Labour councillor Charles Adje, Leader of Haringey Council, has been forced to offer a full, if begrudging, apology to the Council and the residents of Haringey for using Haringey Council resources to organise Labour Party campaign meetings.

At the meeting of Haringey’s Full Council, Councillor Adje was grilled by Liberal Democrat Leader Neil Williams, who had in the past weeks uncovered evidence showing that the Labour Leader had been personally aware of the Labour Party using Council HQ River Park House for their campaign meetings.

Councillor Adje looked flustered and embarrassed as he explained that the Labour Party had now reimbursed Haringey Council for the use of the room.

Councillor Neil Williams, Leader of the Opposition on Haringey Council said:

“I find it astonishing that Labour needs to be reminded that Council resources are not to be used in this way for political advantage. The Council is not a tuck shop to be dipped into by the Labour party when it is in trouble.”

Labour-run Haringey Council refused at its Full Council meeting last night to allow three deputations from groups of Haringey residents to be heard. The deputations were instead referred to various executive bodies, leaving the Labour group wide open to criticism that they were refusing people the right to be heard by their Council.

One of the three deputations was the Alexandra Palace Television Group, concerned over the Council’s rushed lease of the palace to the Firoka group after a very short period of consultation. The Group were hoping to make representations to Council to explain that despite their being the custodians of the birthplace of television, Firoka have included just a tiny space in their plans in which to house the museum.

Rather than allowing the group’s deputation to be heard at the public Council meeting, Labour referred the matter to the Alexandra Park and Palace board. Yet the meeting is scheduled for two weeks after the board will have decided on the final terms of the lease.

Councillor Bob Hare, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Alexandra Palace, comments:

“I was extremely disappointed that the Labour Council decided not to permit the Television Group to speak at this meeting. The group have the backing of all of Britain’s TV heritage experts and the BBC. This is an extremely significant piece of Haringey’s history, and it has enormous potential both in terms of its prestige and as a visitor draw for the borough. Labour have pushed this important group off to a meeting which will take place as far as possible out of the glare of publicity and long after the terms of the lease will have been decided.”

Haringey Council has failed to take timely and corrective action to reduce the gap between policy and practice in its Children’s Service. Five years after the tragic death of Victoria Climbie, Councillor Wayne Hoban at last night’s Council meeting challenged the Labour lead member for the Children’s Service to comment on Haringey Council’s continuing failure to address quickly complaints made under the Children’s Act.

The Council’s latest performance figures show that of 25 ‘Stage 1’ complaints made under the Children’s Act, just 16 had been completed within the target of 2 weeks. Much more worryingly, not one of the seven more serious ‘Stage 2’ complaints since April 2005 had been dealt with within the target 28 days, and just five had been completed within 90 days.

Councillor Wayne Hoban, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Social Services, comments:

“This appalling standard of service beggars belief. In Lord Laming’s inquiry report into the Victoria Climbie tragedy, he stated that ‘[Haringey] council members and the senior management of Haringey must be held to account for the yawning gap between safe policies and procedures, and poor practice in their children and families’ service.’

“The same administration and officers continue to run our Children and Families’ Service. As if the total lack of accountability that Haringey displayed following the death of Victoria Climbie was not enough, these latest figures are worrying signs that not enough has been done to address the gross systemic failings that failed to protect her. Action must be taken to ensure that serious and far-reaching reform of the Children’s Service is undertaken.”

Lib Dems have expressed alarm as large areas of dense undergrowth and trees have been razed to the ground in Alexandra Park in the middle of the nesting season. A wide belt of trees in the middle of the park was bulldozed on Monday 20th March, and screens of trees separating residents and the fairground site have also been bulldozed in recent weeks.

The screens of trees and undergrowth, originally planted many years ago to combat light and noise pollution from coaches, fairs and occasionally circus tents, are also home to scores of nesting birds, small mammals and other wildlife, and the move to clear them has been strongly criticised for what the Lib Dems say is a breach of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Cllr Bob Hare, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Alexandra Palace, comments:

“The original park was in rural farmland. The park is now surrounded by city and housing and needs its screening trees both to maintain the attractiveness of the park, and to help prevent disturbances to neighbouring residents by park activities. ”

Lib Dem Leader Cllr Neil Williams adds:

“It is very concerning that the land has been cleared, and I am appalled that the vegetation clearance is taking place during the nesting season. The Wildlife Act clearly states that it is an offence to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while in use or being built.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Laura Edge has been liaising with the Stroud Green Neighbourhood Police Team over the possibility of installing CCTV on both sides of Harringay train station, to cover the approach to the station from both Quernmore Road and Wightman Road.

Councillor Edge was prompted to propose the move by reports of a recent serious mugging at the station. Serious concerns have been raised over safety at the station for many years, and Stroud Green Neighbourhood Police feel that the introduction of CCTV would help create a general feeling of security, as well as help prevent crime. The recent murder of City Lawyer Thomas Ap Rhys Pryce has highlighted the need for heightened security at London’s rail stations.

Councillor Laura Edge comments:

“Station users’ safety has been a burning issue recently, and we feel that something should be done to improve security at and around Harringay Station. It can be an intimidating place, especially at night. Stroud Green Neighbourhood Police do a fantastic job and work extremely hard, but there is no doubt that CCTV on both sides of the station would help them to protect rail users.

