The sustainability of Haringey Council’s Unitary Development Plan has been challenged by Liberal Democrat councillors, who have ‘called in’ to the borough’s top watchdog committee the decision by the Labour-controlled Council Executive not to carry out a sustainability audit of the plan until 2007.

Lib Dem environment spokesperson Cllr Bob Hare says it is crucial that sustainability is considered as part of the forthcoming public inquiry into the UDP proposals. He paid tribute to the Federation of Haringey Residents’ Associations, who have also raised the issue.

Bob Hare, formerly the Council’s Environment Officer, says that the UDP is one of the Council’s most fundamental policy documents, and crucial to sustainability and the environment of the borough. The Labour Council’s attempt to look at sustainability in the UDP through an ‘environment report’ has so far been lightweight and sketchy.

Bob Hare comments:

“Haringey Council agreed it would follow best practice in this area and it plainly has not. Their environment report contains little or no detail to back up its assertions. We are asking the Council to commission a proper detailed audit now so that the results can feed into the public inquiry.

“It is very much in the long-term interests of the borough for the Council to do this now – leaving it till after the UDP has been published will be too late. The long-term environmental costs to the borough from not building sustainability into the UDP policies now could be unthinkable.

“Haringey Council has also failed to follow government recommendations that they should provide alternatives to key policies so that the most sustainable choices could be made.”

Lib Dem councillors are warning that a crisis in provision of secondary school places in the Muswell Hill area is set to follow the crisis in primary places identified in March 2004.

The party says that with offers for year 7 children applying for Haringey secondary schools having gone out on 1 March, figures provided by Haringey Council show an acute lack of places in the west of the Borough.

Under the new Pan-London admissions scheme parents gave preferences from one to six on their application forms. The preferences given show how demand is vastly outstripping supply in the west of the borough. Alexandra Park school is attracting 809 1st, 2nd or 3rd preferences whilst there are only 216 places on offer, with the same figures for Fortismere being 908 1st, 2nd or 3rd preferences for just 243 places.

Even with six choices, Haringey Council admits that “a number of applicants will not be offered any of their preferences.”

Councillor Gail Engert (Muswell Hill ward), Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson comments:

“Where is the choice much vaunted by Tony Blair and New Labour? A staggering 359 parents chose Fortismere School as their first choice, whilst there are only 243 places. What kind of choice is that? It seems that we now have a crisis over the lack of secondary school places in the Muswell Hill area that is only set to get worse as the children taking up the extra new primary places at Coldfall and Tetherdown schools move through the system.”

Cllr Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson, adds:

“Haringey’s lack of planning over the whole school places issue has been shown up again. Theirs is always a sticking-plaster approach. When one school places problem is tackled, it results in another elsewhere in the system. Only a long-term approach to planning for school places in the Muswell Hill area will move us away from this situation.”

Lynne Featherstone voiced her concerns at the decision of the Metropolitan Police Authority to impose a 2% cap on the growth of police officer numbers in Haringey for 2005/6, in effect denying the borough 14 extra officers.

Responding to the decision, Ms Featherstone said,

“The police in Haringey are working hard to bring down crime and tackle anti-social behaviour. They need all the resources and support they can get.

“This decision is a cruel blow to the community, who rightly expect to see the police they pay for, and which the Met itself says Haringey needs, out patrolling their streets.

“I have written to the Metropolitan Police Authority Chair, Len Duvall, making it clear that I expect extra resources to be made available to Haringey should the cap affect the ability of our local police to do their job properly, and seeking his assurance that in the future the MPA will make it a priority to bring Haringey up to its full officer entitlement.”

Lib Dem Councillor for Crouch End Cllr Ron Aitken has welcomed action by Haringey Council to investigate the growth of an unofficial builder’s yard on the site of the covered Thames Water Reservoir at the top of Mount View Road and Ferme Park Road.

Cllr Aitken referred the matter to the Council’s enforcement team after local residents expressed concern about a fire on the site and the erection of various temporary structures.

Cllr Ron Aitken comments:

“It is good news that the Council intends to act over this site, which has become an instant eyesore for passers-by in general but particularly the residents living nearby.

“It is a concern that such an activity can spring up on a sensitive green site without hindrance.”

Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson Lynne Featherstone has welcomed moves to tackle the speeding problem on Bounds Green Road.

The road has been subject to a number of accidents in recent times, and Haringey Council has now told Cllr Featherstone that they are seeking to introduce additional speed cameras on the stretch of the road near the North Circular. Ms Featherstone says that if approved the new cameras should be introduced during the 2005/06 financial year.

Lynne Featherstone has also expressed concern about cars overtaking onto the wrong side of Bounds Green Road near the North Circular. Haringey Council has told her that they are waiting for Transport for London’s detailed proposals for the A406 widening in Bounds Green before deciding on additional measures for this section.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased that action is likely to improve safety on this very wide and busy road.

“Speed cameras and signs will help, but the Council must get to grips with additional traffic islands on the road on the approach to the North Circular. I will continue to press Haringey Council to ensure these improvements are carried out as part of the wider A406 scheme.”

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Ron Aitken has challenged Labour to explain differences in what it has told different people over the controversial closure of the Red Gables family health centre in Crouch End.

