Liberal Democrat councillors last week received a letter confirming their concerns that service levels at the St Ann’s X-ray unit have recently been cut drastically. The North Middlesex Hospital Trust, which runs the service at St Ann’s, explained in a letter to Councillor Wayne Hoban, Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems, that the department had been reduced from three radiographers to just one as of the 4th September.

Councillor Hoban wrote to the Trust after many of his local residents contacted him with reports of a reduced service at the hospital. The hospital trust confirmed that the cuts have “reduced the department from a semi-autonomous unit to a single staffed room configuration.” The decision to reduce the unit from three radiographers to one is to be reviewed in December.

Councillor Hoban comments:

“This is just one example of how the Labour Government’s policy on the NHS is affecting local services and local people. We marched against the total closure of the unit back in June, and are now seriously concerned to see that there has been a 66% drop in service provision since September.

“I have written to the North Middlesex to explain that it is vital that local users of the X-ray service, including GPs and their patients, are properly consulted to assess the impact of the cuts when the review is undertaken in December.”

Richard Wilson, Lib Dem Health Spokesperson, adds:

“Our local services are suffering as a result of constant top-slicing of budgets and the loss of funds to pay for debts in other parts of the NHS. Our local hospitals and health trusts have seen beds lost, a ward and clinics closed, and now we are beginning to see crucial services such as the St Ann’s X-ray unit being cut back too. Labour need to sort out health funding, and do so quickly.”

Local MP Lynne Featherstone has launched a fight against Government plans to abolish the Post Office Card account which provides essential revenue for many local small Post Offices.

New figures obtained by the Lib Dems reveal the popularity in Hornsey & Wood Green where 5,810 people use the account, of which 1,370 are pensioners and the rest use the account for other benefits.It is therefore certain that local Post Offices will suffer financially as a result.

Ms. Featherstone comments:

“It is astonishing that the Government seems intent on destroying a service which is of such great value to so many people across our local community.The post office card account offers a straight forward and affordable way for thousands of people in the area to receive their pensions and benefits, yet the Government is proposing to axe it.

“Without the vital revenue stream from the post office card account, the Government is further undermining the long term viability of the post office network meaning that even more than the 3,500 post offices already closed by Labour will be put out of business.”

Commenting further on an Age Concern report published earlier this month, Ms Featherstone MP added:

“The Government must pay far greater heed to the effects the closure of post offices have on a community – nearly 8 out of 10 people feel that the closure of their local post office would present a loss of essential local services.

Local Lib Dem councillors have expressed dismay that Haringey Council is planning to demolish the “Log Cabin” in the park at the end of Falkland and Fairfax Roads. It was closed without warning within days of the Council election back in May on health and safety grounds. Harringay ward’s two Liberal Democrat councillors were dismayed to discover that the Labour-run Council’s consultation on the issue will not address the demolition, which will proceed no matter what the outcome.

Harringay Lib Dem Councillors Karen Alexander and Carolyn Baker are urging local residents to attend the Council’s consultation session at the St. John the Baptist Church Hall in Frobisher Road., to be held on 19th October 2006 between 2 pm and 8 pm, to ensure the Council know how local people feel about their plans.

Councillor Alexander comments:

“The Labour council are not planning to ask residents about the decision to knock down the cabin, but instead are asking what should be done with the space. They have not promised a replacement community centre.”

Councillor Baker comments:

“I think it is a shame that the decision to demolish the building was taken without consulting residents. Karen and I will be working hard to seek to ensure that the voices of residents are listened to during the consultation and also ensure that the council provides funding to make this space a real asset to the community.”

The annual assessment by the Healthcare Commission highlights the serious problems being faced by Haringey’s healthcare providers, say the Liberal Democrats. Haringey’s Teaching and Primary Care Trust (TPCT) received mediocre results, whilst the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust and the North Middlesex Hospital were criticised over poor financial management and use of resources.

The Mental Health Trust was in the bottom 15% in the country. It received a rating of ‘Weak’ under ‘Use of Resources’, meaning that it “failed to demonstrate that it had adequate arrangements for managing its finances. Areas for improvement were identified.” The North Middlesex was also rated as ‘Weak’ in this area.

Haringey’s TPCT did marginally better, scoring ‘Fair’ for both ‘Quality of Services’ and ‘Use of Resources’. A new grading system used this year by the Healthcare Commission explains that trusts rated as ‘Fair’ mean that “the assessment of the quality of services provided by this organisation highlighted areas for improvement.”

As part of its assessment of quality of services, the Commission looked at five core standards. It did not agree with the Trust’s declarations on two of these five standards. In particular, the evidence supplied by the Trust to support the declaration that “[the Trust will] keep patients, staff and visitors safe by having systems to ensure that all risks associated with the acquisition and use of medical devices are minimised” did not meet with the Commission’s standards.

Councillor Richard Wilson, Lib Dem Spokesperson for Health and Social Services, comments:

“We are quite worried that little improvement has been seen since last year’s assessment. Both the Mental Health Trust and the North Middlesex Hospital have been assessed as ‘Weak’ in their use of resources, and it is clear that sound financial management is lacking. The PCT is still struggling, not least because it has been continually told to surrender its funds to the Strategic Health Authority throughout the year, leaving it in a precarious financial position, unable to plan for the future.

“The Labour government’s claim that this was the ‘best year for the NHS’ is not ringing true for the people of Haringey. We have seen money top-sliced from Trusts’ budgets, closures of a ward and sexual health clinics, the attempted closure of the X-ray unit at St Ann’s, and now a poor assessment from the Healthcare Commission.”

