Haringey has been named as one of 32 London Boroughs who have seen a decrease in businesses since Ken Livingstone became Mayor in 2000. Figures published from research using Parliamentary answers and Office of National Statistics figures show that Haringey has seen a 20% drop in businesses registering for VAT.

The figures, which were measured between 2000-2002, found Haringey in London’s bottom 10, having seen a decrease 5% bigger than the London average of 15%.

Since Ken Livingstone became Mayor in 2000, 32 of 33 London boroughs have seen a decrease in businesses, the exception being Sutton.

Lib Dem Lynne Featherstone says the figures show the lack of faith investors have in a London lead by Mayor Ken Livingstone. She is deeply concerned at the figures, which highlight the damage that has been caused to Haringey’s local economy.

Ms Featherstone is hoping that Londoners have learnt their lessons from four years ago and will look towards a Mayor who will address the real issues facing the capital:

“These figures show that Labour is bad for businesses in the capital, and that Haringey has suffered more than most. Although London is a wealthy city with high business costs, there are areas of acute unemployment as well. London needs a mayor who will focus on the economic challenges facing us.”

Lynne Featherstone has secured an assurance from Haringey Council that a fly-posted school sign in N10 will be cleaned up after the Lib Dem councillor highlighted the safety implications of the sign being obscured.

The triangular sign, situated 50 metres from the Fortis Green junction, warns drivers that they are approaching a school area. However since late 2003, the sign has been obscured by a fly-poster. This has been a worry for local residents and Ms Featherstone who are concerned that drivers using the busy road may not be aware of the number of schools in the vicinity and be less cautious driving through the area while the sign is unreadable.

The Council has assured Ms Featherstone, who first wrote to them at the beginning of December, that immediate action would be taken to clean-up the sign. She is pleased that the issue has finally been addressed but said there was a need for the Council to prioritise work more effectively.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased that action has been taken. This sign is particularly important as many school children, both secondary and primary, walk along the route, crossing the busy Fortis Green junction.

“It is important that the Council prioritises issues like this one. To have to wait a month for any action to be taken on a children’s safety issue is really unacceptable.”

With just a few days to polling in the Stroud Green by election, local resident and Lib Dem candidate Laura Edge is predicting that the election will be a head-to-head battle between the Lib Dem opposition and Haringey Labour. The Lib Dem candidate says that support for the Tories and Greens is fading, as voters realise that neither party has any seats on the local council. .

Laura Edge says that people have responded to her positive campaign for the area, which includes tackling rubbish, better management of Finsbury Park, continuing to work to improve enforcement of the CPZ and promoting a clean up of Stroud Green Road and the area’s dilapidated strain stations.

Ms Edge also says that Labour’s poor record in the area is having a big impact on the doorstep, following the shock resignation of the local Labour councillor.

Laura Edge comments:

“After more than 30 years of Labour control, Stroud Green voters are preparing to send a message to Haringey Labour, that they have had more than enough time to get things right. There is a strong feeling that it’s time for a change.”

Local Lib Dems have selected local resident Gail Engert as their prospective candidate in the Muswell Hill by-election.

The by-election, in a ward that has been won three times in a row by the Liberal Democrats, is taking place on 4 March.

Gail Engert comments:

“I am extremely pleased to have been selected as prospective candidate for the by-election, and the chance to join such a great team.Lynne Featherstone, Jonathan Bloch and our local Lib Dem councillors work extremely hard for the area. They have had some noticeable successes in recent weeks, with funding being found for the police station front counter to reopen, and the trial of the new bus route to Swiss Cottage starting.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with them.”

Gail Engert is a partner in a design group and is an art historian. She has been active in the party for several years. Gail is married with one son.

Haringey’s Liberal Democrat opposition are celebrating at the news that Stroud Green voters have given them a crushing victory over Labour in the Stroud Green council by-election. Lib Dem candidate Laura Edge stormed to victory in a sensational win which has left Haringey’s unpopular Labour party in utter disarray.

Laura Edge polled a massive 54% of the votes, leaving Labour with a disastrous 19% of the votes in a council seat they had held for decades.

