Lynne Featherstone MP met with a Queen look-a-like outside the House of Commons this week to highlight the need for a climate change law to be included in the Queen’s speech at the opening of Parliament in November.

Lynne Featherstone is one of 397 MPs who are backing The Big Ask, Friends of the Earth’s climate campaign which is calling for the introduction of a law that would commit the Government to cutting the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions by at least three per cent year on year.

Friends of the Earth believes a climate change law would ensure the UK plays its part in keeping global temperatures below danger levels, and that it does this in a manageable way. The cuts in carbon dioxide emissions which are needed can be achieved through a range of measures such as encouraging energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy supplies.

The Queen’s Speech will be read out by the Queen when the new session of Parliament begins, but its content is decided by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. It sets out the Bills the Government will bring to Parliament in the following year. A Climate Change Bill needs to be included in the speech, to signify that the Government will make available time for Parliament to debate and pass such a Bill into law.

Lynne Featherstone said:

“I’m 100% behind Friends of the Earth’s Big Ask. If you don’t ask, you don’t get and if we don’t get – there won’t be a world to worry about!”

Friends of the Earth Director, Tony Juniper said:

“Climate change is one of the biggest threats we face however we do have the means to tackle it. A climate law will give Government and business the framework they need to put the solutions to climate change into practice. With the support of Lynne and the 396 other MPs who are backing The Big Ask campaign we are a step closer to getting this law introduced.”

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, has been out and about with Haringey police officers on the search for new premises for Muswell Hill Police Station.

The current police station is deemed no longer fit for purpose with its Victorian rabbit warren rooms and corridors and not conducive to effective and efficient working and Ms. Featherstone has taken a hands-on approach to making sure the new facilities meet the needs of the local community.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am grateful to the officers for taking time to do a tour of the neighbourhood.It was extremely useful to get a real feel of what kind of space is going to work and what will not.

“I have made it fully clear that the current station should not be closed until its replacement is 100% operational, complete with front counter and space for the local Safer Neighbourhood Teams.I accept the need for proper facilities that meet the needs of a modern and effective police force, but this opportunity cannot be used to sneak in worse policing coverage for the area.

“By actually going out there I wanted to show how positively I am engaging in this process and want to support our local officers, but also that I am watching carefully to make sure that the final solution is not worse that we have.”

Labour were tackled by the Lib Dems at Full Council on Monday night over the glaring £4.6 million hole in Haringey Council’s budget. The projected overspend has risen steadily throughout the year. Councillor Robert Gorrie, Lib Dem deputy spokesperson for Finance, tackled Haringey Council Leader George Meehan on the issue, demanding that he explain what action he was taking to address the situation.

In April the Council’s total projected overspend was £1.5 million. By June this had risen to £3.5m. The latest reports are that the figure now stands at a seriously worrying £4.6 million, a figure equivalent to an extra 5% on Council Tax.

Councillor Gorrie comments:

“Beyond a few suggestions that it was the Government’s fault, Councillor Meehan provided no concrete ideas at all. He quoted an audit report suggesting the Council’s financial management is sound. How this ballooning financial deficit can be a product of sound financial management is beyond me.

“We see frivolous waste in some places – last year’s overspend of £13.6 million on the disaster that was the Tech Refresh project – and unhealthy lack in others – Labour have grossly underinvested in the roads and pavements of this borough such that £35 million is required to bring them back to an acceptable standard, for instance. Labour are simply not capable of keeping their books in order.”

Lib Dem councillors walked out of the meeting of the Full Council last night in Haringey in disgust over what they are calling “dirty tricks” and a “whitewash”. Labour used procedural means to prevent a vote of no-confidence in failing Housing leader Councillor Diakedes.

Councillors had hoped to hold Councillor Diakedes to account following the publication of a damning report by the Audit Commission into the failings of Haringey’s housing service. Mayor Adamou refused to accept that Lib Dems had the right to a no-confidence vote, and allowed Labour to completely delete the text of the Lib Dem motion.

There was the hope that some Labour members, concerned over the serious and ongoing problems in the Housing Service, would have voted with the Liberal Democrats.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat Opposition Councillor Neil Williams comments:

“The Council’s constitution has been abused. I am writing to the Mayor to complain in the strongest terms.

“Councillor Diakedes has been shown very clearly to have failed in his role. How can we have confidence in his ability to put right these serious failings? Not only are people angry that their places on the housing register are in question, but £228 million of investment is at stake in April – how are we to believe that he is competent to secure this? Once again Labour refuse to take any responsibility for their negligence.”

Councillor Catherine Harris, Lib Dem Housing Spokesperson, comments:

“The evening was a total sham. Labour have closed ranks to protect Councillor Diakedes, when they should have had the courage to admit that he is not capable of doing the job. We are talking about the Housing Service of Haringey Council here – real issues affecting real people’s lives. This represents about a quarter of the Council’s entire budget. How can he refuse to take responsibility?”

