Liberal Democrats have hit back at claims by Haringey Council that the departure of the Assistant Director of Children’s Services is part of areorganisation of the Council.

Just days before the resignation, the Council at its Annual Meeting voted through the existing structure as part of Haringey Council’s constitution (see part K.5 management structure/ social services directorate, page 12) which clearly shows the existing officer structure.

Liberal Democrat Social Services spokesperson, Ron Aitken comments:

“No hint was given before the Council’s Annual Meeting that any change in the structure in the department was contemplated. Indeed this would be the sixth or seventh restructuring since the 1980s and it can only be damaging to staff morale.”

Liberal Democrat councillors in the Muswell Hill area have expressed their extreme disappointment at Haringey Council’s negative response to parents left without school places in the area this year following a meeting with parents.

Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone comments:

“This is a blow to local parents, and they have been in the unenviable position of having had their hopes raised to no avail. I’m very tempted to believe that Haringey set up the working group just to push the issue into the long grass, past the Council’s Annual General Meeting, where parents could have pursued the issue.”

As crunch time moves ever closer over the future of the Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage bus route, Lib Dem GLA member and local councillor Lynne Featherstone is calling on residents to put in writing their demand for a full service on the 603 route.

The trial service on the 603 Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage bus route is nominally due to cometo an end in June, but Transport for London (TfL) have said that buses will continue until a review of the service takes place.

The next stage is crucial, says Lynne Featherstone, who is now asking local people for their help.

The review of the service is likely to be concluded in August or September and one of the factors to be taken into account is comments received by TfL’s customer services. As people often do not write to customer services, Cllr Featherstone is urging residents to write. She is gathering in comments to present to TfL’s customer services to ensure people’s views are fully represented when decisions are made.

Residents can show their support for the service by sending Cllr Featherstone their views, which she will pass on to Transport for London. Readers can send an email, including a full name, address and postcode, or write to FREEPOST LON1113, 100 Uplands Road, LONDON N8 9BR.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I hope as many people as possible will join us in our bid for a full service, now that the 603 trial period is coming to an end. We must keep up the pressure for an expansion of the 603.”

Lib Dem GLA member and Haringey councillor Lynne Featherstone has expressed concern about the positions of speed calming measures in Wolves Lane, Wood Green.

The comments followed a site visit conducted by Ms Featherstone to inspect the positions of chicanes on the road after concerns were raised by residents in the area.

Ms Featherstone says that the chicanes are very near the junctions on the busy road, where cars speed and drivers entering Wolves Lane from side turnings face cars on the wrong side of the road.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“The position of the chicanes on Wolves Lane does concern me. I am asking Haringey Council to justify their present positions, which appear to be both a safety hazard and a cause of extra congestion on both this and the surrounding roads.”

37% of residents in the west of Haringey have had difficulty in finding an NHS dentist according to figures published by Haringey’s Lib Dem Council Group.

The statistics gathered from the party’s annual residents’ survey of Lib Dem represented wards confirms concerns that large numbers of people are already without access to an NHS dentist.

Lib Dem Group Leader Neil Williams believes that the statistics do not fully reflect the scale of the problem. He says that although many residents surveyed answered ‘no’ to the NHS dentist question, the comments that some added to their answer implied they had given up even trying to get a health service dentist a long time ago.

The results of the Lib Dem survey are even more poignant in light of last weeks survey by the British Dental Association (BDA) that found nearly six out of ten high street dentists are threatening to reduce their NHS commitment or quit the health service completely.

Neil Williams comments:

“It is a very worrying situation. Dentists seem disillusioned with the Government’s hollow promises. Unless the Government addresses this problem urgently, visits to the dentists will become a luxury that many will be unable to afford.”

Lib Dem GLA candidate Wayne Hoban has called for NHS bosses to reassure concerned residents about the future of St Ann’s Hospital.His comments came following a public meeting last week on the future of the site.