The astonishing 29% swing from Labour to the Lib Dems would see every single Labour councillor facing defeat at the next council elections.

The result now places huge pressure on the Labour party in the parliamentary seat of Hornsey & Wood Green, where a neck-and-neck battle with Labour at the next general election is predicted. The Lib Dems now have 16 councillors in the area, with Labour trailing on 14.

Despite the bitter cold and icy pavements, voters came out in force to elect Laura Edge, who mounted a strong campaign on local issues and the poor record of Haringey council after 30 years of Labour control.The Lib Dem tally of 1,135 gave the party a majority of 727 over the Labour candidate, who polled 408 votes – barely one third of the Lib Dem total. Labour’s day of disaster saw just one in 20 local voters turning out to back the party in what had been a Labour stronghold in the borough

Lib Dem winner, councillor Laura Edge comments:

“I just want to thank everyone who came out to vote on such a bitterly cold day. Although, we thought we had every chance of winning, the scale of the victory exceeded our wildest expectations.

“Stroud Green voters want a different approach to that offered by Haringey Labour, and I am looking forward to working with the whole community on so many important local issues. Finsbury Park must get a better deal form Haringey, and the Stroud Green CPZ needs better enforcement.I will be working with Islington Council who are coming forward with plans for much needed investment and improvements for Stroud Green Road, and I will also be working closely with my fellow Lib Dem councillors in Crouch End over issues affecting the Broadway.”

Lib Dem Council Group leader, Neil Williams (Highgate ward) comments:

“I want to congratulate Laura on the marvellous result that she and the Stroud Green Lib Dem team have achieved. It sends the clearest possible message to Haringey Labour that local people have had enough of the Labour council, after our 30 years of Labour control, high council taxes, and poor local services.

“National issues also played a part, with Iraq coming up frequently on the doorstep. Labour have now been put on notice by the voters in both the Council, and the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary seat.However, today, we will be celebrating this wonderful win.”

Full result:

Lib Dem Laura Edge1135 (53.7%, up 37.9%)
Labour408 (19.3%, down 20.9%)
Green403 (19.1%, down 8.8%)
Tory166 (7.9%, up 1.1%)

Turnout: 26%
Swing: 29.4% from Labour to Lib Dem

Liberal Democrats have met with Transport for London (TfL) to address concerns of local residents in Highgate who use the pedestrian crossing on the Shepherds Hill junction with Archway Road, N6.

The meeting and site visit was attended by Lib Dem councillors Lynne Featherstone (Muswell Hill) and Bob Hare (Highgate) with TfL representatives.

The site visit was arranged after Lib Dem councillors received numerous complaints from local residents who expressed concern at the length of time that the crossing allows for pedestrians to cross. There has also been irritation expressed at selfish drivers blocking the crossing by stopping in the yellow box at the junction.

In the meeting TfL admitted that the junction was ‘sub standard’ in several ways and assured the group that improvements would be made to the crossing and surrounding area, these include:

* Rotating press-button cones for the visually impaired to be made to work again after a long period of malfunctioning
* Upgrading the crossing to the modern standards which will add extra time to all green pedestrian phases
* Considering upgrading of current camera so it can be used to fine those who stop in the yellow box at the junction and block the crossing – a new legal power to do this has just been introduced

TfL is hopeful that some of these improvements such as the crossing modifications will be installed by May this year while other improvements such as the camera installation, are likely to be made near the end of 2004.

The Lib Dems are very pleased with the assurances that TfL has made.

Environment Spokesperson councillor, Bob Hare (Highgate) comments:

“I am pleased that we have had such a constructive site visit with TfL and the improvements that they have agreed will make a significant difference to the local residents who use the crossing regularly.”

Lynne Featherstone (Muswell Hill) adds:

“I am delighted that action is being taken. I regularly use the crossing and share these concerns. We will certainly be paying close attention to ensure that many of these improvements happen sooner rather than later.”

