Lib Dem councillors are demanding that they receive copies of a report by the Social Services Inspectorate into Haringey’s Social Services, conducted in view of the Climbie report.

Party spokesman Ron Aitken has accused the Council of withholding the report, in an attempt to ‘spin’ what may be further evidence of a lack of improvement in certain aspects of Haringey’s social Services following the tragic death of Victoria Climbie.

The SSI has inspected all the social services Departments involved in the case, and the report on Brent Council was available last week. Despite being the local authority most involved with the tragedy however, Haringey’s review remains under wraps. Councillor Aitken is demanding to know which Labour councillors have received copies of the report, and why it has not yet been made available to all councillors. He has threatened to take the matter up with the borough solicitor if Haringey do not release copies immediately.

Cllr Ron Aitken comments:

“Labour lead members are sitting on this report, and must not be allowed to conduct an exercise in spin over its findings, just as they did when the Climbie report was published. This is unacceptable. If the Brent report is available, then the report on Haringey should also have been released. Haringey must not be allowed to get away with manipulating vital information about the performance of social services.”

A Wood Green Lib Dem councillor has called on Haringey Council to beef up its abandoned vehicles ‘hotline’ after being held in a queue for 12 minutes while trying to report an abandoned car and van. Susan Oatway, councillor for Alexandra Ward and her party’s environment spokesperson, says that delays in the line will put residents off from reporting the scourge of abandoned vehicles in the borough. Ms Oatway was held in a telephone queue for 12 minutes on Friday, and eight minutes on Saturday.

Susan Oatway comments:

“Haringey’s recorded message asked me to call back at a less busy period, but with no definition of what the best times are. A wait of 12 minutes is unacceptable and if the Council is offering the service, they should make sure that it performs better.”

In response to many requests from residents, the Lib Dems have also produced an abandoned vehicles factsheet, which sets out the law around abandoned vehicles and how residents can help to reduce the problem. Residents who would like a copy can obtain one by sending an email toabandonedvehicles@haringeylibdems.org or calling (020) 8340 5459.

As the annual problem of leaf fall heads towards its peak, Haringey Council has agreed to give greater priority to leaf clearance in some key Highgate roads, and to consider them for more street sweeping in future.

Local Highgate councillors and Lynne Featherstone have been raising the issue with the Council on behalf of residents. The Council has agreed that North Hill and North Road, key routes through the village with many mature trees, should be placed on a ‘priority route’ for leaf clearance this year.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased that North Hill and North Road are now on a ‘priority route’ for leaf clearance, but I will be watching developments closely, as Haringey’s record over the leaf problem has been woefully inadequate in previous years. Haringey also needs to look at its systems. Often, leaves are swept into piles, and just left for collection later – which of course means the leaves just start to blow around the street, making the sweep up a huge waste of effort.”

Local councillor Neil Williams adds:

“Both these roads are important link roads in Highgate, and last year the leaf problem was appalling. The present street sweeping regime, let alone the leaf problem, is not sufficient. The Council has told me that they are now considering increasing the sweeping frequencies in both roads, which is long overdue. We will continue to press for this route through the village to be treated as a main artery, and to receive much more frequent street sweeping as a result.”

Lib Dem GLA member and Muswell Hill councillor Lynne Featherstone has written to the Post Office to demand details of their closure plans for branches in the Haringey area and elsewhere in London. The move follows a continued lack of information over Labour Government and Post Office closure plans for the area, which Lib Dems says is likely to see several more post office branches facing the axe.

The Post Office had announced in July that it intends to reveal plans for closures on a constituency by constituency basis, but no such information has yet been made available to the public.Ms Featherstone says it is high time that the plans were revealed, as many residents will want to fight the plans.

Local post office branches in Park Road and Archway Road, as well as others on the edge of the borough in Crouch Hill, Archway and Highgate, have already been victims of the closure programme. Several more branches may now follow, as the Post Office attempts to shut down 3,000 urban branches across the country.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Instead of keeping their plans under wraps, it is high time the Post Office now revealed its closure plans, and I have therefore asked for details for Haringey and all the London boroughs.We do not even know when these plans will be put on the table. Branches earmarked so far have suffered from an ‘ambush’ from the Post Office, with little time for local residents to make their protests heard – especially local pensioners who use their branch every week, for whom the closures will be a huge blow.”

Liberal Democrat councillors have warmly welcomed the Council’s news that it will implement parking restrictions at the junctions of a number of roads that meet with the busy Park Road, N8, by the end of the year.

The assurance follows pressure from Lib Dem leader and local councillor, Ross Laird, who has been contacted by many residents living in the area concerned at the lack of visibility due to parking by the junctions of the road, which connects Crouch End with Muswell Hill.

The news comes just over a month after fellow Muswell Hill councillor Lynne Featherstone successfully secured an extension to yellow lines at the Onslow Gardens junction on the busy Muswell Hill Road, N10 following requests from concerned residents.

