Lynne Featherstone MP is calling on the organisations of Hornsey and Wood Green to enter the Edge Employer Awards, which recognises organisations that provide excellent practical learning opportunities for young people.

Supporting the awards, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“It’s fantastic to see big rewards for local employers that put practical learning at the heart of what they do. This is a great opportunity for our local companies, both large and small, that are leading the way in this area to get the recognition they deserve. It’s also a chance to show other employers how investment in on-the-job training and work experience can improve the talents of employees and put young people on a path to success.

“There are so many organisations out there that offer young people the chance to learn by doing and we want to hear from all of them. Whether you’re a local mechanic that helps young people after school or multinational offering one-year placements, enter the Edge Employer Awards today and be recognised for the great programmes you offer.”

The Edge Employer Awards will award four outstanding organisations in the London regional awards, with the chance to win up to GBP10,000 to be reinvested in work-related learning, such as apprenticeships or work placements, for 14-25 year olds.

Winners of the Regional Awards will be short listed for the national finals which offer a top award of GBP200,000.

To enter, organisations will need to demonstrate how they already offer excellent learning-by-doing opportunities, and explain their ambitions for the future.

Deadline for entries is Friday 15 July. For further information and to enter the awards call 0800 980 3343.

Local Liberal Democrats are calling for improvements to the shape of the site of the old Coldfall Lodge site before any proposed development is given planning permission.

The Lodge is a cottage which formerly housed the woodkeeper. It is located immediately alongside the east boundary of the wood on Creighton Avenue. The verandah of the current building originally provided toilets and extends by approximately 1m into Coldfall Woods.

The Lodge is likely to be demolished and replaced by new housing. While it has been accepted by Haringey Council that no future buildings would be placed on that small section of the site, local Lib Dems feel it is important to ensure the woods are protected by formally straightening the boundary.

“We strongly support a small alteration to the Lodge boundary to prevent it intruding into the woods,” says ward councillor Matt Davies. “If this site is to be developed with housing then Coldfall Woods must not suffer any negative effect.”

“I raised this with the Council when the sale was originally being discussed,” says Cllr Bob Hare, Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson. “I have again been in contact with the appropriate officers to ensure that this small but significant step is taken.

“Coldfall Woods need the full protection of the Council. Ensuring that the boundary of the woods is straightened gives a more sensible boundary, removes the visual intrusion of the present Lodge boundary, and will improve safety by giving clear sight lines on the public path, ensuring residents can enjoy this valuable amenity even more,” added Cllr Hare. “Straightening the edge of the site should be easy as building would not happen on this area anyway. It would, however, be advantageous for the woods.”

Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors have welcomed Haringey Council’s assurance that they will be asking the police to assess vehicle speeds at various locations along North Road and North Hill, N6.

Councillors Bob Hare and Neil Williams have long been calling for measures to slow traffic on the busy roads, especially as they pass one secondary and two primary and infant schools. Despite the fact that this route from Archway to the A1 passes through Highgate Village, many drivers prefer it to Archway Road.

There have been numerous accidents over the years with two fatalities in the last two years, and residents have raised concerns regarding these roads to councillors through letters and resident survey responses.

Cllr Hare is pleased that Haringey Council is now addressing this issue. However, they are keen to emphasise the need for action to be taken to reduce speeding on the road after the speed assessments are completed.

Cllr Bob Hare (Highgate) comments:

“Building in speed controls is essential if traffic speeds are to be limited to what is safe. This is especially important near the schools. We shall also be encouraging the schools here to develop their own ‘Safer Routes’ programmes to help make the case for these much needed measures.”

Local MP Lynne Featherstone adds:

“North Road and Hill are relatively wide roads, which encourages speeding. Unfortunately, all too many of the drivers seem to view these roads as a dual carriageway, rather than the busy urban streets, with many pedestrians and school children, that they are.”

It is virtually impossible to obtain an appointment at any of the four sexual health clinics in North London without repeated abortive phone calls or going in person to make an appointment, according to a survey carried out by Haringey Lib Dem health spokesperson Cllr Ron Aitken.

All the clinics serving the population in this part of London relied on recorded messages or on callers ringing back at a specific time when lines would be overloaded with callers.

According to the London Health Observatory in 2003 around one in every two syphilis diagnoses, one in four chlamydia and one third of all gonorrhoea infections recorded in England were in London. Londoners also bear the highest burden of HIV in England with 20,000 receiving treatment and an estimated 8,600 undiagnosed in the same year.

