Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Wayne Hoban has expressed disappointment that Haringey Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee rejected a ‘call in’ of the Labour council’s controversial decision to agree to negotiate with the existing provider over another year of concerts in Finsbury Park – without the need for an open tendering process.

The move was rejected on technical grounds following concerns about the process from Lib Dem councillors, and complaints from local residents about the scale of events in the park, the damage to the environment and the misery caused to local residents.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Wayne Hoban, who brought the issue before the council, expressed disappointment that the council had not reconsidered the decision, in view of residents’ concerns.

Wayne Hoban comments:

“It is very disappointing to see that the Labour council will not think again, and will not be pursuing an open tendering process for this in the coming year – especially given the sensitivities of the issues, and complaints from local residents about damage to the park. Local people should be properly consulted and all contractors must be kept on their toes by facing open competition.

“While we have failed to stop the council’s plans on this occasion, we will be considering how best to take this matter further. At least one outcome of the meeting was that the committee agreed that the Environment Scrutiny committee will be looking in to this matter – and we will make sure that it does.”

Liberal Democrat councillors were expressing satisfaction this week, following Labour backing for their motion condemning the Government’s controversial ‘bed-blocking’ proposals.

The Community Care (Delayed Discharge) Bill has been the subject of much condemnation since it was unveiled in the Queen’s Speech in September 2002. The bill plans to end bed blocking by fining councils’ social services departments who did not provide enough care homes and facilities for those patients ready to leave hospital but still in need of care.

However, on Monday night the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Wayne Hoban put forward a motion calling for the Government to “change this damaging legislation and requests the Leader to write to the Secretary for Health, expressing the Council’s opposition to the plan.”

After initial attempts by the Labour Group to filibuster the motion failed, they finally supported a motion by the opposition that condemned the actions of their own Labour Government.

Cllr. Hoban comments:

“I am glad to see Haringey Labour for once speaking up for local services.If a department is struggling due to under-funding, then it needs to be provided with more support and more money. It should not be punished with financial penalties.Social services nationally are under-funded by approximately £1 billion. The Labour Government’s new plans would cost local authorities a further £100 million a year.”

Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone, went on to express disappointment at the lack of support from the borough’s two Government Ministers, David Lammy and Barbara Roche – now seen to be at odds with the local Labour council

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“The silence of Haringey’s two Labour MPs speaks volumes as to where there real loyalty lies. We are a community attempting to rebuild services following a couple of turbulent years. Our representatives in Parliament seem far more interested in furthering their careers than doing what’s best for this community.”

However she reflected the delight of the Liberal Democrats at being supported by the Labour run council on this decision:

“I am pleased that Labour swallowed their pride and followed our lead. This vote shows just how far the Government has lost touch. Even their local group has lost belief in them.”

Note:The Lib Dem motion was as follows:

Commmunity Care (Delayed Discharges) Bill

Proposer:Wayne Hoban
Seconder:Lynne Featherstone

This council notes that the estimated cost to each household in Haringey would be almost £11.00, as a direct consequence of the Government’s plan to introduce this bill.This council also notes that implementation of this bill will:

• Seriously undermine efforts to establish good working relationships between local authorities and health authorities
• Establish a new system of bureaucracy with no benefit to patients
• Divert essential resources away from the provision of services
• Distort priorities and the treatment of patients

It will not address the long-standing problem of insufficient capacity in the care system, or provide much needed resources for additional residential care places. Indeed, as a consequence of this bill, the 15,780 households in Haringey identified as vulnerable will be exposed to increased pressure through diversion of funds to pay fines incurred through delayed hospital discharges.

This Council also perceives that the Government’s offer to provide £100 million to help cover the cost of fines incurred is an admission that the cross charging plan is wrong both in principle and in practice.It will introduce yet more bureaucracy and expense as money is transferred from the NHS, to local authorities and back again in the form of fines.

This council calls on the Government to change this damaging legislation and requests the Leader to writeto the Secretary of State for Health, expressing the Council’s opposition to the plan.

Liberal Democrat councillors in Muswell Hill are asking HSBC to think again over plans to close the bank’s popular local branch in Priory Road, at the foot of Muswell Hill.

The closure, which is planned for the end of February will not cause any job losses but local Lib Dem councillors feel it will cause huge inconvenience to many local residents and threaten the viability of local shops and businesses.

