• Budget of tax rises, not better services, say Lib Dems
• Haringey part of council tax to rise by over 17%
• Lib Dems predict council tax rise of over 50% rise over four years

Labour-run Haringey Council’s high tax budget was condemned by the Lib Dem opposition who accused Haringey Labour of making the council tax payer pick up the tab for their financial mismanagement.

The council has proposed a massive 17.4% increase in the council tax to cover the perceived £13 million hole in this year’s budget.

The Lib Dems argued that council tax rises were the result of two cynical moves byHaringey Labour in the run-up to the last council elections – holding down council tax increases and at the same time heavily overspending in an attempt to retain their seats at the May 2002 local elections.

The Lib Dems have also pointed out that on Labour’s current plans, council tax bills will rise by over 50% over the four year lifespan of the current council.

Lib Dem Leader of the Official Opposition, Cllr Ross Laird, lead the attack on the budget at this week’s full council, saying that Haringey had failed to convince the Government that it needed better funding, while at the same time wasted money on bureaucracy and expensive consultants, resulting in a large overspend.

Ross Laird comments:

“This budget shows the depth of Haringey Labour’s cynicism. They have pegged back council tax rises, and indulged in huge overspending, which will now have to be paid for. The tax increases for local residents will be huge, and some vital services will suffer. It is a budget of tax rises, not a budget for investment in the borough.”

Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors were a united force last night along with over 100 local residents at Hornsey Town Hall to demonstrate their opposition to the British National Party’s (BNP) proposals to set up shop in Haringey.

The BNP did not turn up at Horsey Town Hall and police reported that they had been informed that the meeting had been cancelled. This marked a victory for the residents who came and supported the demonstration.

The move came following a motion at Haringey Council on 3rd February supported by both Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Both parties made impassioned speeches expressing their pride at being part of such a diverse community as Haringey and their willingness to fight any movement that threatened it. The vote was supported by every member of the council present.

Cllr. Hoban, at the anti BNP rally last night, commented:

“This is something that we must make a stand against and that is why I am here with my fellow councillors and so many members of the community who cherish Haringey’s diversity and don’t wish to see it destroyed by racists, homophobes and bigots.”

Cllr. Peter Floyd, Lib Dem councillor for Crouch End, added:

“We have shown our strength and the BNP have wisely stayed away. If they try to hold a meeting in Crouch End or any other part of the Borough, we will be there making our voices heard – racists are not welcome here.”

Liberal Democrat opposition councillors have expressed dismay that leading Labour councillors in Haringey are seeking to cling on to their posts, following the publication of the Laming report. At the full meeting of the council last night, there were no personal apologies from Labour council leader George Meehan, nor was there an offer to resign, despite him being personally criticised by Lord Laming.

Lib Dem councillors also expressed disgust at reports that Labour councillors were whipped and threatened with disciplinary action if they voted against the motion put forward by George Meehan.

Speaking from the Civic Centre, Ron Aitken, Lib Dem social services spokesperson, commented:

“The council has shown tonight that they have not learned their lessons. Individuals, clearly held responsible by Lord Laming in his report, are going to try to cling on to office. It is a dismal spectacle. The matter must not be allowed to rest, and we must have a full debate on all these issues at a special Full Council now being called by the opposition.”

Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson for Hornsey and Wood Green, Lynne Featherstone, has secured a commitment from the police to look again at reopening Muswell Hill police station, following a meeting with Helen Smith, the Met’s consultant for volunteer initiatives, who is coordinating efforts to secure police station volunteers across London.

Helen Smith has told Ms Featherstone that she agreed it believed it would be possible for the police to try again, when the introduction of new police community support officers brings new impetus in policing to the area.

This latest development follows the disappointment in Muswell Hill earlier this month, when Haringey Police announced they were putting on hold plans to re-open the front counter at Muswell Hill police station.

Liberal Democrats have mounted a long campaign for the front counter to reopen, with a system of trained volunteers already successfully used elsewhere. Last year they organised a public meeting to give the police the chance to explain how such a scheme would work, attended by over 200 residents.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I feel that the discussions with Helen were constructive and there is every chance that the bid to reopen the station can be put back on track.I welcomed her commitment to look again at the issue, and to continue discussions with the police in order to make this happen.Then, we can get back to work to find a way foreward. The battle to reopen the station is far from over.”

Lib Dem councillors in Crouch End and Muswell Hill have expressed satisfaction following Haringey Council’s decision to introduce a door-to-door recycling scheme in the two areas as a first step in the roll out of the full collection scheme across the borough – a Lib Dem manifesto commitment and an initiative that the Lib Dems have been campaigning on for the past two years.

The door-to-door scheme will begin in March and will be an upgrade from the current paper collection services. It will require residents to place recyclable materials in a green box provided by the council which will be collected once a week.

Cllr. Lynne Featherstone, Muswell Hill, comments:

“I am pleased that Haringey council have finally taken steps to improve their dreadful record on recycling in the borough. Residents in Muswell Hill and Crouch End are keen recyclers. This initiative is long overdue, but we are pleased that after two years of campaigning the council has started to adopt Lib Dem polices on recycling.”