Cllr Laird is pleased with the news, which should improve road safety at the junctions of Farrer Road, Park Avenue South and Barrington Road and urged the Council to continue to work closely with residents to improve road safety across the borough.

Cllr Laird (Muswell Hill) comments:

“I am pleased that we have successfully converted residents’ concerns into action. These measures once implemented will improve road safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians in the area.

“Road safety is a high priority for the Lib Dems and we will continue to press for improvements across the borough.”

Haringey Liberal Democrats have branded the Council ‘a shambles’ after they apologised for failing to answer questions on social services issues, some of which were first asked three months ago.

Cllr Aitken wrote to the Council to complain about its failure to address a number of health and social services questions despite his regular requests for them to be answered. Last week he received an apology from the Council and stated that they would investigate the problem.

However Cllr Aitken is concerned that while he has received an apology as a member of the opposition, residents’ enquiries may be going unanswered and as a result public faith in the Council is diminishing.

Cllr Aitken comments:

“It is very worrying that as member of the opposition I am not receiving answers to my questions. The key role of the opposition is to hold those in power to account, without access to information we are left speculating as to what the Council has to hide.

“This sorry episode asks questions about the quality of service that the Council’s public information services provide if it takes them over three months to answer questions asked by councillors. It is a mess and it must be sorted out.”

Liberal Democrat councillors have criticised the Labour Council for putting image before results after it topped a recent poll of local government ‘big spenders’ on public relations, with a budget now well over a million pounds.

According to figures published by leading international public relations magazine, PR Week, Haringey spends an average of £5.03 per head of population on communications and has the second largest communications team in the country, with a massive 30 members of staff. However, Lib Dems highlight that despite investment in communications the Audit Commission has given the council a rating of ‘weak’.

Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone comments:

“The truth is out that local residents are paying excessively for improving the Council’s poor image while key services continue to be underfunded and neglected.

“Communicating with residents is an important part of running a successful council, but money is being wasted on glossy self-promotional leaflets, and no amount of wasteful PR spending can hide Haringey’s failings.”

Crouch End Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed the positive public meeting held last week on the future of Hornsey Town Hall, and have praised the organisers and the huge level of interest among local people to provide a brighter future for the beleaguered building.

However, some concerns were raised at suggestions that present Hornsey Library building should be closed and a new primary school opened on the site, with the library being relocated somewhere in the town hall complex.

Lib Dem Councillor David Winskill comments:

“This was a very positive meeting, with a great number of ideas and commitment from Crouch End residents to see this treasured building brought back to a thriving community use.

“However, I am concerned that the idea of moving the library somewhat muddies the water about the future of the Town Hall, as there are plenty of excellent ideas for it use already being discussed.

“The Council must now build on this resolve and work with local people to develop a future for the Town Hall, which has been left unloved for far too long.”

Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson Lynne Featherstone has, with her fellow Lib Dem councillors, launched a major survey of crime in the Hornsey and Wood Green area. Ms Featherstone hopes that the results of the survey, which is being delivered to over 40,000 homes in the area, will aid her work on the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and also help the Council and residents to work with the police in the fight against crime.

She is urging as many local residents as possible to respond to the FREEPOST survey.

The survey covers many issues of crime concern, such as crime levels, reporting of crime and safety in the area, and seeks to identify local problems that often need attention, such as poor lighting, graffiti and abandoned cars.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Our survey should help to highlight crime problems in the area. One problem is that residents will say that a particular type of crime is affecting them but this is not shown in the police statistics. This is often because relatively minor crimes frequently go unreported, for example because many people are unsure how to report a crime if a 999 call is not appropriate. This can mean that police resources are misdirected, so we all need to work together to crack this problem.

“I hope as many people as possible will participate, This will help our work with the police to reduce crime in the area.”

If you haven’t received a copy of the survey and would like one posted to you, please email crimesurvey@haringeylibdems.org.

Muswell Hill councillor Lynne Featherstone has called for the Council to take urgent action to resolve the road safety blackspot outside Coldfall Primary School, Coldfall Avenue, N10. Her comments come after visiting the school and meeting concerned parents at the end of the recent ‘National Walk to School Week’.

Coldfall Avenue, a narrow cul de sac lined with cars on either side, has an entrance to the school at the end. It is also used by many parents to drop off their children and turn around. This causes congestion and a hazard to children and their parents walking to school.

Cllr Featherstone was alerted to the issue earlier this year by parents and local residents after a number of incidents involving vehicles and pedestrians around the entrance. She successfully campaigned for more traffic enforcement officers in August and this has brought about a slight improvement.

However on her visit she noted that there were still far too much use of the cul de sac during the school rush hour despite requests from the school and local police not to turn in the road. Cllr Featherstone is now calling for the Council to take urgent action to make the school entrance in Coldfall Avenue safer before a serious incident occurs.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased that we have secured a regular police patrol for the area. This has helped to some extent, but the Council needs to take urgent action to resolve the traffic safety issues. The Council must continue to support and promote walking bus services in schools. Ultimately this serious problem can be resolved if schools and parents work together.”