Cllr Ross Laird, Leader of the Opposition and local councillor, comments:

“It is very sad that HSBC wants to shut the branch. This will have a detrimental effect on local shops and businesses and will hit the aged and disabled worst as they will now have to travel up to Muswell Hill or Wood Green instead.

“The surrounding area has a large number of elderly residents who appreciate the range of facilities on their doorstep. I am working with local businesses and residents to see if we can persuade the bank to think again, or at least maintain a cash-point facility in the area.”

Haringey Liberal Democrats have raised new concerns about the Labour council’s controversial PFI for schools, following a major new report criticising PFI schools as “significantly worse” than their publicly financed counterparts.

The report, published this week by the Audit Commission, disclosed that traditional funding delivered, on average, better schools buildings as well as showing that construction and the running of schools have “varied widely, with no clear difference between the two types of funding.” The report also criticised the technical quality of the schools, falling below the standards of traditionally funded schools.

The report comes after a turbulent year for Haringey council with regards to schooling. The Liberal Democrats unearthed the alarming extra costs, to the tune of £3 million per year, that the council would endure after the initial 3-year honeymoon period of PFI. Also there was controversy over £2 million given to the council to bail them out after a number of unseen PFI costs were discovered.

Barbara Fabian, Lib Dem Education Spokesperson, comments:

“This is a worrying report. From the start we have asked the Council for proper consultation and transparency on PFI – but we didn’t get it. Since then we have seen soaring costs, delays and disruptions to schools during term time and little improvement in school performances.”

“I think it is time that the Labour council faced up to some home truths about PFI. In the last 12 months we have seen Capita fail to produce on their promises to improve the education system while still happily taking more money,”

“What concerns me even more is that after seeing the failure of PFIs in secondary schools, the system may end up being imposed on primary schools.

Cllr. Ray Dodds, the Lead Member for the Environment, announced during the state of the borough debate that the plans to introduce a CPZ in Crouch End have been dropped.

Liberal Democrat councillor Ron Aitken paid tribute to the campaign mounted over the past few months by local residents. Haringey Council received dozen of letters objecting to the imposition of the CPZ as well as a 950 signature petition.

“Without the hard work of local people it is likely that we would be facing the prospect of an unnecessary and unwanted CPZ,” comments Cllr. Aitken.

Fellow Liberal Democrat councillor for Crouch End, David Winskill, has called on Haringey to launch a full review of its consultation process to examine the timeliness and quality of the information offered during the process. He has called for local residents’ groups and councillors to be invited to contribute to the review, so lessons can be learnt for the future. He went on to say that there are some hot spots of parking problems in the area, and many local businesses have expressed concerns over haphazard parking in the Broadway.

“I have already requested a meeting with council staff and the Crouch End Traders’ Association to review parking around the Broadway.We should also set up a Residents’ Parking Forum to monitor any changes in parking patterns when the BT development opens,” comments Cllr Winskill.

Note:

The Liberal Democrats have previously called for better use to be made of Hornsey Town Hall car park during shopping hours at the weekend in order to ease parking issues near the Broadway.

Local Lib Dem candidate in the Tottenham by election, Neville Collins, was this week been joined on the campaign trail by some senior figures from the party. London Member of the European Parliament Sarah Ludford, former London Mayoral candidate and Transport for London board member Susan Kramer and Lib Dem GLA member Lynne Featherstone all joined the Neville Collins campaign in the election on Sunday.

The Lib Dems are campaigning hard, following their spectacular gains in the local council elections last May, when the party took 12 seats from Haringey Labour and wiped the Tories off the council.

Baroness Sarah Ludford comments:

“It was a pleasure to help Neville in the Tottenham campaign. Labour have run Haringey for 30 years and have a record of failure. Another Labour councillor won’t make any difference, and electing Neville Collins will send Labour a strong message on 23 January.”

Haringey’s Labour run council has been unsympathetic and unapologetic in its treatment of local residents over the controversial distribution of wheelie bins in the borough, according to Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Spokesperson, Bob Hare following Monday’s full council meeting.

The comments come after Environment Lead member Cllr Ray Dodds’ failure to answer a question put to him three times by Cllr Hare (Highgate) as to whether or not the council was going to place information about the choice of wheelie bin size in an updated letter to residents.

