Local residents’ groups were left ‘high and dry’ when a long planned meeting with GLA Member Nicky Gavron failed to happen. Scheduled to have started at 6.30pm, Ms Gavron failed to attend, despite the meeting being confirmed with her office on the day. The move was a blow to local campaign groups in Hornsey, who had hoped for progress in the battle against the overdevelopment of the area and the protection of precious ‘backland’ sites.

Cllr Featherstone comments:

“This was extremely disappointing for the representatives who took the trouble to finish work early to attend the meeting. Hornsey has been facing a rash of planning applications and local residents have devoted thousands of unpaid hours to defend their community. It is hugely regrettable that one of their elected representatives treats them in this way.”

The meeting had been called by Lib Dem Planning Spokesman David Winskill to discuss why Crouch End and Hornsey seem to have such little protection against the whims of developers and why social infrastructure is lagging so far behind.

Ms Gavron fielded a GLA Officer instead to answer a barrage of questions from the group. He did his best to explain the Mayor’s Plan – written by Cllr Gavron when Deputy Mayor.

Veteran campaigner Chris Warburton seemed unconvinced that Haringey’s UDP was being taken seriously in light of the Mayor’s plan for 19,100 new homes for Haringey. “We seem to be going hell for leather for homes at the expense of good design, employment and the environment,” he said. “Little I heard at the meeting causes me to change this view.”

One surprise piece of news from the meeting was that the GLA is coming round to Haringey’s assertion that the housing target set by the GLA is grossly unrealistic. The officer agreed that it could be wrong by a factor of “4,000 to 5,000.”

Cllr David Winskill (Liberal Democrat, Crouch End) welcomed this, saying that it could take the pressure off the Planning Department when evaluating planning applications. He asked the Officer to draft a letter for Cllr Gavron to Haringey setting this out and reminding them of the central role of the UDP when assessing applications. He commented:

“People’s confidence in the planning system is at its lowest for years. Usually reasonable people have become enraged at a system that is loaded in favour of the developers. We understand the importance of structured change but what we are seeing is a free for all. The consequences will be with us for generations.”

Hopes that former Minister and local MP Barbara Roche would use her new found freedom to stand up for local health services received a blow, when Mrs Roche voted in favour of the Government’s controversial plans for foundation hospitals.

The move grants foundation status to 28 NHS trusts, but leaves local trusts, such as the Whittington and the Royal Free, out in the cold.The Lib Dems say that Mrs Roche should have opposed the move, especially as, following her sacking from the Government, she is now a backbencher.

With the lowest ever majority for the Blair Government of just 35 votes, over 60 Labour MPs defied their own party, with neighbouring North London MPs Frank Dobson (Holborn and St Pancras) and Glenda Jackson (Hampstead and Highgate) among those who voted against the plans.

Lib Dem Health spokesperson Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate) comments:

“This is very disappointing, as it leaves local ‘two star’ trusts such as the Whittington out in the cold, while other hospitals, not in our area, will have a bogus elite status conferred upon them. I’m very disappointed that our MP didn’t oppose this change, which is bad news for health services in Haringey.”

Amidst the concern surrounding the use of Bidwell Gardens N22 as a construction access road, Liberal Democrat councillors have accused the Labour council of snubbing local residents and silencing their own planning officers. The comments follow the decision by Labour councillors to make council planning officers unavailable for a meeting with Bidwell Gardens’ residents, arranged by Cllr Wayne Hoban to discuss the problems caused by the works.

The meeting scheduled for this Thursday, 10th July was intended to discuss the residents’ safety concerns. Cllr Hoban had agreed with planning chiefs that an officer would be able to attend. However, Labour Environment spokesperson Ray Dodds and Planning chair, Thomas Davidson stepped in earlier this week to state that a planning officer would not attend this important meeting.

Cllr Wayne Hoban comments:

“Local Labour councillors are showing a disregard for local residents’ views on this issue. Planning officers are needed so that the safety concerns can be fully understood and proper discussions held. Instead, Labour councillors are trying to put a spoke in the wheels.

“It is an unacceptable way to treat local residents, who had expected to speak to all the key people at the meeting.”

Four of Haringey’s stations are set for a major clean up after Cllr Lynne Featherstone met with Network Rail representative Mick Murphy to show him the rubbish and flying-tipping problems at Harringay, Hornsey, Alexandra Palace and Bowes Park stations on Monday. The meeting was called by Councillor Featherstone following a huge number of complaints from residents complaining of litter, fly-tipping and broken fencing around local railways and stations.