North London is served by in Archway N19, St Ann’s Hospital N15, Barnet EN5 and the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, yet when they were telephoned over a period of two days it was not possible to speak to a member of staff or make an appointment:

Archway Sexual Health Clinic
Recorded message asking caller to press 1 or 2 depending on whether they require male or female appointment – when pressed both said in a recorded message that all appointments had gone and to call back at 10am the next day for an appointment the following day. At eight minutes past 10 on Thursday morning all male appointments had gone. If callers were under 20 there was a drop- in service on Tuesdays.

Zone 15 St Ann’s Hospital
Recorded message saying all operators are busy and there was no opportunity to leave a message. A subsequent call reached a member of staff who said the caller would have to call back at 9.30 in the morning.

Clare Simpson House Sexual Health Clinic Barnet
Recorded message informing callers that no appointments were available but to ring back on Wednesday or Monday (which was the following week). No opportunity to leave a message.

Heath Clinic, Marlborough Department, Royal Free Hospital
Callers informed clinic is closed and to ring back Monday to Friday 11-12 or 1.30 to 3.30 or to call in person to make an appointment.

“Clearly the staff working in these NHS Centres are under enormous pressure and cannot cope with the demand for appointments. However it is a matter of deep concern that people who need a check-up or test will simply give up or put off seeking treatment for sexually transmitted diseases,” said Cllr Aitken.

“The Government has set a target of ensuring that all those who contact STD clinics are offered an appointment within 48 hours. This is clearly not being met and the date the Government has set for meeting this target is 2008 – unambitious and potentially allowing the enormous increase in STDs in London to continue.”

Nigel Scott, Information Officer of the Herpes Viruses Association and Vice Chair of the Skin Care Campaign adds:

“These results confirm the findings of several other national surveys. Sexual Health Clinics are struggling to cope and people who can’t get through, or are offered delayed appointments, may go without treatment and compound the problem. Some infections, like genital herpes, are only diagnosed when symptoms are present so patients need to be seen immediately.”

Cllr Aitken has called for more detailed information on appointment waiting times and for proper funding of STD services to ensure that calls are dealt with in person rather than condemning people to recorded messages and having to call back at times when the system will be engaged.

Lib Dem Environment spokesperson Cllr Bob Hare is calling on Haringey Council to resurface the pavements in Sydney Road, which he says have got beyond the point of simple repair.

The residential road situated on the Harringay Ladder has been subject to a poor level of patching work by the Council’s highway team over many years. The result is that the pavements have become a mishmash of tarmac, concrete and manhole covers, with much unevenness, and many cracks and trip hazards.

Cllr Hare is concerned that many sections of pavement in the road not only look shabby, but have got so bad that they present a hazard to pedestrians, particularly elderly and disabled residents.

He has contacted the Council with over twenty photographs of paving blackspots in this road. These include:

Pavements raised and cracked by tree roots,

Un-repaired tarmac,

Uneven mix of paving and tarmac, and

Trip hazards

He says that this is just one of a number of streets in the borough that have been neglected by the Council. He says that action must be taken to ensure pavements are up to an acceptable and safe standard.

Cllr Bob Hare comments:

“Uneven pavements can be a real worry for elderly people and those caring for them. People have a right to pavements which have a safe surface. Uneven pavements mean that everyone has to constantly watch their step to avoid tripping over.”

Following a visit to the CCTV Control Room at Woodside House, Lib Dem crime and community spokesperson Cllr Ron Aitken and Crouch End Cllr Dave Winskill have expressed frustration that shortcomings in the CCTV system adopted by Haringey Council have still not been resolved six years after installation.

The cameras were installed in the Broadways of Crouch End and Muswell Hill two years ago following pressure from residents and Lib Dem councillors in Muswell Hill as well as traders in Crouch End.

However it has taken Haringey Council years to get the cameras online and to date many still remain unusable. It is a similar story in Green Lanes and Seven Sisters.

Among the problems with the cameras are:

Crouch End: 1 of the 7 cameras doesn’t work at all and three others provide very poor images. CCTV cameras at Hornsey Town Hall and the Library are not connected to the system.

Muswell Hill: 1 camera doesn’t work at all and 1 other camera provides poor images.

Green Lanes: cameras have been out of action due to a bus colliding with the transmitter station.

Seven Sisters: cameras have been moved to overcome problems with the signal.

The system has not been formally accepted by Haringey from its contractor because around 40% of the cameras either do not provide usable pictures or do not work at all due to the poor nature of the analogue signal from the sites to the aerials.

Council officers have been trying to resolve the problems with the cameras, which were funded by the Home Office, but Lib Dem Spokesperson Ron Aitken has written to the Lead Member for Community Safety suggesting that it is time to consider legal action against the contractor.

