Local campaigners from national democracy campaign group Charter88 have thanked Hornsey & Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone for signing a parliamentary motion calling for a law that would require Parliament’s approval for the use of the country’s armed forces, by making the Government obtain Parliament’s authority to go to war.

The Prime Minister can currently go to war without the House of Commons’s support by using the Royal Prerogative. Britain contrasts with other developed democracies such as the US in that its Parliament does not have a formal say in the use of armed forces. Surveys have shown that the vast majority of people feel this must change.

A Private Members’ Bill is currently going through parliament to make this law, promoted by the Rt Hon Clare Short MP and backed by a cross-party team of Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke MP, The Rt Hon William Hague MP, the Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell MP, but the Government has not yet declared its support.

Charter88 Local Group co-ordinator Ron Bailey said:

“It’s great that Ms Featherstone takes this issue seriously.

“The next stage for the Bill is its second reading on Friday 11th October, and we hope that she’ll be in Parliament on the day to stand up for the rights of Parliament and democracy.

Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone said:

“The Royal Prerogative is a relic of the past: in a Parliamentary democracy , such as ours, Parliament must have the legal right to sanction the use of armed force by this country.There is no decision more important: it is truly a matter for Parliament and I will do all I can as your local MP to ensure that this Bill becomes law.”

Local residents at the Muswell Hill and Highgate Area Assembly on Thursday (14th July) attacked Labour over the mysterious departure of Haringey Council Chief Executive David Warwick.

Two Labour Executive Members were present to answer questions on the environment and crime, but the question session turned to the confusion around Mr Warwick’s departure. The key concern raised by residents was the huge cost to the taxpayer.

Cllr Matt Davies (Lib Dem, Fortis Green), who sits on the Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee and was also present, comments:

“Residents were rightly irate about the costly nature of the Chief Executive’s departure – especially as they feel proper answers have not been given as to why he is leaving. When local papers linked his departure with the controversial grant to HBDA, I requested that the Overview & Scrutiny Committee bring forward its consideration of that matter, but this was refused. Labour are failing to be transparent, conducting this mess behind closed doors and expecting the taxpayers to just lump it.”

Cllr Wayne Hoban (Lib Dem, Alexandra), Deputy Leader of the Opposition, also witnessed the heated contributions from local residents.

“Local people are right to be angry about this situation. Now Haringey Labour are appointing an interim Chief Executive at huge cost while residents continue to ask why the current Chief Executive is not working out his notice fully. Why doesn’t one of the Assistant Chief Executives cover this position until a permanent Chief Executive is found? Labour are letting local people down badly by pushing through this expensive and potentially disastrous departure.”

Lib Dem councillors in Crouch End and Stroud Green have expressed disappointment and concern at Haringey Council’s decision to renege on plans to carry out independent reports on noise, dust and traffic implications of the proposed concrete batching plant in Cranford Way, N8.

The original assurance of three independent reports was made at a meeting in February facilitated by Stroud Green Lib Dem Cllr Laura Edge, between council officers and members of local environmental pressure group Green N8. However, at a further meeting last week Haringey Council proposed very different plans, with reports on potential noise and traffic implications to be commissioned.

Furthermore, the consultants who will carry out these reports will not take their own ‘independent’ measurements of current noise and traffic levels to assess the potential problems. Instead they will use the reports compiled by the applicant and merely comment on whether these are likely to be accurate.

Cllr Edge has written to the Labour-run Council expressing her dismay at the news and has requested that the Council sanction all three promised independent assessments, including the dust survey. She says that given the huge local opposition to the plant a thorough assessment must take place.

In addition she has asked that representatives from Green N8 are given the opportunity to speak to consultants compiling the reports and that all interested parties have an opportunity to respond to the reports prior to 12th September, when the Councils Planning Application Sub-Committee will consider the application.

Councillor Laura Edge says that she will continue to work closely with local residents, Lib Dem colleagues, Lynne Featherstone MP and the Council to ensure that a proper assessment takes place.

Cllr Edge (Stroud Green) comments:

“I facilitated the meeting in February at which the Council gave a clear undertaking to commission independent reports, including assessments, into noise, dust and traffic implications of this proposal. Now we find that these independent reports will only be a review of the applicants own assessments which is simply not good enough. If this had been made clear at that meeting I am sure that Green N8 would not have been satisfied either and would have wanted to commission their own reports. Now there is no time to do so. Residents acted in good faith and this is their disgraceful reward.”

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Haringey Council cannot be allowed to get away with misleading residents in this way. There is enormous public concern over this application and the Council must commission full and independent reports to establish a true picture of the likely impact on the local community.”

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, has given her support to the national campaign, Keeping up with Childhood, which has been launched by disabled children’s charity Whizz-Kidz.

It aims to raise awareness of the importance of mobility for disabled children, both in Hornsey and Wood Green and across the country.

Lynne Featherstone will also be supporting a parliamentary motion which is backing the campaign.

Lynne Featherstone said:

“I am delighted to support the Keeping up with Childhood campaign to ensure that here in Hornsey and Wood Green disabled children have the right to the mobility equipment that gives them freedom and the chance to keep up with childhood.

“There are over 70,000 children in the UK, and over 100 in Hornsey and Wood Green, for whom the provision of the right wheelchair could make a massive difference, giving them freedom to fully enjoy their childhood.”

The online NO2ID pledge campaign this week reached its 10,000 target and is continuing to attract even more support. A number of leading local Liberal Democrats are amongst the signatories and delighted to see the campaign against ID cards growing so quickly.

The pledge is “I will refuse to register for an ID card and will donate GBP10 to a legal defence fund but only if 10,000 other people will also make this same pledge.” As the 10,000 target has now been reached, the pledge becomes active. Organisers are hoping that many more people will continue to sign – the original target date for reaching 10,000 was October 9th.