Lib Dems have expressed their anger that the council is foisting the huge bins on residents without proper consultation, when a smaller bin would often be much more appropriate, less intrusive, and better for the environment. Government studies have shown that wheelie bins that are too large are a major barrier to recycling and waste minimisation. Cllr Hare revealed information that in Tottenham, where residents have already had wheelie bins foisted upon them, just 68 of the 18,000 bins issued were of the smaller size.

Bob Hare comments: “I gave Cllr Dodds a number of opportunities to give a straight answer to my question. He simply repeated that every household would receive a standard size bin and they would review the situation in four weeks. By then, it would be too late for the council to change more than a few bins.”More…

“Trying to shout down the Lib Dems in council meetings and avoiding these problems is not going to solve this issue.”

While Cllr Dodds did agree to Lib Dem demands to allow the three sizes of bin to be shown in the exhibit caravan touring the borough, Cllr Hare remained dissatisfied:

“Simply putting the bins on display is a small step in the right direction, but few will see them in the council caravan. The council should be putting information through the doors of residents, especially those who worry most about the new bins – the disabled and the elderly.”

Lib Dem candidate in the Tottenham Hale by-election, Neville Collins, has called for the Council to take urgent action to improve the living conditions for the residents of Reed Road. The Lib Dems have written to the council asking for an urgent clean up of the street and for the door entry phones on the flats to be repaired.

Neville Collins has been working with Lib Dem leader Ross Laird following several complaints from residents regarding dumped rubbish, door entry phones being out of use, damaged fencing at the backs of blocks and rubbish chutes burnt out.

Neville Collins comments:

“The council needs to take immediate action to clean up this area. Many people including young families and the elderly are being forced to live in unacceptable conditions. Time and time again, residents have been let down by Labour. Things have got to change.”

Lib Dem councillor and Greater London Authority member Lynne Featherstone has unveiled proposals for a fast rail link connecting Haringey to Central London. Ms Featherstone wants the £154 million Crossrail project plans to include a link to Haringey via a service from Tottenham to Stratford. At a meeting last week, chairman of CrossRail Sir Christopher Benson has welcomed Cllr Featherstone’s proposals, incorporating a fast link between Stansted airport that would pass through Tottenham Hale.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“This project could be the key to long term regeneration in the east of the borough. Crossrail will undoubtedly be good for London. However, I want to ensure that Crossrail does not just benefit big business in the West and in the City. It must also benefit Tottenham, where good transport links would bring employment where it is really needed,” says Councillor Featherstone.

Ms Featherstone is pointing out that the benefits of the rail link would not be solely economic and that the borough as a whole would feel the environmental benefits.

“The Lib Dems are campaigning for faster, cleaner and more reliable public transport. The infrastructure in Haringey cannot deal with the amount of cars currently our roads. When completed, this project will give commuters an alternative to gridlock.”

Notes:

Cross London Rail Links (Crossrail) is a 50/50 joint venture company formed by Transport for London (TfL) and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). Crossrail is tasked with promoting and developing two new routes through London: Crossrail line 1 (East-West) and Crossrail line 2 (North East-South West). Crossrail has been allocated a budget of £154m by central government to carry out feasibility work and to acquire parliamentary powers for the two lines.

Further information: www.crossrail.co.uk

Cllr Bob Hare, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Spokesman, has blamed Haringey council’s refuse collection contractors for bringing unnecessary stress and worry to elderly residents in Haringey.

The comments came following a complaint from an elderly resident who said that she was unable to move the new big wheelie bins and was concerned that the refuse collectors would not take her rubbish away. After a number of unsuccessful attempts at contacting Accord to get an answer to her question, she contacted Cllr Hare.

Cllr Hare contacted Accord and has now been informed that they will run an ‘assisted collection’ – refuse collectors will wheel bins from any location in their gardens for elderly people.

Cllr Bob Hare (Highgate) comments:

“I was very worried about this situation and contacted our local Age Concern. They informed me that there have been numerous calls from local elderly residents expressing their fears about the new wheelie bins. They went on to tell me that they had failed to get a response from Haringey Accord.”

“Accord must respond to calls made by very concerned residents on an issue that is causing great distress. However, I welcome the fact that they have now acted, and I hope that this will put elderly residents’ minds at ease over this problem.”