Haringey Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Social Services Cllr Ron Aitkenrevealed on Thursday night (21st October) the existence of two secretHaringey Council reports which, he says, should have been made public before thedecision by the Council’s Labour-run Executive was made to permanently closetwo care homes and temporarily close a third earlier this month.

Cllr Aitken, along with GLA Assembly Member Lynne Featherstone, called inthe Executive’s decision for the Council’s Watchdog Committee to scrutinise and discuss. The twosecret reports, disclosed by Cllr Aitken at Thursday’s meeting, paint adisturbing picture of the Council’s failings in addressing carehome funding issues.

The first is a secret report to the Council’s Executive or ‘Cabinet’ fromJuly 2003 concerning the sale of Honeywood, another home which was closed byHaringey and left empty for a considerable period.

The other report went before Haringey’s General Purpose Committeeduring the Council’s summer recess this year and concerned a cut in pay forsome residential care staff.

Cllr Aitken also revealed that previous mismanagement of the residentialhomes had forced Haringey to raid its Child Protection Budget in the periodleading up to the death of Victoria Climbie in order to keep the residentialhomes, which were in a very poor state, going.

Cllr Aitken comments:

“We need more answers from Haringey’s Labour Group, because previousassurances about the financial background to the closure of care homes havebeen broken. It is a fact that capital receipts are pooled, and when thehomes were previously sold to Circle 33 the promised financial returns nevermaterialised. There are also two key reports known only to a small circle ofLabour Councillors which should be made public before the closures goahead.

“Furthermore, plans to close and rebuild Osborne Grove Older People’s Homein Stroud Green are also deeply worrying. Haringey’s failures to deliverservices for the elderly at Hornsey Central Hospital, which has been talkedabout for 15 years, as well as the fiasco over Alexandra Palace, mean thatthey cannot be trusted to close and then rebuild Osborne Grove within therequired budget or timetable.”

Lib Dem GLA member Lynne Featherstone has joined forces with Fortis Green election candidate Martin Newton and local party leader and Highgate councillor Neil Williams to put renewed pressure on Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone to give the go-ahead for a trial full service on the 603 bus route.Ms Featherstone says Ken Livingstone can – if he wishes – instruct Transport for London’s to agree to a trial of a full service after the successful partial trial at school run hours earlier in the year.

Ms Featherstone, accompanied to City Hall by Cllr WIlliams and Martin Newton, has also tabled a question to the Mayor asking for an immediate, third, bus on the route as a short-term measure, due to the large numbers using the 603 on its limited school run timetable (see photo).

Lynne Featherstone comments: “I hope that Ken Livingstone will listen and see sense over the need for a full timetable on the route. After the success of the early morning trial, a full trial is the only sensible way forward.

Lib Dem candidate Martin Newton adds: “People in Fortis Green are following the fortunes of the 603 very keenly as the bus comes through the heart of the area. As a simple and urgent measure, there is a pressing need for an extra bus on themorning service, which is proving very popular.”

Councillor Neil Williams adds: “This is a crunch test for Labour. Are they really in favour of the bus route or not?”

Lib Dems in Highgate have welcomed the agreement of Haringey Council to repaintbus stop markings outside Channing School, N6 after they were replaced witha single yellow line during the recent introduction of the CPZ to the area.

Highgate Councillor Mel Simpson contacted Haringey Council after residentsexpressed their concern at the dangerous situation caused by the removal ofthe bus stop markings in Highgate High Street.

The single yellow linepainted in its place meant that vehicles often parked in a solid lineoutside the school when the CPZ was not in force (outside the hours of10-noon). The result was that many bus users, including school children, had to step out into the busy road on leaving the bus and to be seen whenwaiting for the bus.

Cllr Simpson is pleased that Haringey have responded to the issues raisedand repainted the markings.

Cllr Melanie Simpson comments:

“We have successfully pressed for improvements in road safety around manyschools in the borough. This small action has improved the safety for bothschool children and local residents who use the bus.”

Haringey Lib Dem councillors Gail Engert and Bob Hare have secured almost£1,000 of new plantings, including six new trees, for the council-owned Summerland Gardens car park at the rear of Marks and Spencer, Muswell Hill.

Council officers released the report and costings for the car park last weekfollowing a site visit with the councillors in August.