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, is joining forces with Breast Cancer Campaign in its award winning ‘wear it pink’ day on Friday 27 October 2006 as part of breast cancer awareness month. By making a donation of just £2 you can dress as brightly as you like, as long as it’s pink. Your donation will allow Breast Cancer Campaign to continue researching the cure and help the one woman in nine in the UK that will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. It’s as simple as that. Last year our fun loving “pinkies” raised a staggering £1.69 million with our target £2.1 million this year.

Lynne Featherstone MP says “Every year over 13,000 people in the UK die from breast cancer. There are many women and families in our area that are touched by this illness that is why I am supporting Breast Cancer Campaign’s ”wear it pink’ day. Encourage your family and friends to do the same. It’s great fun and the money raised will go towards valuable breast cancer research.”

Help us reach our target and take part in the UK’s original and best pink day. To register and to receive your free fundraising pack either call freephone 0800 1073104; or visit www.wearitpink.co.uk

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, commenting on the Healthcare Commission annual ‘healthcheck’ for Haringey Teaching and Primary Care Trust (TPCT)says:

“The ‘fair’ grading for both quality of service and use of resources is still two step away from excellent.If you look deeper into these gradings you can see that Haringey TPCT was in the bottom 30% in only partly meeting existing national targets.

“More worryingly, this report has flagged up several areas where the Trust is clearly underperforming, such as supporting people in their own homes, helping people give up smoking, tackling childhood obesity and substantially reducing deaths from cancer.

“These are not just abstract, pie in the sky targets, but things that have a real impact on health and wellbeing of Haringey citizens.The Trust quite simply needs to up its game, but in the face of the huge financial onslaught from this Labour government, it is difficult to see how.”

Crouch End’s residents have responded to the Labour Council’s consultation on proposals for the ‘Stop and Shop’ parking scheme with a resounding ‘No’. Despite 90% opposition, it is feared that Labour plan to impose the scheme anyway. The Lib Dems have written to Councillor Brian Haley, the Labour lead member in charge of the schemes, to demand that he scrap the plans.

Crouch End Councillor Lyn Weber scrutinised the responses, finding that of 143 responses, 128 were against the plans. Responses from traders and residents included emails, letters, petitions and visitors to the area – many are furious that their views have been seemingly ignored entirely by Councillor Brian Haley.

Councillor Weber comments:

“This is an absolute outrage. How can Labour claim to be ‘consulting’ the residents of Crouch End, when clearly they don’t care one jot about what they say? To go ahead anyway makes a total mockery of the whole process.”

Lib Dem Councillor Martin Newton, Lib Dem Spokesperson for the Environment, has written to Labour Lead Member Brian Haley to demand that the Crouch End scheme be scrapped, along with the Muswell Hill Stop and Shop proposals, to which a staggering 98.75% of people (715 out of 724 responses) were against.

Councillor Newton comments:

“Councillor Haley has said time and time again that he will not go ahead with parking schemes if there was not public support for them. There is opposition not just from local residents, but from local traders who worry it will damage their businesses, as well as visitors to the area. Labour must now honour the wishes of the local community and scrap the plans.”

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, has helped launch Kidz Adventure Zone, an all weather play centre that gives local children the chance to play and exercise in a safe environment:

“Child obesity is increasingly becoming a concern and it’s great to see local entrepreneurs offering an affordable antidote in our area.

“If there weren’t age restrictions I quite fancied a go on the play frame myself, but judging from the kids’ shrieks of joy, they were loving it.

“Play is so important to the development of all children and I am pleased that we have an all weather alternative where local kids can simply have lots of fun.”

The world’s first television studios are in jeopardy warn Haringey Liberal Democrats, as Labour councillor Charles Adje, Chair of the Alexandra Park and Palace Board confirms that there is no long-term protection for the studios in the proposed lease. The proposed sale of the palace to the Firoka group was the subject of a presentation by Councillor Adje at the meeting of the Full Council on Monday.

The television studios at Alexandra Palace were occupied in 1935 by the BBC, and in 1936 the first television broadcasts were made from the site. The lease that could be signed with the Firoka group only requires that the group provide a space for a museum somewhere within the building, not the maintenance of the original studios.

Councillor Bob Hare, Lib Dem Alexandra Palace Spokesperson, comments:

“This is the equivalent of losing Stonehenge and replacing it with a fibreglass replica. The television studios are of vast historical importance not just locally but nationally and internationally. It is a crying shame that in their rush to complete the deal with Firoka, there has been no thought given to their long-term survival.

“It is quite clear that Labour are prepared to sacrifice not just Haringey’s but world history in their rush to sign the palace over as quickly as possible. The lease will be for 125 years, and we believe that it is our job as trustees of the palace to ensure that the legacy that is Alexandra Palace survives beyond our generation. We must do everything we can to ensure that our children do not regret the hasty decisions that are being made about the future of Ally Pally.

“The Charity Commission will soon start a short, one-month public consultation on the proposals to sell the Palace. It will be crucial that everyone concerned about any aspect of the sale writes in with their view. “

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, has scored a victory against Thames Water by shaming them online into doubling their donation to Wateraid for a survey they recently carried out on MPs.

Picking up on Ms. Featherstone criticism on her blog of the meagre £10 donation for taking up half an hour of MP’s time, Thames Water immediately contacted Ms. Featherstone to say that they would be doubling the donation:

“Quite frankly, I’ve better things to do than to take part in such surveys, but I happily gave my time as I thought I would be supporting the excellent work Wateraid does in providing fresh water and sanitation to the world’s poorest.

“Donations for surveys can be as high as £250, but I was shocked at find out that they were only giving a paltry £10 so I decided to vent my fury on my blog.

“The total donation for all the MPs is still only £1,000, which is a mere drop in the ocean for a company that just announced a multimillion pound profit.But to their credit they have reacted quickly and positively and I hope this will be a lesson for companies that try and abuse the veil of charity to pick the brains of MPs.”