Cllr Matt Davies (Lib Dem, Fortis Green) comments:

“I am proud to have signed this pledge. ID cards are the most insidious attack on our civil liberties and I have to keep reminding myself that it is a so-called Labour Government trying to force this through – it seems like a bad dream.

“The arguments against ID cards are so strong it seems inconceivable Labour will press ahead. I hope that local residents will also consider signing this pledge and doing all they can to prevent the nightmare of ID cards becoming a reality.”

Cllr Laura Edge (Lib Dem, Stroud Green) comments:

“Hopefully more and more people will continue to sign up to this pledge. We must make sure the Government is aware of the strength of feeling against ID cards. They would be a disaster for Haringey and the whole country – the wrong solution to the wrong problem and nothing but an incredibly expensive misadventure.”

Labour members of Haringey Council’s Schools Organisation Committee were left red-faced after Lib Dem councillor Gail Engert successfully opposed the re-appointment of the Labour Executive Member for Children’s Services as chair of the committee.

Cllr Engert, the Lib Dem education spokesperson, objected to the move by Labour members to re-appoint Cllr George Meehan. She objected because of a possible conflict of interest between his role on the Executive and the independence of the committee.

Cllr Engert brought the procedural guidance for School Organisation Committees, which came into force at the beginning of this month, to the committee’s attention.

Labour appeared to be taken unawares by Cllr Engert’s contribution and a flustered Cllr Meehan hastily nominated fellow Labour councillor Judy Bax, who was duly appointed.

Cllr Engert is pleased that her objection was upheld, but is concerned that Labour Executive members did not appear to be aware of the new guidance from the Department of Education and Skills.

Cllr Engert (Muswell Hill) comments: “The issue of a possible conflict of interest was brought up by Lib Dems last year and dismissed by Cllr Meehan. I am delighted that the new guidance has enabled us to clear up this matter.”

Haringey Liberal Democrats on Monday will call on Haringey Council to hold an inquiry into the future of the built environment in Wood Green. Concerns have been raised by local residents that Wood Green is suffering over-intensification of developments in order to meet London housing targets – and at the same time little work is being done to improve provision for local schooling and healthcare.

The question being tabled by Lib Dem planning spokesperson, Cllr Jonathan Bloch, follows on from co-operation with Watsons Road Action Group (WRAG), which was set up in May this year to challenge some of the bigger planning applications being made in Wood Green.

The Lib Dems are conscious of the need for affordable housing in London, including Haringey. However, they are deeply concerned at the trend of ‘build at any cost’ that seems to have given Haringey a reputation as a soft touch amongst developers.

Cllr Bloch says that, following successful battles by the Lib Dems against the over-development of Crouch End and Muswell Hill, it is essential that the Wood Green is protected.

Cllr Bloch comments:

“Wood Green is already a very busy and built up part of Haringey. To be adding large housing developments to the area will have a detrimental effect on the quality of life for all residents.

“Detailed consideration of the impact on transport, education and healthcare facilities need to be made before these developments are even discussed. That is what we will continue to push for.”

Lib Dems in Haringey, who just this week voted against a secret financial deal the Labour Council has made with outgoing Chief Executive David Warwick, have reacted with further dismay at news of another senior level departure. It has been announced that the Assistant Chief Executive in charge of Organisational Development is also departing the troubled authority.

Cllr Wayne Hoban, a Liberal Democrat councillor and Deputy Leader of the Opposition, comments:

“It appears that the Labour Executive is becoming increasingly difficult for senior officers to work with. This is detrimental to the efficient running of the council and proving to be highly expensive for Haringey’s taxpayers. Both these issues are deeply worrying and must be addressed immediately.”

Lib Dems have welcomed the decision of Haringey Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee to refer back to the Labour-run Executive a controversial plan to award £380,000 in project funding to the Haringey Business Development Agency HBDA).

The move received rare cross-party support from the Lib Dem and Labour members of the watchdog body, and now presents a real headache for the Labour Executive and its embattled leader Charles Adje, who was until recently a council representative on the HBDA board.

However, there was dismay expressed by the committee over the blanket secrecy rules thrown over the papers for the meeting, most of which, Cllr Williams says, did not contain commercially sensitive information.

Cllr Neil Williams, who attended the secret debate, comments:

“The committee undoubtedly made the right move to refer this decision back, given doubts about this project and the enormous sums of money involved. However, the Labour Executive is determined to shroud this issue in secrecy. Let’s hope they will listen to the serious concerns of some of their own members.”

There was anger and dismay in Haringey’s council chamber as Labour councillors voted through the controversial retirement package for the Council’s Chief Executive. Labour moved to keep the proceedings a secret – but Lib Dem councillors secured a named vote on the issue, in which two Labour councillors abstained on the controversial deal.

In a further move, a vote on whether to appoint an interim Chief Executive was pulled at the last minute by Labour.

The special meeting, scheduled at the last minute without any consultation with Lib Dem councillors, agreed the package despite an admission that the Chief Executive will remain in the employment of the Council until September – when earlier misleading statements said that he would be leaving in July. The Council has admitted that in addition to the secret retirement deal, the cost of hiring an interim Chief Executive for this period is likely to cost Haringey’s hard pressed tax payers £110,000.

Lib Dem councillors, who voted against the deal, have been threatened with disciplinary proceedings if they reveal its contents to the public.

Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams comments:

“Labour members will be held to account for voting in favour of this deal – and their support for keeping it all a secret. Haringey taxpayers are entitled to know how their money is being spent. Haringey Labour has become a shambles, and could not even persuade all their own members to vote in favour. They even tried to keep their own voting on the issue a secret from the public – but failed. Local people will no doubt express their verdict on this whole sorry episode at the ballot box in the local election next May.”