Lib Dems are calling for Haringey Council to consider fully any applications from outside bidders to take over the two Haringey care homes currently facing closure.

The move follows revelations by Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson and local councillor Lynne Featherstone last week that at least one of the two homes has been the subject of an offer of purchase and for it to be run as a going concern. In response to this revelation, the Labour Lead Member said she had not made the offer public in order not to raise the hopes of residents and their relatives.

Lib Dems says that the proposals should be looked at seriously and openly by Haringey Council, and residents and their relatives may well find the bid to run the homes as a going concern far preferable to their closure and the moving of residents to other locations.

Lib Dem Social Services Spokesperson Cllr Wayne Hoban comments:

“Residents and their relatives are entitled to know of any proposals on the table for either or both of Cooperscroft and Trentfield and they must be looked at fully and fairly.

“It is not a question of getting people’s hopes up but looking at all the possibilities. Residents will understand that, and will want this process to take place without prejudice.”

Haringey Lib Dem Councillor and GLA member Lynne Featherstone has said she is pleased at a commitment from the Metropolitan Police Authority that it will tackle the issue of neighbourhood policing in Highgate.

The move follows a request from Ms Featherstone during a visit to Haringey last Thursday by MPA Chair Len Duval.

Ms Featherstone says that the Highgate area, split between three boroughs, is losing out on police initiatives to improve neighbourhood policing under the Safer Neighbourhoods Scheme. The trend is clear, as other areas such as Crystal Palace, also situated on a number of borough boundaries, have pointed out the same problem.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Highgate is split between three boroughs and therefore no single borough will put the area forward as a Safer Neighbourhood area. Yet the same need for neighbourhood policing exists in Highgate just as it does in other areas where the scheme is being rolled out.

“I am glad that this problem will now be looked at over the next six months so that before the next roll-out of the scheme, Highgate, Crystal Palace and other areas suffering similarly, will have the same rights to neighbourhood policing as areas contained wholly within one borough.”

Traffic jams in Colney Hatch Lane could be reduced if plans for new double yellow lines get the final go-ahead. Local Liberal Democrat councillor Lynne Featherstone says that the changes would prevent snarl-ups caused by parked cars on the busy route just south of Muswell Hill Broadway.

Cllr Featherstone has undertaken a site visit on the issue with a council officer and a consultation has now taken place, which received a positive result from the majority of local residents who responded.

Lynne Featherstone, comments:

“The overall impact will be extremely positive, with less congestion and pollution in the Muswell Hill area. In a small number of places where the loss of parking spaces would be a problem, the Council is looking at providing some on-kerb parking. We are now waiting for the Council to work out the details of the scheme.”

Muswell Hill councillor Lynne Featherstone has moved a step closer in her long-running campaign to make safe the dangerous Muswell Hill/ Park Road junction, N10 after Haringey Council confirmed that they are seeking funding for this financial year for a number of improvements.

The news comes after months of frustration for local residents and Cllr Featherstone who have had to work hard to secure the improvements to a traffic blackspot.

The improvements planned for this financial year, dependent upon funding being secured, include the implementation of an anti-skid surface at selected locations and additional markings to improve lane discipline.

Cllr Featherstone welcomes the news but believes further safety improvements are needed for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Cllr Featherstone comments:

“This junction is an accident hotspot in the borough mainly due to its very poor lay-out.

“In an ideal world, it would be completely redesigned. However these planned improvements will help to improve safety for local residents and all who use it.”

Overflowing dog bins with three weeks worth of mess were finally emptied and cleaned up in Priory Park earlier this month after Lynne Featherstone asked Haringey Council to take urgent action.

Cllr Featherstone was alerted to the problem by a local resident who said that the bins had not been emptied, with many of them spilling over. Despite contacting Haringey Council on six separate occasions, the concerned resident saw no action taken.

Cllr Featherstone immediately contacted the Council demanding a swift response. The Council replied apologising for their contractor, who had expressed regret that a lapse had occurred. They assured her that the mess had been cleared.

Cllr Featherstone is pleased that action has been taken. However she has expressed concern at the contractor’s performance and the Council’s failure to address a serious health complaint by a resident.

Cllr Lynne Featherstone comments:

“While Haringey Council continues to promote itself as Better Haringey complaints such as these continue to roll in.This resident’s serious complaints were ignored six times.

“The Council must monitor its contractors and ensure that they are providing the service that residents pay for through their taxes.”

Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone has successfully secured an assurance from Haringey Council that will ensure the safety of the derelict Strathlene House site in Muswell Hill. The news comes after weeks of pressure from Cllr Featherstone who is concerned that the building could be a potential health and safety hazard.

Cllr Featherstone, who has visited the site with local residents, has been concerned that the windows of the empty building in Muswell Hill were slamming open and shut during high winds. She contacted the Council to request that they secure the property, situated adjacent to Fortismere School.

The Council initially said that they were powerless to do anything to secure the building because it was private property and it was the responsibility ofthe owners to secure it. However following persistent pressure from Cllr Featherstone, the Council have visited the site and agreed to take action. This week they confirmed they will be writing to the property owner and advising them to secure the premises. If they fail to act the Council has assured Cllr Featherstone that a notice will be served.

Cllr Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased that the Council has finally agreed to take action.

“The building’s location means that it is a danger if it is not safe and secure. I will be keeping a close eye on this issue to ensure swift action is taken.”

Lib Dem councillor Laura Edge has secured the removal of a large area of graffiti in Ferme Park Road, N8. The removal of the graffiti eyesore situated above a launderette in the road follows 12 months of campaigning by Cllr Edge.

The issue was originally brought to her attention while canvassing as a candidate in last January’s Stroud Green by-election. She contacted Haringey Council who investigated but no action was taken until last week.