“The police agree that the introduction of cameras would help to protect residents, and I have discovered that there may be the funds available to install CCTV. I am in the process of contacting residents to ask for their views – should rail travellers want the cameras, I hope that we will see them installed in the near future.”

Haringey Council is coming under criticism after failing to sign the Small Business Friendly Concordat Good Practice Guide. The strategy, set up by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, is designed to support small businesses and the local community by encouraging diversity in council procurement. The ODPM’s strategy “sets out a specific milestone for all local authorities to have adopted the Concordat by the end of 2005.”

The idea behind the scheme is that councils across the country should actively pursue working relationships with local businesses and employers in order to ensure that smaller businesses are not squeezed out of contracts. The voluntary scheme has been signed by some 51 district and city councils across the country, but Haringey has yet to sign up.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Jonathan Bloch, who is also a businessman, comments:

“It is a real shame that Haringey Council has not seen fit to support our cherished local businesses. They are the lifeblood of our community and the Council should make sure that smaller businesses do not get barged out of contract negotiations. I urge the Council to sign up to the concordat as soon as possible.”

Hornsey & Wood Green Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone has been promoted to Liberal Democrat Deputy Home Affairs spokesperson by Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Menzies Campbell MP. She is now number two in the Lib Dem Home Affairs team, which is headed up by Shadow Home Secretary Nick Clegg MP.

Lynne Featherstone has a long track record campaigning on crime and home affairs issues, including spending five years on London’s top policing body, the Metropolitan Police Authority. Within Haringey she has led successful campaigns on many local crime issues, including getting a local police station reopened to the public. In Parliament she has been pressing for tougher action on knife crime, including longer sentences – a move blocked by Labour.

Local Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone said:

“I’m delighted to be taking up this position. I have taken an active interest in policing issues in Hornsey & Wood Green since being elected be it policing, fighting crime or safer neighbourhood teams. I look forward to being able to use my position to represent local issues in Parliament.

“My work for local residents will always come first, but with crime being such an important issue for so many people in Haringey this will help me push those issues even harder.”

Highgate councillor Bob Hare has questioned Haringey Council’s self-congratulatory recycling awards ceremony after figures released by the Association of London Government show the amount of waste recycled by Haringey puts it squarely in the bottom third of London boroughs.

Of 33 boroughs, Haringey came 23rd. It recycled just 14% of collected waste in 2004-2005, barely 8% more than the worst performing borough, Newham.

Councillor Bob Hare comments:

“Despite Haringey’s continuous self-congratulatory press releases and award ceremonies, Haringey Council continues to under-perform when it comes to recycling. The Liberal Democrats have continually put pressure on the Council to get even this far, and there is no doubt that we must continue to do so, as these figures are far from satisfactory.

“The top ten councils in London all recycle 20% or more of their waste, with the best borough managing 30% – more than twice the amount Haringey manages. The Council has spent too much money on award shows, banners, and self satisfied publicity.From 1998 to 2003, Haringey’s recycling record did not improve at all. Only now, just before the local elections and after years of pressure from the Liberal Democrats, are we beginning to see some improvement.”

Liberal Democrat councillors are repeating warnings of an impeding crisis due to the chronic shortfall of secondary school places available to children in the London Borough of Haringey. Some 189 children have not received an offer of a place at a secondary school in the borough, and the number of places compared to the number of applicants is becoming increasingly worrying.

A total of 1,080 children applied to Alexandra Park School, of whom just 216 were successful in gaining a place. Fortismere School attracted even more applicants – some 1130 applicants were competing for only 243 places. Parents were asked to list six schools in order of preference – 189 pupils were left without a place at any of their six choices.

Councillor Gail Engert, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education, comments:

“Haringey Council need to take action to solve this crisis. There is an acute lack of school places in the borough, and the problem is getting worse every year. We warned last year that this problem would only get worse as more and more children come through the primary school system, and Haringey have done nothing to address the problem.”

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Haringey Council’s record on education planning is just not good enough. Their whole approach is reactionary – to fix the holes that appear in the system and then do nothing until the next crisis. This approach is unacceptable – this is our children’s future at stake. We must begin to put in place a long-term strategy to ensure our young people get the quality of education that they deserve.”

Residents of Noel Park and Wood Green were outraged to find that the police kiosk had been demolished after months of disuse. Anger at the decision hinged on the fact that tens of thousands of pounds had been wasted on the kiosk. Many residents were asking why the kiosk had to go, and why it had not been used more regularly by police officers.

Liberal Democrat councillors were last night pressing Haringey Council to respond to questions over the total cost of the erection and subsequent removal of the kiosk, which is expected to total tens of thousands of pounds.

Lynne Featherstone MP for Hornsey & Wood Green said:

“Local policing is always the best idea and having a local base in the middle of the busiest shopping area in the borough was common sense. The problem was it was almost always closed. This expensive pilot was never given a real chance and now demolishing it without any consultation or replacement of any sort is a slap in the face for the people of Wood Green. Local people should be able to say what they want from their police force and where they want it.”

Councillor Neil Williams, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, comments:

“The police kiosk was a good idea, and we have campaigned hard to see it stay open and be used by police and community safety wardens.When the kiosk was in use, it made the people of Wood Green feel safer and provided a reassuring police presence in a crime hotspot.It is very hard to see the logic in the decision to demolish it, and residents are understandably upset about what was simply a waste of money.”