Wood Green residents are unhappy with the state of the NHS, with significant numbers of residents reporting serious problems finding a local GP or a dentist, according to the results of a survey by the local Lib Dems.

In addition to the findings, which reveal that more than one in five residents face difficulty in securing these vital primary care services, almost half, 47% say they are unhappy with the state of the local NHS.

Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone comments:

“These figures show a worrying lack of confidence in the NHS and reveal genuine problems in securing essential dental and general practice care.It is worrying to see that local GP services appear as overstretched as NHS dentistry in Wood Green. If the front line of the service is failing to meet patients’ needs to this degree, the NHS will only have to pay later for more serious problems.”

Angry residents from Bidwell Gardens, N22 met with Lib Dem councillors last week to discuss their concerns following the decision by the Council’s planning sub-committee to send construction vehicle traffic for the Alexandra Park School development scheme through their road rather than Albert Road recreation ground as originally recommended.

Residents are particularly upset that this decision was made despite council planning officers and the school developers stating in the planning application that they considered that Bidwell Gardens should not be used due to safety concerns. The committee’s decision to overrule this advice has therefore raised significant fears among residents that their safety will be compromised during the development phase of the school.

Alexandra ward councillor Wayne Hoban is concerned about the Council’s failure to ensure that Bidwell Gardens’ residents were adequately consulted prior to the decision to send construction traffic down their road. He has asked the Council to arrange, as a matter of urgency, a meeting with residents and key council officers to address their concerns at the earliest opportunity.

Cllr Wayne Hoban comments:

“This issue is very serious, Bidwell Gardens Residents Action Group are already seeking legal advice and the Council needs to meet with them immediately to resolve the problem.

“Once again, a lack of consultation by the Council has caused this situation. This development is essential for Alexandra Park School but the Council must learn that compromising peoples’ quality of life or safety is not acceptable.”

A bright yellow council roadwork sign erected in 2001 warning of traffic delays in a busy Wood Green road, is still gracing Lordship Lane, N22 two years after the roadwork was completed. Lib Dem councillors are calling on Labour-run Haringey Council to remove it in the spirit of ‘better late than never.’

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“The Labour-run Council spends tens of thousands on public relations, but perhaps they wouldn’t need to if they could get more simple things right. Let’s hope this sign comes down.”

Young people from the Haringey Youth Forum visited City Hall to watch the London Assembly grill the Mayor about his latest activities and decisions.

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat assembly member and Haringey councillor, had invited the children from Hornsey, Highgate Wood and Gladesmore schools to hear Ken Livingstone quizzed on topics such as London’s Olympics bid and the Tube.

The 15 young students saw how the Assembly, part of London’s new regional government, keeps a watchful eye on the Mayor by examining his activities and questioning his decisions.

Lynne Featherstone said:

“It has been a pleasure to show these young people around the home of London democracy. They showed such enthusiasm when I gave a talk to the Forum about transport in London that I was delighted to invite them back to City Hall to find out about the Assembly and how we keep an eye on the Mayor.

“I hope it encouraged them to continue their lively interest in politics – maybe they will be inspired to become London Assembly members of the future!”

Highgate councillor Bob Hare and a group of local campaigners are to meet developers this week to push for changes to reduce the impact of a controversial and unpopular retail development along the Archway Road in Highgate.

Cllr Hare says that moves must be made to minimise the impact of the “horror story” retail development set to appear at the north end of Archway Road. Local residents have been angered and dismayed at the plans, which would see three brightly coloured retail warehouses constructed on the large and highly sensitive site adjacent to Highgate Wood.

Cllr Hare says he fears the plans may not be stopped, as permission for the controversial development was given by Haringey Council back in September 2000.He now wants the developers to agree to changes in materials and other important features, such as the lighting and screening through additional tree planting, so that the four new warehouses do not create such a dramatic eyesore and inconvenience for local residents.

Local resident and campaigner, Carol Wilson says:

“We are very hopeful that the developers, Wolesley, will recognise the concerns of the local community in modifying their aggressive design. We need changes to the development so that it will blend and harmonise better with the woodland behind and not detract from the local amenity.”

Cllr Bob Hare adds:

“We must persuade the developer to modify the proposals. The impact of the present plans will be felt not only by nearby residents, but by Highgate people more widely, who have until now enjoyed a semi-rural view over the ‘old-style’ builders yard to the woodland behind.

“The present proposals will also affect users of Highgate Woods, where the new buildings and lighting will be visible from the sports field and other areas of the wood. I will continue to work with residents and with Lynne Featherstone to get a better deal for the area.”

Notes:

The meeting will take place on Wednesday 18 June.

Wolesley Centres Ltd (of Ripon, N Yorks) are the developers.