Concerns have risen over the fact that Haringey council’s Unitary Development Plan (UDP) describes St Ann’s as a ‘former’ hospital, which has fuelled suspicion that the it may be earmarked for closure. Although a staff notice from hospital management to St. Ann’s staff was produced at the meeting in which it is stated that there are plans to update and modernise services on the site rather than to close it, suspicion remains that there is a hidden agenda to sell off a large part of the site.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Wayne Hoban is pointing out that Haringey is required by the London Mayor to provide almost 20,000 new homes, which will inevitably place an increasing burden on Haringey’s already stretched schools, GP’s and transport systems. It therefore makes sense to not only retain the St. Ann’s Hospital site, but to expand the range of on-site facilities to meet this demand, such as a walk-in NHS diagnostic centre, minor injuries unit, voluntary sector organisations, etc. This would reduce the need for local people to travel long distances to the North Middlesex Hospital or even further for their NHS investigations and treatment.

Wayne Hoban comments:

“Retention of the St Ann’s site is vital. I will therefore be seeking assurances from the Primary Care Trust and Haringey Council that the site will be retained for the purpose of providing high quality and locally accessible health and social care related services.”

Lib Dem councillors in Muswell Hill have welcomed steps taken by the owners of the Odeon cinema to improve conditions in the car park and the entrances to flats at the back of the site. Steps have been taken to remove accumulated rubbish.

Lib Dem councillors Gail Engert and Lynne Featherstone (Muswell Hill), who have been pushing for the improvements, say the measures are appreciated by local residents and shopkeepers alike, and the latter are particularly pleased that so much unsightly rubbish has been removed from the site.

Site managers have thanked councillors for bringing the state of the car park to their attention, and have since agreed to make it a daily task to clean the car park to prevent litter build up and fly tipping.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased we have secured a clear up in the area of the Odeon car park. We will be monitoring the situation to see that things to do not deteriorate in future, as rubbish on the site has been very off-putting in the recent past.”

Crouch End’s Liberal Democrat councillors have expressed dismay that Labour-run Haringey Council has moved to exclude them from plans to establish a skate park or skateboard project for kids in the Crouch End area. The Council has told local Lib Dem councillor David Winskill, who has championed the idea, that he is not welcome on the working group set up to move the project forward.

Cllr Winskill has been pushing Haringey Council to find a safe place for kids to skateboard in the area following discussions with local skateboarders, residents and conservation groups. He was alerted to the issue by local residents who were concerned that Crouch End skateboarders were using public places, such as the Hornsey Town Hall forecourt. This has resulted in fears that the fabric of the building could be damaged.

Cllr David Winskill comments:

“It is very disappointing that the Council seems to be trying to develop plans in secret, as I have been working hard to push this issue forward and would like to keep local people in the loop. It is not the end of the matter, and I will continue to work with local residents to see that a suitable place is found for skateboarding, and that the forecourt of Hornsey Town Hall is properly protected.”

Liberal Democrats on Haringey Council are questioning the reasons for a shock restructuring of the Social Services Department and the abrupt departure of the Assistant Director for Children’s Services.

The troubled department, which was criticised over its failings in the Victoria Climbie case, has been under fire from Lib Dem Social Services Spokesperson, Cllr Ron Aitken, over a number of issues.

Cllr Ron Aitken comments:

“I have been told by reliable sources that Haringey’s Social Services Department is now £7 million overspent on its children’s services budget. We have also questioned Haringey Council over its policy on a number of other issues such as CRB (Criminal Reference Bureau) checks on employees, SSRI antidepressants prescribed to children in care, and the closure of an inquiry into an alleged paedophile ring in the 1980s. This surprise restructuring will only add to present concerns.

“The Department was awarded One Star by Government inspectors last year. It appears that the price of getting from Zero Stars to One Star is a massive an unplanned financial hangover for Haringey.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Lynne Featherstone has succeeded in getting the green box recycling scheme extended to Campsfield Road, Hornsey, following a number of requests from local residents who are keen to recycle.

The Lib Dems, who campaigned successfully during the 2002 local elections for the expansion of door-to-door recycling across the borough, are continuing to press Haringey Council to ensure that scheme is universally available across the borough.

Cllr Featherstone wants Haringey Council to meet the recycling demands of residents who keen to do their bit for the environment. The Lib Dems have received numerous requests from residents who do not currently have the door-to-door service following their recent residents’ survey. They promise to continue highlighting the areas that don’t have green boxes and would like to have them.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“It is good news that thanks to the demands of local residents another area in Haringey is getting green boxes. However I find it hard to believe that the Labour Council is so slow to respond to residents who are enthusiastic about recycling. Haringey’s poor recycling rates need all the help they can get.”