As the temperature rises in the battle between the Lib Dems and Labour in the Stroud Green by-election, Haringey’s shame-faced Labour council have been forced to admit that the four streets with the highest complaints about street cleaning are all in the Stroud Green ward. The news came in a written council question from the Lib Dems, which was answered at last night’s full council meeting.

The Council revealed that the top four streets in the borough for complaints logged at Haringey’s call centre were Woodstock Road (28) Ennis Road (23), Oxford Road (22) and Florence Road (17) – all within the Stroud Green ward.

Lib Dems say that the figures are certain to cause embarrassment for the Council with polling in the ward set for next Thursday. There was also incredulity among Liberal Democrats last night, when Kate Wynne, currently a Labour councillor for the area, told councillors that: “residents within Stroud Green are happy with the service delivered.”

Laura Edge, the Lib Dem candidate challenging Labour for the seat, comments:

“Residents are not happy with the service. These figures show the true extent of dissatisfaction with the Council’s record at keeping the streets clean in Stroud Green. I am not surprised by these results, but the area deserves better services from Haringey Council.”

Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone is calling for the Council to carry out a thorough survey of the pavements in Cranley Gardens and Wood Vale following complaints from the local neighbourhood watch group about broken and missing paving slabs.

The road which is a busy walking route for school children and church goers is becoming increasingly treacherous due to loose, broken and in some parts, missing paving slabs.

Much of the significant damage is believed to be caused by residents’ contractors building and laying driveways and not replacing broken paving slabs in the process.

Ms Featherstone is concerned that the Council has allowed the pavements to fall into disrepair and is failing to penalise residents who do not make good damage they have caused to pavements during driveway work. She has called on the Council to survey the road thoroughly and take appropriate action to improve the pavements in Cranley Gardens and Wood Vale.

Ms Featherstone will accompany an officer on a walk of the streets next Monday (26th January) at 9.30am to inspect the pavements.

Controversial plans to build eight new three-storey houses with twelve parking spaces on the land of 85-87 Woodside Avenue, at the rear of Lauradale Road, have been rejected following an unprecedented number of letters and emails opposing the development. The plans were originally withdrawn in July last year after the planning department recommended the application be refused following strong objections from residents and local Lib Dem councillors.

The application was resubmitted late last year with a few alterations to meet some of the shortcomings highlighted in the original development plans. However the Planning Sub-Committee on Thursday (15th January) agreed with the planning department that a number of issues regarding traffic and space had not been addressed and it was refused.

The recommendation for refusal came off the back of some 101 letters and a petition with over 300 signatures to the Council from local residents, parents of children at nearby Teatherdown Primary School and Friends of the Earth expressing their opposition to the development.

Fortis Green Councillor, Matt Davies has been working closely with local residents on this issue and is delighted that once again local residents have shown a united front and prevented the development from going ahead.

Cllr Davies comments:

“The planning application submitted was almost identical to the previous plans, which was rightly rejected by the Council following a concerted campaign by Lib Dem councillors and local residents. I am delighted that this application has met the same end.”

“Once again residents objected in huge numbers and have succeeded in keeping the developers hands off this piece of land.”

Lib Dem Councillor Lynne Featherstone has now received written confirmation from the Metropolitan Police that funding has now been officially agreed to allow the reopening of the Muswell Hill police station front counter.

The letter sent on the 15th January by DCS Colette Paul, confirms that ‘necessary arrangements’ can now be made following the successful allocation of funding for the reopening. She goes on to congratulate Ms Featherstone for her success in campaigning on the issue.

Cllr Featherstone, who has campaigned for well over two years to have the front desk at Muswell Hill reopened is delighted by the news, which will mean that residents in the area will finally have somewhere local to report crime face-to-face. The head of the Met, Sir John Stevens, has requested to open the front desk with Ms Featherstone later this year.

Cllr Featherstone comments:

“I am absolutely delighted that our campaign has succeeded. There is still a lot or work to do, and now we have to contact again those who have volunteered, find more recruits, and get them trained to ensure that the opening can go ahead as soon as possible. I will be working with local commander Stephen Bloomfield to ensure this happens. Without the support local groups and local residents who signed the petition, we would not have reached this stage, and we have made progress.”