Haringey Council has explained to Cllr Edge that due to the positioning of the graffiti, on the wall above the launderette’s roof, there were a number of access and health and safety issues that had to be addressed before action could be taken.

It was only last week that the Council finally gained an indemnity from the launderette owner that allowed the Council to gain access to the property to do the removal work.

Cllr Edge comments:

“I am delighted that this long-standing eyesore has finally been removed from the area.

“I hope that Council has learned from this episode and the next request for graffiti removal will take a week rather than a year.”

Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson Lynne Featherstone today joined party leader Charles Kennedy MP at the launch of new plans to help working mothers after the birth of their first child. They also visited the Gower School, a nursery school in Islington, to discuss the new policy with local parents.

The Liberal Democrat ‘Maternity Income Guarantee’ will mean that hundreds of working mothers in Haringey would be paid at least £4,420 for the 26 weeks of statutory maternity leave when they are starting a family. This equates to £170 per week, the equivalent of the gross income of the minimum wage for a 35-hour week.

Around 200,000 working women nationwide have their first baby every year. Under the Maternity Income Guarantee, the majority would be significantly better off – and not one would lose out.

Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

“Today we put in place a new policy which is an important part of the childcare jigsaw – helping working mothers in the first months after the birth. We are proposing a radical reform of maternity pay provision for the first-born child:a reform which will particularly benefit women on low incomes.

“Our Maternity Income Guarantee forms a solid base for working women to plan their first baby’s first months. It will help to prevent this most exciting of times for new parents being marred by the financial worry that can so often accompany it.

“For single mothers, for low-income families, for all working women who want the best for their new family, the choice of our Maternity Income Guarantee will reward them with a working wage for the first 6 months of their first child’s life.”

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat candidate in Hornsey and Wood Green said:

“There are very substantial costs involved in having your first child, and the Liberal Democrats are guaranteeing real financial security for a full six months.

“We recognise that bringing up your first child is a tough job and this needs to be reflected in a proper maternity pay package. Tens of thousands of working mothers would benefit from our proposals every year, particularly those with lower incomes.

“We are committed to giving mothers the choice to spend more time at home in their child’s early months, without feeling financially pressurised to return to work.”

Notes:

Liberal Democrats would give working families having their first child the option to have the mother stay at home for 6 months with an income equivalent to minimum wage. Becoming a parent for the first time is a daunting task and giving new working parents more support has benefits for them, their babies, their employers and the economy.

The Liberal Democrat ‘Maternity Income Guarantee’ will guarantee all working mothers will be paid at least £4,420 for the 26 weeks of statutory maternity leave when they are starting a family.This equates to £170 per week, the equivalent of the gross income of the minimum wage for a 35-hour week.

At present, statutory maternity pay is 90% of salary for six weeks and £102 for another 20 weeks. For those working women on higher salaries, for whom the current system provides more than the Maternity Income Guarantee, the Statutory Maternity Pay system would still be available.They could continue with the current system, if it suits them.

But the Maternity Income Guarantee would mean for every woman who earns less than £22,000, this would mean more money when her first child is born. For example a woman on a salary of £14,000 will receive more than £900 extra over the 26-week period.

Around 200,000 working women have their first baby every year.Under the Maternity Income Guarantee, the majority would be significantly better off – and not one would lose out.

Liberal Democrats have voiced their dismay at the axing of six vital ‘watchdog’ committees by the Labour Group on Haringey Council. The move, agreed without consultation by the borough’s ruling Labour group, was confirmed at last week’s meeting of the borough’s top watchdog body, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Six Scrutiny Panels, covering Social Services, Environment, Housing, Regeneration, Education and Performance, are to be swept away and replaced with just one body, which will conduct inquiries on a ‘single issue’ basis.It follows the abolition of the Policing Committee last year. Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams says this will damage the ability of the Council to monitor the work of key council functions. He says it is the wrong response to criticism from the Audit Commission for the poor performance of scrutiny in the London Borough of Haringey and the running of scrutiny by the Labour group on a party-political basis.

The move was all the more astonishing, says Councillor Williams, as nearly all the Labour members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee expressed their disagreement with the changes – and then quietly voted them through.

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“This is a cynical move from Labour, and it does not address the real problem with scrutiny in Haringey, which is down to the attitude of the Labour group. They have been forced to make changes because of outside criticism but have taken steps to ensure that they will not be held properly to account in the Council.Hardly a single member of the Scrutiny Committee supported it, but it is going through anyway. We will continue to try to make scrutiny work better, but I am not optimistic, given this latest cynical ploy.”

Cllr Gail Engert, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson in Haringey, has expressed deep concern at figures released this week showing that Haringey has 30 temporary buildings in use in LEA-run schools in the borough.

The figures, published by the Government in response to a question from Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson on London Sarah Teather MP, also showed the estimated costs of repair and maintenance – including the estimated backlog of repairs – for the next five years.

Haringey is estimated to need over £39m to repair and maintain schools over this period and Cllr Engert fears that these figures could mean that many of the temporary buildings currently in use could become permanent at the schools where they are sited.

She says that she will be raising her concerns over temporary buildings and pushing for clear plans from the Council and LEA for replacing the temporary buildings.

Cllr Gail Engert (Muswell Hill) comments:

“These figures make worrying reading. We need to establish how many children are being regularly taught in temporary buildings at primary and secondary schools.”

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem Parliamentary spokeswoman for Hornsey and Wood Green, adds:

“Haringey Council needs to have a clear idea of what temporary means and stick to it. We will be asking the Council to detail its plans for the replacement of these temporary buildings that do little to enhance the teaching environment.”