A Lib Dem councillor has labelled inadequate procedures to compensate residents for poor rubbish collection in Haringey. The move follow astonishing revelations at last week’s full Council meeting, in a written answer to Lynne Featherstone, that just one single payment of £50 for poor service has been made in the past two years by Haringey’s waste contractors (Accord) over their performance.

The Lib Dems says that the news will raise many eyebrows among incredulous residents, given a constant host of complaints over the performance of the refuse and street cleansing service. These include:

1. Inadequate provision for the clearance of autumn leaves

2. Rubbish collections not taking place on the scheduled days

3. Failure to deliver replacement wheelie bins to residents who have requested them within a reasonable period

4. Failure to return wheelie bins to the proper place

5. Poor street sweeping

Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone (Muswell Hill) comments:

“It beggars belief that there has been just one single compensation payment for its services in the past two years. I can only conclude that the system may be stacked against residents, with little of the necessary pressure to encourage a better performance. I will be asking the Council to reconsider complaints procedures in refuse services to reflect the reality of the situation of the ground.”

Haringey’s Lib Dems have expressed dismay that Hornsey and Wood Green’s local MP helped the Government to their narrow victory in the controversial introduction of foundation hospitals last week. Lib Dem health spokesperson Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate) says the move is bad news for local hospitals such as the North Middlesex and the Whittington, with Barbabra Roche’s failure to back rebels in the Government’s narrow majority a let down for local residents and the health service in Haringey.

Lib Dems point out that other local MPs, such as Glenda Jackson (Hampstead and Highgate) and Frank Dobson (Holborn and St Pancras) backed efforts to remove the controversial Foundation Trust plans from the Government’s Health and Social care Bill last week.

Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate) comments:

“With other London Health trusts first in line for foundation status, this change will leave our local NHS Trusts out in the cold, and will result in a period of uncertainly for the next couple of years. It is doubtful if local health services can plan properly for the future if other London trusts are in a position to act independently in the near future.

“This is a let down for our local NHS and those who rely on the health service in Haringey. With such a small government majority, Mrs Roche should have acted to stop such an unfair policy.”

Haringey’s Lib Dems have condemned the provisional Government settlement for Haringey Council, which will see only a 3.7% increase in its funding from the Government, through what is known as the Revenue Support Grant (RSG). The RSG national average increase is much higher than the figure obtained by Haringey, at 6.5%. Even other London councils won more Government cash, obtaining an average 4.7% increase

Cllr Jonathan Bloch, Lib Dem Finance Spokesman says:

“This is a very poor settlement. It is clear that the Government’s formula is working against Haringey. The Lib Dems will be pushing for changes to the formula and the scrapping of the inequitable Council Tax, which could still soar again this year.”

Cllr Ross Laird, Leader of the Opposition comments:

“The Labour Government and the Labour council must share the blame for present funding problems. The Government is determined to handcuff local authorities, and as a result, Council Tax is bound to go up. Haringey of course has done itself no favours by overspending and mismanaging funds in the past.”

Local Lib Dem councillor and Greater London Authority Member Lynne Featherstone has started to publish an online diary, known as a ‘blog’, on her work at the Greater London Authority and on Haringey Council. Lynne Featherstone’s blog is updated regularly during each week and can be viewed at www.lynnefeatherstone.org/blog.htm

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I hope my blog will help make the GLA seem more relevant and closer to home. I am excited about the ability of the web to reach out to younger internet users, who would like politics to be more relevant to their own lives and interests.

“Blogging has much more appeal to many such people than more traditional ways of communicating information about what our elected representatives are up to.”

Lib Dem councillors have welcomed efforts to improve road safety around a busy primary school in Muswell Hill. Lynne Featherstone says that the funding now being applied for by Haringey Council is vital to improve safety at Coldfall School.

Ms Featherstone, who has been pressing for action from the Council and police, has met with members of the Coldfall School Travel Group to discuss the issue.

Concerned parents have long lobbied for action from the Council over road safety round the school, and it has now been confirmed that a bid is being made for new money to improve safety.

Ms Featherstone, who has secured police patrols near the school to help improve the situation, is backing the plans, but has asked for more details from the Council to ensure that money needed for Coldfall school road safety is ‘ring fenced’ for the school.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“The situation at Coldfall School is still very dangerous for children. Although the police have helped – there is still dangerous parking and driving around the school. Physical improvements are absolutely vital to ensure childrens’ safety around the school area.

“I very much hope that the bid brings in the funding to enable Coldfall School Travel Group and the Council officers to work together to install the necessary safety measures.”

A local councillor has joined an effort to brighten up a local recreation ground by participating in an annual ‘bulb planting’ last week. Cllr Wayne Hoban, Alexandra Ward, joined fellow ‘Friends of Albert Road Recreation Ground’ for the planting.

Cllr Wayne Hoban is founder member of the Friends group, which was established to press for improvements to the children’s play area. Several local families helped at the event, with parents and kids joining forces to ensure an extra dash of spring colour in the park.

Cllr Wayne Hoban comments: “The event was a great success, and I am very pleased that the Friends continue to be successful in promoting and protecting the interests of the Albert Road recreation ground for the benefit of local residents. We need to encourage a sense of community and ownership through events such as this.”