However Cllr Featherstone was keen to point out that Lib Dems would not stop campaigning on the issue:

“This is a welcome step, but there is plenty more that we would like to see the council doing to make recycling a part of everyday life for the residents of this borough and we will continue to campaign for improvements to recycling facilities across the borough.”

Haringey Council have agreed to a call from Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone for schools to review their charging policies for hiring out school halls and to look favourably on local community groups.

Lynne Featherstone took up the issue following complaints from a local group who are facing large increases in hire charges and concerns that other groups may be suffering similarly. In this case, the price for hiring the hall had gone from £20 to £65 for two hours in the space of two years.

Commenting Lynne Featherstone said:

“This Community group came to me because they were being priced out of school halls. These groups are a vital part of our local community and I am delighted that the council now agrees with me and will be calling for a review.”

Note:

The agreement for a review followed a verbal council question from Cllr Featherstone and a subsequent exchange of letters between Ms Featherstone and Mr Meehan.

Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson Lynne Featherstone has attacked Haringey’s Labour MPs for failing to back Liberal Democrat plans to scrap the charges for personal care for the elderly.

The Government’s Community Care (Delayed Discharge) Bill had initially contained a power that would allow any future Government to introduce free personal care quickly by regulations without a new Act of Parliament.The Government, in which both local MPs serve, however, tabled an amendment to restrict free care to no more than six weeks after discharge.A future Government committed to introducing free personal care would now have to amend the law.

Commenting on the move, Lynne Featherstone said:

“It is very disappointing to see Haringey’s MPs lined up against free personal care for the elderly. It should be available on the basis of need. It is not a luxury, and would simply free help with feeding, dressing, washing and intimate care.

“In supporting the Government’s callous move, Haringey’s Labour MP seem to favour the prospect of our elderly citizens losing their homes to pay for personal care. This is in marked contrast to Scotland, where the Lib Dems have ensured that the elderly will be treated with dignity should they fall ill.”

Proposals to scrap the Finsbury Park Bus Interchange have been branded “bitterly disappointing” by Liberal Democrat councillors in Haringey.

The interchange was due to be expanded to improve bus services to and from the station. But it looks like it will not get the go-ahead following the Strategic Rail Authority’s (SRA) announcement on Thursday that they were facing a cash crisis. The SRA has stated that Government’s 10-year plan for modernising Britain’s railways would have to be completely revised.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“It is disgraceful that the Government and the SRA are unable to successfully manage a long-term plan that was meant to bring our infrastructure into line, and the Finsbury Park Scheme may be lost as a result of their short-sightedness.

“One of the vital parts of regeneration in any area is good road and rail links. It is a major set back for the residents that the scheme looks doomed. However I will be pressing the SRA and the Government to keep its promise and upgrade the interchange.”

Local Lib Dem councillor Dave Winskill (Crouch End) has been inundated with letters and calls from residents worried about an application for a public entertainment licence recently applied for by Crouch Hill Community Centre.

The Lib Dem councillor says that the application, which seeks to allow the centre to operate up to midnight during the week and until 1 am at weekends, could bring excessive noise, traffic and parking problems and increased night time activity in what is a predominately residential area.

David Winskill comments:

“I am concerned about this application. Although it is just on the Islington side of the boundary, many Crouch End residents will be affected. I have agreed to represent the local residents at the Islington licensing hearing, which is due to take place on 4th February.”

• Report highly critical of council’s handling of inquiry.
• ‘Cynical’ Labour council issues critical report on day of Climbie Inquiry publication.

The Lib Dems have criticised Haringey Council’s handling of the report from the Plank Inquiry into how the Labour-run council conducted itself during the Climbie Inquiry. During the inquiry, Haringey’s repeated failure to hand over vital documents was widely condemned.

The Lib Dems says the council issued the highly critical Plank Report on the same day as the Laming Inquiry was published, when attention was instead rightly focused on the outcome of the Laming Inquiry itself.

The Lib Dems have also revealed that Haringey acquired the services of a public relations company to ‘assist’ its press office in handling the reaction to the Laming Inquiry and the issue of the Plank Report.

The Plank Report into Haringey conduct during the Climbie Inquiry was completed in December, but publication was held back. The Lib Dems believe that senior Labour Councillors were allowed to see advance copies of the Plank Report, but this courtesy was not extended to any opposition councillors.

Ironically, the Lib Dems note that the report has heavily criticised the council’s handling of briefing for the opposition, whose main source of information on Haringey’s much criticised behaviour during the inquiry was the media. The report also identifies conflicts of interest between council officers and members, a lack of coordination and poor team-working.

It damningly concludes that the council failed to take the issue seriously enough or give it proper priority.

The Lib Dems now want the council to implement the recommendation that a project board is set up, including members of the opposition, to ensure that these mistakes do not occur again.

Lib Dem social services spokesperson, Ron Aitken, comments:

“We have written to the council to complain about their handling of the release of information to councillors, particularly yesterday.

“It seems the council has not yet learned the lesson of recent events. We will now be pushing to ensure that proper systems are established to avoid this situation in future.

“This report is not a small matter that the council members and senior managers can bury to save face. It has been published so that lessons are learned that will ensure that no other child suffers the way the Victoria Cimbie did.”