Cllr Aitken (Crouch End) comments:

“Clearly the Police and Council have tried to resolve these problems. However the public have a right to question whether they are getting value for money and a system that works properly to detect crime and provide reassurance to the community. The Council needs to take urgent steps to ensure these shortcomings are addressed.”

Cllr Winskill (Crouch End) adds:

“There are some Alice in Wonderland contractual issues here – money was handed over to the supplier before the system was signed off. They seem to have lost interest in it. I shall be asking Lynne Featherstone MP to approach the Home Office to see if they are still on any approved list. On the basis of this saga, they shouldnt be!”

Haringey Council have acted to remove potentially hazardous metal from a public open space, following an urgent demand from local Lib Dem Councillor Matt Davies (Fortis Green).

Cllr Davies has raised the poor standard of paths in Midhurst Gardens (N2) over the last two years and some remedial work had already been carried out. However, despite repeated requests to remove the metal brackets which used to secure benches (now long since removed) and regenerate the greens there still remains work to be done.

Following the removal of the benches, twisted metal fixings remained and Cllr Davies was shocked to see one of these still sticking out of the concrete on a recent visit to the greens. He raised it with the Council and they have now rectified the oversight and removed the hazard.

Cllr Matt Davies (Fortis Green) comments:

“I am pleased that the Council has now made this hazard safe. There is still much work to be done to improve the quality of the paths through these greens and generally bring them up to standard.

“Public green spaces are limited and we need to make full use of the potential of all of them. I know that the Muswell Hill & Fortis Green Association has also been looking at this site and I am hoping that through the Making The Difference budget we might finally see some welcome improvements to the greens.”

Lib Dem Councillor for Muswell Hill, Gail Engert’s campaign to get a 102 night bus service for the area is gathering pace.

The campaign, launched last month by Cllr Engert to provide a night service of the busy 102 bus, linking Muswell Hill to the centres of Golders Green, East Finchley, Bounds Green, Palmers Green and Edmonton Green, has received support from local user and environmental groups as well as a positive response from local police.

This support from the likes of Living Streets, Safer Neighbourhoods and Haringey Bus Watch has been encouraging to Cllr Engert, who is to meet with Transport for London (TfL) bosses next month to discuss her proposal.

Cllr Engert says that the support that she has received confirms that there is a great demand for the service, which London Buses are currently not providing. However she is keen to gauge support from local club/bar owners and restaurateurs for the service and will be contacting them in the near future.

Cllr Engert comments:

“I am delighted with the positive response I have received from many community groups. It is clear that a bus route would offer safe and cheap transport to bar, club and restaurant users as well as staff – many of who use the 102 bus.

“We are still at very early stage and I welcome any more views from the local community and businesses on the proposals for this night service.”

Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors are calling for urgent action from Haringey Council to sort out the delayed suicide prevention works on the Archway Bridge.

Cllr Bob Hare says that the last meeting to address the issue was cancelled in March, and nothing has happened since. The steering group overseeing the works has not met since before Christmas.

Lib Dems believe that funding has been secured from Transport for London (TfL) to look at solutions, and this money needs to put to good use immediately.

Cllr Bob Hare comments:

“This issue must not be allowed to be pushed into the long grass by Haringey.

“It is vital that this work goes ahead as soon as possible. Lots of other agencies, such as the local health authority, emergency services, the police, and the local residents’ association are only to happy to co-operate and give their time to help sort out the problem. It is the Council’s job to make this happen, and Haringey should be taking urgent steps to bring all these groups together now.”

Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors are calling on Haringey Council to put pressure on Camden to reverse its unpopular decision to close the public toilets in Pond Square.

Cllr Bob Hare has written to the new Lead Member for the Environment urging him to make the reopening of the toilets a top priority.

Cllr Hare says that Camden closed the toilets without public consultation and without properly considering the needs of the local community. However, while Camden cite cost reasons for the closure, Cllr Hare says that because the building is listed, Camden will have to maintain it regardless.

Cllr Hare says the village has many visitors, especially during the summer. In addition to the pubs, bars and restaurants, the toilets are needed for people walking to the Kenwood concerts, Hampstead Heath and Highgate cemetery. In addition, Pond Square is a bus terminus and interchange, and both drivers and many people waiting may need toilet facilities.

Highgate Lib Dems say the two local councils should consider sharing the cost with the local bus company.

Cllr Hare comments:

“Haringey needs to push Camden much harder to restore the public toilets. Using the shops in the village is an everyday activity for very large numbers of Haringey residents, and a lot of people come to Highgate from much farther afield – especially in the summer.The toilets had at least 60,000 visits per year, probably many more, and the closure is not good for business in the village.”