The report highlights manyissues that will be addressed by Haringey Council in the coming months after thecouncillors raised to them on the site visit. These include:

* Six new trees to be planted around the car park

* General tidy up of areas that have become overgrown

* Information boards to be re-positioned at rear of Marks and Spencer to allow for more trees

* Some pruning of current trees to improve lighting and regular inspections to continue to be carried out

* Investigating the cost of installing bicycle stands in the car park to stop trees being damaged

On Cllr Engert’s suggestion, Haringey Council has agreed to approach Marks &Spencer and seek some help in paying for these improvements, as many of thecar park users are customers of the store. A meeting is to be arranged inthe next couple of months.

Environment spokesperson Cllr Hare is pleased with the news so far and hopes that residents will see theseimprovements as soon as possible.

Cllr Hare comments: “The site visit has created a good plan for greenimprovements. Just because this is a car park, it shouldn’t be an eyesoreand I think the new plantings and other improvements suggested will make thearea more aesthetically pleasing.

“I hope now that Haringey has a plan, these ideas can be implementedsoon.”

Cllr Engert (Muswell Hill) adds: ” Marks and Spencer benefits greatly fromthe location of the car park. With that in mind I am hopeful that they willassist Haringey Council in funding these improvements.”

Lib Dems have successfully secured the cancellation of parking tickets andchange of restrictions signage in Southwood Lane, N6.

The cancellations comeafter a number of local residents complained that Haringey Council had ticketedtheir cars on a Saturday even though there should have been no restrictions.

Southwood Lane has had waiting restrictions Monday – Friday 8am-6.30pm andmany residents park there on a Saturday. However, they were stunned toreturn to their cars and find they had received tickets on Saturday morning(16th October). On closer inspection it transpired that Haringey Council hadreplaced all but one of the old signs, with new ones restricting parkingfrom Monday – Saturday, with no notification of these changes. The residentscontacted Lib Dem Councillors who immediately got in touch with the Councildemanding an explanation.

Following enquiries from the Lib Dems and the Highgate Society, Haringey Counciladmitted to erecting the wrong signs, with restrictions on Saturday, whenreplacing the old ones.

They have apologised for the error and have given assurances that the signshave been replaced with ones that state the correct waiting restrictions. They have confirmed that they will be cancellingthe tickets.

The councillors are pleased with the decision. However they areconcerned that mistakes may have been made in other roads in the area andhave asked Haringey Council to investigate. Furthermore Cllr Gail Engert (MuswellHill) is pursuing the Council over compensation for a resident who was towedaway from the road, despite being parked near the only remaining old signthat stated the original Monday to Friday restrictions.

Cllr Featherstone comments: “We are glad that we have got Haringey toadmit its mistake and correct it. However we are concerned that mistakes mayhave been made in other roads in the area and we have asked the Council torecheck its parking signs.”

Cllr Gail Engert adds: “There are still some issues that the Council mustresolve including ensuring that residents who received fines are notified oftheir cancellation. I am also trying to get to the bottom of the towing awayincident and find out whether the Council has refunded the resident andoffered compensation for the cost and inconvenience of the removal of theirvehicle.”

In the battle to secure a primary school on the site of the TUC building in Crouch End, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson Lynne Featherstone has written to TUC boss Brendan Barber urging him to back up his words with deeds on the issue.

In her letter, Ms Featherstone points out that Mr Barber should stand by remarks he made recently about the European Social Forum conference in Haringey, which attracted over 20 000 delegates from all parts of the world. In the Londoner newspaper, Mr Barber wrote that one aspiration of the Forum and the trade union movement in particular, was to”… create a Europe for people not profit.”

Ms Featherstone urges that the TUC should put that aspiration into practice when considering the views of local people in Crouch End as it disposes of its lease on the Crouch End site.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“The future of the TUC site is a wonderful opportunity for the trade unions to demonstrate that it values and supports efforts to extend school provision.I hope that the TUC will understand the importance of this site as a school for local children and work with Haringey Council to ensure that its future as such is secured.”

In the Fortis Green by-election, Lib Dem candidate and local resident Martin Newton has written to voters with five key positive pledges for their approval on polling day, 11th November. Martin’s pledges are:

• FIGHTING CRIME: Work with police to extend Muswell Hill police station’s opening hours for the public.

• IMPROVING TRANSPORT: Get trial all-day service on 603 and get an extra bus in the timetable at school-run times.

• LOCAL SCHOOLS: Secure more local primary school places for local children.

• HARINGEY SOCIAL SERVICES: Hold to account those who employed a convicted sex offender as driver of a children’s bus.

• COUNCIL HOUSING: Give council tenants a vote to decide whether Haringey should transfer their homes to another organisation.

Lib Dem candidate Martin Newton comments:

“The Liberal Democrats have shown how things can be better. We successfully worked with residents and overcame Labour’s opposition to the 603 bus. We got door-to-door recycling extended across the borough. I am looking forward to receiving people’s views on how we can secure further positive changes for the area.”