Lib Dems have expressed their dismay as Labour councillors in the London Borough of Haringey last night voted down an attempt to keep the spread of vehicle crossovers in check across the borough. Labour lead member Brian Haley directed his fellow councillors to ignore the Liberal Democrat suggestion and rejected a call to improve practice on this issue.

Lib Dems have growing concerns that the number of dropped kerbs is increasing across the borough as more and more households apply for permission to park their vehicles in their front gardens. The Lib Dems feel that this amounts to a creeping demise of pavements and believe that the Council has been too slapdash in its handling of applications for crossovers, with little coordination between council departments.

Councillor Martin Newton comments:

“There are clear guidelines laid out to decide when it is appropriate to grant permission for a crossover, and Labour have not been following them. There are clearly times when dropped kerbs are appropriate – for disabled access; if the applicant has an environmentally friendly electric car that requires recharging, to take two examples – but to simply grant permission to each and every application is simply not good enough.

“We need to protect pedestrian rights of way, not to mention the dreadful environmental effect of too many vehicle crossovers. Labour need to take action on this while we still have some pavements left. However, it is extremely disappointing that are choosing not to do so.”

The first stage of consultation on the Labour Council’s ‘Stop and Shop’ parking scheme in Muswell Hill shows that an overwhelming 98.75% of responses were for the scheme to be scrapped. Lib Dem councillors felt it was necessary to scrutinise the responses to the Council’s consultation, and found that of 724 responses to the consultation, just 9 were in favour of the proposals.

The Lib Dems are calling for the scheme to be scrapped entirely, as it is clear that there is no community support for the plans to go ahead.

Councillor Martin Newton, Lib Dem Spokesperson for the Environment, comments:

“The results are in, and there can be no arguing – the community is against these plans. To proceed now would be to steamroller over any pretence of democracy that Labour might ever have had – they must scrap the proposals. The importance of scrutinising Labour on this issue is very clear – who knows what they might have done had these results not been made public.”

Councillor Jonathan Bloch, ward councillor for Muswell Hill, comments:

“It is now time for Labour to come clean and admit that they do not have the people’s support for their proposals. The result could not be clearer, and even they cannot ignore it. Councillor Brian Haley should remember his claims that Muswell Hill people ‘don’t want a dialogue’ and that ‘All they want to do is impose their views on everyone else’. If the Labour council proceeds here, it will be quite clear who is doing the imposing.”

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I am not surprised that local people have shown so emphatically that this scheme wasn’t needed. What was needed (and how this started) were a few spaces for parking on the Colney Hatch Lane part of the Broadway where people needed to park for a few moments only and where there is almost no parking available. Parking schemes should be related to need for parking – not need to fill the Council’s coffers.”

Haringey Council and the local NHS are failing to provide a ‘good’ service to local people according to a Government report, released ahead of World Mental Health Day (10th October). The Government’s Healthcare Commission, which inspects health and care services, gave Haringey only 2 stars out of a possible 4. Just 54% of mental health services got 3 or 4 stars, putting Haringey in the bottom half of the ‘league table’ for supporting people with mental health problems.

The Liberal Democrats are marking World Mental Health Day by calling for Haringey Council and the local NHS to put greater priority on improving mental health services in Haringey.

Lib Dem Health and Social Services Spokesman Cllr Richard Wilson comments:

“One in four people suffer a mental health problem during their lifetime, yet mental health services still do not get the priority and resources they need. World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to put this right and demand better support for people in Haringey.

“The first national review of mental health services by the Healthcare Commission gave Haringey Council and the local NHS just 2 stars. It is clear local people are not getting the help they need. And with the Mental Health Trust planning to close a rehabilitation ward in St Anne’s Hospital, it does not look like services are about to improve.”

Cllr Ron Aitken, who recently spoke at a fringe meeting at the Liberal Democrat Conference on the subject of recovery from mental health problems comments:

“World Mental Health Day is not just about services but also about celebrating the many people who recover from depression and other mental illnesses and are able to fully participate in society”.

Councillor Ron Aitken, Lib Dem spokesperson for Crime and Community Safety, is condemning Home Office stop-gap plans to use police cells to hold prisoners. The Home Office intends to take the step because prisons across England and Wales will be full by next week. Cllr Aitken warns that the move could have a serious impact on Haringey’s police stations.

The scheme, known as “Operation Safeguard”, will see prisoners transferred to police stations across the country for days or even weeks, as the Home Office shifts around a prison population that is larger than the capacity of UK prisons. Head of the Prison Governors Association, Charles Bushell, has claimed that the situation is “desperately bad”.

Councillor Aitken comments:

“This crisis is one of Labour’s own making. By failing to provide the necessary prison capacity, and failing to work to reduce the number of prisoners reoffending, they are putting a dangerous burden on custody facilities across the country. Police stations in Haringey are already overstretched, having to cope with cramped and outdated buildings.