Following the site visits, Mr Murphy agreed that litter and dumped materials at all four stations would be cleared. Ms Featherstone has long battled to establish who is responsible for rubbish and dumping at the beleaguered stations. Whilst the train operator (WAGN) was technically responsible for litter and rubbish within 100 metres of the station platform – this only covers material that may have blown from the platform, and not the acute dumping problems near the sites. The Lib Dems say that the volume of litter at the edges of the station sites is due to dumping and to workers leaving building debris behind. Therefore Ms Featherstone says the problem is largely one for Network Rail’s to resolve.

Mr Murphy explained that he would be filing a report at the end of the week detailing the works to be done and who is responsible for doing them. Mr Murphy also confirmed that he would commission new fencing for Harringay, Hornsey and Alexandra Palace stations in an effort to reduce fly tipping.

Cllr Featherstone is satisfied with the progress at the meeting following months of frustration where no party was willing to take responsibility for the rubbish clearance. Although this is the beginning of the clear up plans, she is hopeful that action will be taken and will be paying close attention to the works.

Cllr Featherstone comments:

“It’s a case of so far so good. The recommendations that have been agreed will certainly make these stations cleaner, more pleasant places to use.

“In the past, there have been problems in getting contractors to take responsibility for railway cleanliness so I have asked for a timeline of the work to be drawn up, along with agreement over the contractors’ responsibilities.

“This will ensure that all contractors fulfil their obligations in cleaning up local stations. All of these works need to happen quickly, as residents have waited long enough already, and are utterly fed up with the current state of their stations.”

Lib Dem GLA member and Transport committee Chair, Lynne Featherstone, has welcomed the improvements in frequency of the 143 bus announced by Transport for London (TfL). The change will see an increased frequency in local route 143, which Lynne Featherstone hopes will improve the reliability of the service.

Ms Featherstone and her Lib Dem colleagues had long campaigned for improvements to the 143 Archway to Brent Cross after repeated complaints from residents. On the busy route, which runs from Archway to Brent Cross via Highgate and East Finchley, Ms Featherstone told TfL last year that passengers trying to board 143 buses in the rush hour between Muswell Hill and Highgate often found that they are usually full and that they cannot get on board.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“It is good to see that TfL has responded by improving services on the 143. We will keep up the pressure to see improvements to other local services.”

Highgate councillor Neil Williams, who has also campaigned on the issue and whose ward is served by the 143 route, adds:

“This is good news. I know from residents in Highgate that the frequency on the 143 causes immense frustration at times.It is a very major route for Highgate, and after having promised action past year, TfL have shown they have listened on the state of the service, and have taken some steps to improve it.”

Crouch End and Muswell Hill Broadways are set to be become considerably cleaner places following the success of local Lib Dem councillors in campaigning for extra bins in the area. The council is currently in the process of installing ten new bins in Muswell Hill, and last week council officers confirmed that they will be installing new bins around Crouch End Broadway in August following the completion of a litter bin survey this month.

Lib Dem leader, Ross Laird who campaigned for many months to secure bins for Muswell Hill, is delighted with the news that Crouch End has also secured new bins. He is confident that this will alleviate the problem of litter in both Broadways and achieve a Lib Dem objective of cleaner streets in the process.

Cllr Laird (Muswell Hill) comments:

“I am delighted that Crouch End has now secured new bins for the Broadway. Through regular contact with local residents we have been able to support claims that these new bins were necessary and desired by the people who live and work in the area.

“This is a small step towards our Lib Dem goal of making Haringey a cleaner place to live and work but very significant to those in Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Fortis Green.”

Crouch End Liberal Democrat councillor Ron Aitken adds:

“Many residents have complained about the litter in the Broadway and I am pleased that we have managed to successfully address this problem. Once again, we have shown that the Lib Dems are a party that listens and gets results.”

Lib Dem councillors are urging Haringey Council to speak up for the large student population in the borough and oppose tuition fees, which are hitting local students hard. The move follows the results of a survey carried out on sixteen year olds showing that two thirds of them could opt out of university because of the cost of top-up fees.

The survey was carried out by the Lib Dem national party during spring 2003, and involved 311 schools and 2,489 year 10 and 11 pupils. Haringey’s Lib Dem Group leader, Cllr Ross Laird is concerned about these figures and the affect that top-up fees could have on potential students in the borough. He is also concerned about the knock on affect to the local economy that a less skilled workforce would have.

Many students in the borough will have to cope with greater poverty, debts and stress as result of increased tuition fees. Figures published this week by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) already show a dramatic increase in depression amongst students with debts. Ten percent of those seeking counselling claimed to have tried or contemplated suicide.