Residents wanting further information about the Friends group can contact Cllr Hoban on alexandra@haringeylibdems.org.

The Leader of the Lib Dems on Haringey Council last night called for more investment in the borough’s libraries.Ross Laird (Muswell Hill ward) was commenting on the latest report on the performance of the borough’s library service.

While welcoming the improvements in the running of the service, Cllr Laird raised concerns about the state of the borough’s library buildings and called for additional funding.

Ross Laird comments:

“While we all welcome the improvements that have been made to the library service, more needs to be done, and needs to be underpinned by investment in library buildings, many of which are in a poor state.

“As part of the Council’s budget planning for next year, no money has as yet been identified for these vital improvements, so the state of the buildings is a cause of continuing concern.”

At Haringey’s Full Council meeting tonight, Liberal Democrat councillors will propose a motion that the Council should oppose plans by the Government to phase out the pension book as a method of pension collection. Pension books, which are used by over 8,600 older people in Haringey, are to be ended by 2005 as the Government-imposed timetable of change takes affect. The Lib Dems are concerned that people who are happy with the books are being forced to change to alternatives that are complicated and confusing.

The plan by the Government is to replace the pension book with three alternative ways by whichthe elderly can receive their pension:

·Into a normal bank or building society account
·Into a new basic bank account
·Through a new Post Office Card Account

The Lib Dems are unhappy that the pension book has not been allowed to remain alongside the new systems. They are also concerned about aspects of the alternative means of payment and will ask the Council to raise the matter with the Government.

The main concern that will be raised by Highgate councillor Neil Williams when he proposes this motion, is the complexity of the application process for the Card Account. The applicant will have to make at least one phone call, fill out two forms and visit the post office before their application is complete. Cllr Williams is also concerned about pensioners who forget their new card PIN numbers. There is currently no way that a pensioner can access their money without a PIN.

Cllr Williams hopes to have the full support from both sides of the chamber. He says that this motion’s aim is to ensure that the elderly in Haringey do not have to worry about how to claim their pension.

Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate) comments:

“The Government has made a decision without assessing the worry and stress that these changes will have on much of our elderly population. Over 40% of pensioners in Haringey use the pension book. These are not changes that will effect a small minority, but a huge section of our elderly population, especially in the east of the borough.”

Cllr Peter Floyd, of Crouch End, who will second the motion, adds:

“I am also concerned that pensioners face further problems with the closure of post office branches in the borough. Two within Haringey have already gone, and others near the borough have also closed, with further major closures in the pipeline. This is a further attack on pensioners’ ability to receive payments in ways which are familiar to them.”

As local residents focus on plans for a trial of the long-awaited Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage bus route, Lynne Featherstone has chaired a meeting at the invitation of the Highgate Society to hear the concerns of residents in Southwood Lane, Highgate, over the possible trial of the route in the lane.The meeting with residents followed an inch-by-inch walk of the route by Lynne Featherstone and Highgate councillor Neil Williams with TfL officials to highlight Southwood Lane’s concerns and to seek answers over TfL’s choice of the lane as a route.

TfL officials told the meeting that they felt the routing of the bus was sound – especially as buses have used the road in the past – but that they recognised the strength of feeling in Southwood Lane. They further said that they would call a halt within days if the trial ran into the sort of problems that the residents envisage. However, Southwood Lane residents rejected the trial and rejected the offer of TfL to bring a bus along the route at peak hours so residents could judge the situation for themselves.

Lib Dem GLA member Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Southwood Lane residents would prefer another route, and ideally so would I. However, with TfL claiming at this point in time that the routing is sound, they should be given the chance to show this via the trial. After so many years of campaigning by local groups, it would be a tragedy if this vital route does not move forward.”

Highgate councillor Neil Williams, who attended the meeting, adds: “Residents are particularly worried about the Southwood Lane routing, and I am pleased that Tfl has at least given a clear indication that they will put a stop to the trial if the problems feared do materialise.

“I will be watching the situation closely, and will continue to press Tfl to consider alternative routes for the future. With this in mind, the meeting highlighted the important point that roadworks required on alternative routes, while ruled out as too expensive for such a small trial, could be considered if the route were to expand in future.”

Highgate Liberal Democrat councillor Melanie Simpson has written to the Council asking for urgent action to ensure that a steep pathway between Wood Lane and Priory Gardens (to Highgate tube station) is regularly cleared of leaves and debris. The move follows a number of complaints from local residents many of whom use the route regularly to get to the tube station. Cllr Simpson has repeatedly called for action over the dangerous path.

The pathway is on very steep slope and is lined on both sides by trees, with the result that on wet days fallen leaves make the path extremely slippery and potentially very hazardous. Cllr Simpson is concerned that the Council and the station authorities will not take this issue seriously until someone has a serious accident on the path.

Cllr Melanie Simpson comments:

“Leaves are always a problem at this time of the year but this pathway is particularly hazardous. The Council must work with the station to take this more seriously. It is particularly steep and is used by the hundreds of people every day as a route to Highgate tube station.

“I am deeply concerned that someone will have a nasty accident unless there is action to address the problem, ensuring it is cleared frequently. I will be maintaining pressure on them until I see an improvement.”