberal Democrats believe that Liberal Democrat alternative proposal of a Local Income Tax would provide a solution to the Council Tax problem rather than the fudge proposals set out by Lyons.

Cllr Neil Williams, Leader of the Lib Dem Opposition comments:

“This report has achieved remarkably little for a lot of effort. Three years of talking, and no fair alternative to the unfair Council Tax has been put forward.

“What we need is a local income tax based fully on the ability of local residents to pay. No amount of hugely expensive re-banding, or revaluation of properties will solve the key problem of the Council Tax – it is a very unfair tax which a lot of people simply can’t afford to pay.

“Council Tax was created by the Conservatives after the disaster of the Poll Tax but it has done nothing to make local taxation fairer. Labour have kept this Conservative invention going and are merely tinkering with it rather than scrapping it.”

For more information on Liberal Democrat Local Income Tax proposals and to sign the petition see www.axethetax.org.uk

Haringey Council has come under severe criticism from Lynne Featherstone MP over the news that it will take almost 100 years for it to meet its local social housing needs.

Responding to facts uncovered in her Parliamentary Questions, Ms Featherstone comments:

“A child born today on Haringey’s housing waiting list should not have potentially to wait for a telegram from the Queen before they get a decent home.

“Failure is too softer a word for Haringey’s housing crisis – but a personal tragedy for every family stuck in temporary accommodation who have no real prospect of ever being properly housed any time soon by this council.”

Councillor Catherine Harris, Housing Spokesperson for Haringey Lib Dems added:

“Coming hot on the heals of Labour’s broken promises on decent homes by 2010, it is clear that they have no grip on the real housing problems of this borough.”

Notes:

1. The answer to a Parliamentary Question by Lynne Featherstone MP showing that between 1996-2006, 2,256 new social homes were built in Haringey, an average of 226 a year, is here.

2. The answer to a Parliamentary Question by Liberal Democrat Paul Burstow MP showing that 19,930 families were on the Housing Waiting List in Haringey is here.

3. Therefore at a current rate of 226 homes per annum it would take 88.2 years to build homes for all families on the Haringey Waiting List.