Cllr Ross Laird comments:

“The potential affect of top-up fees is very worrying. We have a young population in this borough and it is important that we support them in getting the most out of education. The Government’s proposals for top-up fees put this in jeopardy and with it the chances of increasing our skilled work force in the borough.

“The BACP report already shows the increased financial pressure that students are currently under as a result of tuition fees. The top-up fees will exacerbate the situation. We must make it clear that as a council responsible for a large student population we will not accept the Governments proposals.”

Red faced staff providing Haringey’s ‘green box’ recycling service have issued a green box to a local resident only to take it back again when they realised that the person concerned did not live in the area covered by Haringey’s doorstop service.

Local resident John Trafford-Owen, of Newnham Road, Wood Green, had asked for the ‘green box’ in a bid to help Haringey boost its recycling rate. The box was duly delivered. When Mr Trafford phoned again to ask when his bottles, cans and newspapers would be collected, he was told that Newnham road is not on Haringey’s limited collection route. The Council then had to arrange for the box to be taken back again.

Mr Trafford-Owen says:

“This is a case of Haringey’s left hand not being too well acquainted with its right. The department that issues the boxes is not the same as the one that collects them. While council staff were helpful and polite, it’s not much use for them to take the trouble to provide a recycling box if they have no intention of collecting any recycling.”

Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone comments:

“On a more serious note, this tale highlights Haringey’s failure to roll out its recycling service across the borough. Haringey has a terrible recycling rate, and this needs to be improved as soon as possible. People like Mr Trafford-Owen are only to willing to oblige if the council will let them, but their streets are left out at the moment.”

Liberal Democrats in Haringey have slammed the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust for running a ‘Victorian mental health service’, following the publication of a highly critical report last week into mental health services in the three boroughs by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI), a Government ‘watchdog’.

Among the key findings of the CHI Report, which found some good practice in areas such as music therapy and the Antenna scheme for black and ethnic minority mental health, were:

• Informed consent was not always obtained before treatment and medication was routinely given in patients’ food.
• There were numerous ‘ligature’ points around buildings.
• Negative feedback from patients about their treatment by staff.
• Basic Nursing care was poor.
• Doors to and from wards were often locked.
• Bed occupancy was 130% with 36 patients using 18 beds during the day and patients being ‘slept out’ at night.
• Police stations were used as places of safety with no explanation to patients or carers as to why they were in a police station and not a hospital

CHI concluded that there were “significant concerns about the quality of patient care in some areas of the Trust, around maintenance of service users privacy and dignity and poor risk management”.

Lib Dem Social Services Spokesperson, Cllr Ron Aitken, is shocked by the report on the Trust, which is proposing to close two vital day hospitals in Haringey:

“It is frankly horrifying – more like a Victorian Bedlam than the NHS of the 21st Century promised by Tony Blair.

“The Trust should lift the threat to Canning Crescent and Kate Marsden day hospitals. I would also like an assurance that treatments have not been administered to patients without consent. This is a very serious concern.”

Local Lib Dem councillors have welcomed the announcement by Haringey Council that it is to answer calls to step up the fight against graffiti in the borough. However, they have added a note of caution that they will be watching closely to see if the Council can deliver on its new pledges.

The move came at a ‘graffiti summit’ held at the Civic Centre on Thursday, attended by local councillors and representatives of the borough’s residents’ associations.

As well as running a five-month ‘blitz’ on graffiti, the Council has also agreed that from December, it will undertake to remove graffiti within 28 days of sightings being reported to the Council. A new ‘hotline’ has been set up, on 0845 673 1979, for residents to report incidents. Local Lib Dem councillors, who made the fight a key part of their election manifesto last year, are urging all residents to participate.

Lib Dem councillor and Environment Spokesperson, Susan Oatway, comments:

“I am pleased that Haringey has now recognised the scale of the problem, particularly in the west of the borough. Being soft on graffiti is a false economy, and just encourages other crimes, such as vandalism and dumping. >From a borough that had one of the lowest budgets for graffiti in London, this is a step in the right direction.”

Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate) who has pushed the council hard on the issue, and has given help and backing to Highgate residents who paid for their own graffiti clean up after the council failed to act, adds:

“It’s a positive and long-awaited move for which we have campaigned hard. However, we will want to see that the council has given the scheme the necessary muscle to make it work. Haringey was often far too slow at removing graffiti from its own property under its existing, rather low-key policies. However, this new plan deserves a fair wind, and it is vital that residents participate fully.”