Local campaigners attending will be Mike Hammerson of Highgate Society, and representatives from Haringey Planning and, it is hoped, representatives from the Corporation of London (for Highgate Woods).

The change in the character of the area as a result of this development will be very significant. The scale of the new buildings is much greater than the buildings that were on site:an area of young (self-sown) woodland alongside Archway Road and contiguous and merging with Highgate Woods has been felled to help make way for the development. There will also be traffic impacts from what is likely to be a much busier site with a much wider range of goods (‘Builder Center’ (sic) and ‘Just Bathrooms’) than the former builders yard.

Local Lib Dem and GLA member Lynne Featherstone has been appointed Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority’s investigation into the high profile and controversial topic of the use of “stop and search” tactics by the police.

The terms of reference for the scrutiny investigation are:

1. The use of profiling and intelligence-led approaches with stop and search
2. To assess what use is made of stop and search data
3. To identify the cost-effectiveness of stop and search
4. The use of stop and search performance data to inform and engage communities

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“This is a very important piece of work. I know that the police’s use of stop and search is an important issue for many Haringey residents, and indeed right across London.

“The Metropolitan Police Authority is determined to examine in public all of the issues which surround the use of stop and search.It is a contentious area and needs a through examination, given the vital work of the police and the need for trust and confidence among local communities.”

Almost one-in-five residents in the Highgate and Archway areas say they have been a victim of crime in the past six months, according to a major survey conducted by the area’s Lib Dem councillors and Lynne Featherstone, the party’s crime spokesperson and Metropolitan Police Authority member.

In a survey of over 300 residents, 19.5% of respondents reported that they have been a victim of crime in the area in the last six months, with a total of just 22% saying they have seen a policeman on patrol in the area over the same period.

The Lib Dems says that the findings reveal the need for a greater police presence in the area, with more patrols and a permanent presence in Highgate – which has lost its police station along the Archway Road.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“These figures show a worryingly high figure, and make me fear that a lot of crime in the area goes unreported. It is vital that people report crime, even if this can be at times a frustrating process, as otherwise there will not be the necessary pressure for more police resources.

Highgate councillor Neil Williams adds:

“While the arrival of special constables in the area has been a boost to policing, we still need more police resources. Seeing ‘bobbies on the beat’ is vitally important, but people in Highgate also want somewhere where they can report crime. Both services are essential.”

Haringey Council has admitted to problems with the controversial new road layout at Muswell Hill roundabout and are seeking funding to make changes, according to information received by Muswell Hill councillor Lynne Featherstone.

Ms Featherstone had complained that the new carriageway at the top of the hill was not wide enough for three lanes of traffic and this was causing a danger on the hill. Haringey have said that they are “currently seeking the funding required to modify the changes, probably by converting back to two lanes and improving pedestrian safety.To obtain TfL funding we will require a safety audit.”

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Pedestrians crossing Muswell Hill at the Muswell Hill roundabout have always been at risk. As part of a project which is meant to improve the environment and safety for pedestrians, increasing traffic lanes from two to three was madness. I am glad the Council is now trying to get this dangerous ‘error’ corrected.”

Lib Dem social services spokesperson, Ron Aitken, has written to the Chief Executive of the Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust to express his deep concern at the closure of the Kate Marsden & Canning Crescent Mental Health Day Hospital – the only such day hospital in Haringey.

The Lib Dem spokesman has rejected claims that the proposed closure is due to the use of alternative methods of care.Cllr Aitken believes that Haringey Council and those that use the service have not been adequately consulted.

In his letter to the Trust, Ron Aitken has challenged them to hold a public meeting and explain to the local community exactly why they are closing the day centre.

Cllr Aitken (Crouch End) comments:

“This is a very worrying situation for everyone, not least those who rely on the day centre. Without this accessible hospital, vulnerable people will be at risk of relapse and possibly suicide.

“I am concerned that a decision with such a huge impact seems to have been made with minimal consultation. I want the Trust to hold a public meeting and explain themselves. I feel the closures have been driven by budgetary considerations and not patient choice. This is not acceptable.”

Liberal Democrat councillors are welcoming the decision of the Council Executive on Tuesday night (9th June) to establish a Parking Focus Group as a consultation forum a year after it was proposed by Liberal Democrat councillors in their borough election manifesto.

The forum, which claims to be looking at ‘parking in its wider sense, which will lead to a more user led approach to service delivery’, is something that the Lib Dems have been calling for ever since the Muswell Hill CPZ debacle.

Lib Dem leader Ross Laird, comments:

“I am delighted that the Council has finally taken a leaf out of the Lib Dem book and acknowledged that consulting with local residents over difficult local issues is the only way forward.

“For too long we have had to fight the Council over botched consultations and attempts to dictate policy to residents. I hope that Haringey will continue to adopt Lib Dem policies, it will certainly make for a more open and accessible Council.”