Liberal Democrat London Assembly member Lynne Featherstone has secured assurances that urgent action will be taken to resolve the poor drainage problem by Chiltern Court at the foot of Pages Hill, Muswell Hill.

The request for action by Cllr Featherstone was made after she received complaints from local residents that their properties were being regularly flooded because the current drains are insufficient to handle the volume of water that flows down the hill.

Following an investigation of the site, Haringey Council noted the area was susceptible to flooding and has put in a request to its contractors to install linear drainage across the full width of the opening to property in the area, to be implemented as a matter of urgency.

Cllr Featherstone has welcomed the Council’s plans but says that the Council must address the issue of poor drainage across the borough.

Cllr Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased that Haringey Council is taking action to resolve the flooding problem in Pages Hill.I deal with many residents’ complaints, particularly at this time of year regarding blocked drains and flooding. It is important that the Council quickly and effectively resolves this problem. It can can often lead to hazardous roads and pavements, and damage to people’s homes.”

Haringey Lib Dem Councillors have ‘called in’ the decision by Haringey Council’s Labour Executive to close two care homes. This means that they will be considered at a special meeting of Haringey Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The call-in was initiated by Lib Dem Social Services Spokesperson Cllr Ron Aitken and supported by four other Lib Dem Councillors including Lynne Featherstone, a member of the GLA’s Health Committee.

Lib Dem councillors, as well as many local campaigners and residents’ families have a number of concerns that they feel Haringey Council needs to address. They also say that Haringey has broken a promise that it would not embark on the closures:

• Only two of the five options for the future of the homes were considered and further work is to be done on only one option – closure of the two homes.
• The decision was taken by the Executive without reference to the Social Services and Health Scrutiny Panel, who would expect to be able to scrutinise the policy and financial implications of the strategy.
• Discussion of strategy for the care homes took place behind closed doors away from opposition members and the public at the council leader’s conference last month.
• The Council failed to highlight plans to close the two homes in its ‘Forward Plan’ document that is supposed to outline ‘Key Decisions’, such as large expenditures or policies that effect more than one borough, to be made over the following six months.
• Previous disposals of care homes by the Labour-run Council, most recently the Honeywood residential care home, were supposed to be ring-fenced to improve the remaining homes. However the Lib Dems say it is doubtful whether this money went back into the remaining homes.

Lib Dem Social Services spokesperson Cllr Ron Aitken has been working closely with care home residents and their families who feel that the Council has addressed none of their concerns. He says that it is essential that this important decision is properly scrutinised and discussed, with families concerns fully addressed.

Cllr Ron Aitken comments:

“I am pleased that our call-in has been accepted on a decision which the Council appears to have made against the wishes of residents and their families and with minimal consultation.

“The call-in will allow us to decipher whether this is another asset stripping sell-off exercise, and whether it is a properly thought out policy that will improve community care for people over the next 5 -10 years. I sadly fear the former is the case.”

Liberal Democrat councillors are warning of a bogus charity operating in the Hornsey area, after one of their leaflets was spotted by a Lib Dem deliverer while out leafleting last week (4th October).

The organisation, Kosta Ltd, is a London registered company known by trading standards in Haringey and other parts of the country from Gloucestershire to Rotherham , all of whom warn of the ‘bogus charity’ and its request to:

“PLEASE HELP THOSE WHO REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT! CLOTHING COLLECTION. We will be grateful if you could kindly donate your unwanted clothes, paired footwear and household linen … Many thanks from KOSTA LTD”. (Quote taken from Lewisham Trading Standards website)

Lib Dems say that Kosta Ltd is believed to operate from abroad and to not be a registered charity. No area trading standards team has been able to verify whether it donates the clothes to a registered charity. As a result all complaints about the company have been upheld.

Cllr Gail Engert says that residents need to be aware of who they are donating clothes or money to. She says that by following advice from trading standards, residents should be able to ensure that their donations go to the right people.

Cllr Gail Engert comments:

“Leaflets for clothing collections from genuine registered charities will always include the organisation’s full name, address and a charity registration number, which can be checked on the charity commission website.

“I hope that this does not discourage generous residents in Haringey from donating to charity.It is more a reminder to ensure that the profits from the goods you are donating are going to those who really need help and not into someone’s pocket.”

Anyone who wants to check if a charity is genuine can ring the Charity Commission Contact Centre on 0870 333 0123 or visit their website at www.charity-commission.gov.uk.