“Moreover, I recently discovered that the borough’s cells are already used to hold at least half a dozen prisoners awaiting transport to prison, as well as holding deportees awaiting transport to airports and some who are awaiting admission to local mental health wards. Our police here in Haringey have broad shoulders, but they should not have to pick up the consequences of Government incompetence”.

Haringey’s Liberal Democrat councillors are calling for the resignation of Councillor Isidoros Diakides, Labour’s Executive Member for Housing, following a damning Audit Commission report into Haringey’s ability to deal with homelessness and overcrowding. The Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion ensuring that the Full Council will hold a vote of confidence in Councillor Diakedes.

The Audit Commission report exposes that many residents may have been wrongly refused rehousing, and that Haringey Council’s housing allocations policy itself is “not helping to prevent homelessness or alleviate overcrowding among tenants.”

It goes on: “mistakes in assessing housing needs are common… [The housing register] has not been reviewed since 2001, except for a few applicants with the highest priority, so is likely in many instances to be inaccurate.” Many residents are furious that mistakes have been made in assessing the number of points that they have on the housing waiting list, and are asking whether they should have been rehoused years ago.

As Lib Dem councillors sitting on a scrutiny panel look further into the scandal, a picture is emerging of a total lack of leadership from Cllr Diakides. The report explains that the housing allocations service is “poor and has many weaknesses. The [allocations] policy is out of date and not complying with legislation…The policy document has been reviewed twice since 2000, but changes have neither been formally approved nor implemented.”

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Housing Councillor Catherine Harris comments:

“Labour’s total lack of direction and leadership are the reasons behind this terrible state of affairs, and the housing service needs a fresh start. People will be furious at the discovery that the housing register has not been kept properly – some tenants have been waiting in so-called “temporary” accommodation for many years. They will not be pleased to hear that they may have been entitled to be rehoused years ago.

“Worse still, the fact that Labour councillors have known about the terrible problems for years without taking concerted action to put things right shows how little ability Labour have to manage this borough. Labour will claim that they are now fixing the problems, but it is being done far, far too late for the tenants whom they are supposed to serve.”

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

“Once again, Labour have failed the people of Haringey. It has provided for years a housing service which is flawed, unfair, complex and expensive. People will rightly be asking who is to blame, and it is very clear that Labour has failed in its responsibility to its tenants. ”

Note: the text of the motion is:

This Council wishes to express its concern at the recent criticisms of the Council’s allocations policy, which have come from both the Audit Commission and the Council’s own Cross-Party Scrutiny Review.

Council notes:

·That as long ago as 2000 the Housing Service was made aware that it was operating an unlawful and discriminatory lettings policy.
·That 24000 families are currently on the housing register of whom 5800 are in temporary accommodation; Government targets will force the Council to reduce this by 50% by 2010.
·Applicants for permanent housing and transfers have been told that points may have been wrongly calculated and will have to re-register their details.
·This crisis in the Housing Service threatens the Council’s plans to obtain £238m of funding from the Government for housing improvements and may jeopardise attaining the Decent Homes Standard.

In view of these serious failings Council calls on the Lead Member for Housing to resign and for the Council to arrange independent oversight of the allocations system and housing register, so that no applicant for housing or existing tenant suffers discrimination or disadvantage as a result of the mismanagement of the allocations system.

Proposer Cllr Neil Williams
Seconder Cllr Catherine Harris

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, has thrown her full weight behind the Friends ofthe Earth ‘Big Ask’ campaign and has strongly called for the Prime Minister to make sure the Climate Change Bill is included the forthcoming Queen’s speech, the schedule of the government’s legislative programme.

Meeting with local Friends of the Earth activists, who presented her with over 400 postcards from people all around her constituency, Ms. Featherstone has enthusiastically backed the campaign which would see legally enforceable targetsfor reducing carbon dioxide emissionsby 3% every year.

Ms. Featherstone also took the opportunity to talk to about the Lib Dem’s Green Switch campaign.At their September conference, the Lib Dem became the first major party to adopt a firm policy of green taxes that would see the biggest polluters pay the most taxes as a means of tackling the causes of climate change.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“On top of these cards I have been given, my postbag is literally tearing at the seams with climate change letters.This is the number one national issue that my constituents want to see action on and rightly so.

“Without urgent and concrete action such as this bill, it will simply be too late.This government came to power with promises of 20% reduction of 1990 emission levels by 2010 and now it looks like they will barely meet the Kyoto requirements.

“It’s seems politically fashionable to be concerned about climate change with even the Tories belatedly trying to get in on the act, but it’s clear that the people of Hornsey & Wood Green want more than gimmicks and empty promises – it’s time for this government to put their money where their mouth is.”

Note: To find out more about the Green Taxes Switch, please visit www.greentaxswitch.com