Under pressure over the cuts, the Labour lead members for Social Services told residents campaigning to protect services at the site that there are no plans to sell it. However, Cllr Ron Aitken points out that in a letter dated 28 Jan2005 , Kate Wynne, Lead Member for Social Services , wrote:

“The use of the Red Gables Home will be phased out over the two year period, with money from the building directed into the new assessment team.”

Cllr Wynne has since admitted that the centre will indeed be closed.

Cllr Aitken comments:

“This letter shows Labour has been playing politics over the future of Red Gables. Where was this money coming from if the Red Gables site isn’t being sold? Residents will rightly suspect that Labour were really planning to sell the site despite their public claims to the contrary. We need a full and honest explanation, as residents were clearly led to believe there was hope for the future of the site. They do not want a virtual service as proposed by Labour.”

Lib Dem councillors in Highgate have welcomed moves by the Met to beef up neighbourhood policing in the area following growing concern about the crime rate.

However, Lib Dem leader and local councillor Neil Williams warns that Highgate must have its full complement of community police officers if the problem is to be fully addressed.

Cllr Williams says he has had increased complaints from local residents in recent weeks about burglary and car crime in the area and has raised the issue of Highgate policing at Haringey Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee and with Chief Supt Stephen Bloomfield, Haringey’s police boss.

Mr Bloomfield has agreed to increase uniformed police patrols in the area “with immediate effect” and has promised to look at other measures, which he will set out shortly.

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“I am pleased that Haringey police has agreed to boost police patrols in Highgate, but I look forward to a wide programme of future action from the police.

“Highgate, along with Muswell Hill, has been without a beat officer for several months now, and this is very worrying. We also have a commitment that the Met will look at policing in the wider Highgate area, as because of its position on the edge of three boroughs, Highgate is often last to benefit from initiatives such as neighbourhood policing.

“Lynne Featherstone, who sits on the Metropolitan Police Authority, has a commitment from the MPA that this will now be addressed.”

Liberal Democrats have vowed to press for improvements to a much-loved local library that Haringey Labour once tried to close.

This follows a useful consultation meeting last night on the future of the Muswell Hill library site, where local Lib Dem councillors, library campaigners and Haringey Council officials gave their views.

Lib Dem Cllr Gail Engert says the idea to expand the site to the rear of the building (into an existing car park owned by the council) is very popular with her constituents. Building at the rear of the existing site will almost double the footprint of the building. It will also allow for installation of a lift, bringing the upper floor into use for disabled residents.

Haringey Council reckons the scheme would cost at least £355,000, and spending is also needed to bring the existing building up to standard. The ideas will now go before the Labour-controlled Council Executive.

Lib Dem councillor Gail Engert (Muswell Hill) comments:

“This was a useful consultation exercise, as there is clearly a wide consensus among councillors and library campaigners that improvements should be made on the existing site if at all possible, as the library ismuch loved and very centrally located.

“Muswell Hill gets few resources from the Council and this is one relatively small project that would really benefit the area. The Council must therefore do all it can to secure the necessary funding.”

At last night’s Full Council, Liberal Democrats have given their firm backing to a motion promoted by the Living Streets campaign in Haringey – but called on Haringey Council to utter more than warm words on the issue.

Cllr Bob Hare, Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson who has worked closely with the Living Streets campaign in the borough, urged Haringey Council to back up their words with deeds. He cited the example of the New River Development in Hornsey, where an ocean of roadway has been allowed in that part of Hornsey High Street, creating an environment very unfriendly for pedestrians.

Bob Hare comments:

“We must do all we can to promote living streets in Haringey, but this amounts to far more than warm words from Labour, who very often fail to back up their warm words with deeds on the issue.

“Spending money on schemes such as better Haringey will not on its own solve the problem. We need a real change of attitude at the Council, one that puts Living Streets and pedestrians first.”

Haringey Labour has been asked to come clean about the astonishing 38% rise in Council Tax over the four budgets of the current Labour administration. The move follows last night’s setting of the Band D Council Tax at £1322.88, and repeated questioning of the Labour Council leader, who insisted again yesterday that the tax has risen by 32% since 2001.

A bad enough figure, say the Lib Dems, but less than the 38% increase local Council Tax payers have in fact had to endure.

Lib Dem Finance Spokesperson Cllr Stephen Gilbert also says that the figure could have been even higher, but for behind-the-scenes pressure from the Labour Environment Minister, who wrote to Haringey Council last year demanding that Labour’s planned seven-percent-plus increase be curbed.

Labour also faced further criticism last night for failing to address the impact of the tax increase on Haringey pensioners. When asked how much pensioners would save under the Lib Dems’ proposal of a local income tax, Labour’s Finance Lead Member couldn’t answer.

Lib Dem Finance Spokesperson Stephen Gilbert (Fortis Green) comments:

“Haringey Labour has no answers to explain its astonishing increase in Council Tax over the four budgets of this Labour administration. They blame the Labour Government, which in turn blames the Labour Council. While this blame game within Labour continues, local people are having to find the money to pay the tax – and services are definitely not 38% better as a result.”

Lib Dem Group Leader Neil Williams (Highgate) adds: “Local pensioners who do not pay income tax would pay nothing at all under Lib Dem proposals to replace Council Tax with a local income tax. It is a much fairer system.”