As Haringey remembered its war heroes and veterans this November, Crouch End Liberal Democrat councillor Ron Aitken travelled to France to join local people and former French servicemen in the village of Pontchartrain, near Versailles, France, to honour his uncle, Robertson Aitken, who was killed in a bombing raid over Paris in 1944 aged 22.

Robertson Aitken’s Lancaster bomber of XV squadron RAF crashed in the grounds of the local chateau just two days after the D-Day landings began.

Councillor Aitken, the Mayor of the French town, and local citizens laid wreaths from the Royal British Legion and the RAF on the war memorial and Sergeant Aitken’s grave. Former French Resistance fighters were also honoured.

Ron Aitken comments:”It was a privilege to be able to honour my uncle, and also to remember so many French people who fought to defend our freedoms in both world wars.”

Local Lib Dem councillors are calling for a proper dialogue between Haringey Council and Transport for London (TfL) over the controversial problem of traffic calming in the Muswell Hill area. The move follows months of stalemate between the two authorities, during which time Haringey has failed to take up TfL’s offer to fund up to £100,000 of traffic improvements.

The offer was made to help fund traffic calming measures in the area affected by the controversial Grosvenor Road barrier and Colney Hatch traffic lights, but TfL says Haringey has not taken it up.In a letter last week to Cllr Lynne Featherstone (Muswell Hill), TfL says:

“Derek Turner [TfL’s surface transport supremo] had previously indicated TfL’s wish to support Haringey Council (up to £100,000) in its funding of traffic calming measures associated with Grosvenor Road / Colney Hatch Lane subject to the Council making a case. We have received no such ‘case’ from Haringey and I have asked my Chief Engineer for our North and East Section, Godwin Fernandes, to contact council officers to establish the current position and seek to help.”

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Here we have Haringey looking a gift horse in the mouth, and no firm action has been taken. Residents want some solutions and the money is available. I am happy to help witharranging a meeting to ensure that the right heads are knocked together so that things can move forward.”

Cllr Susan Oatway (Alexandra Ward) adds:

“Local residents have put in a huge amount of time and effort into helping the council get the plans right. We need TfL and Haringey to get together and sort this issue out.”

Haringey Council is facing a substantial increase in public complaints, according to figures leaked to the Liberal Democrats. The notes to Haringey’s ruling ‘Executive’ on 22 October show that the number of monthly complaints for this year is a massive 45% higher than last year’s monthly figures.

On average, the secret papers reveal that 109 complaints per month of all types have been logged by the council this year, compared to 75 last year.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader, Ross Laird, comments:

“This is a worrying trend and one which will perhaps not surprise the borough’s residents. All too often, one feels that complaining in Haringey is like shouting into an abyss. However, I would urge residents to keep pointing out problems with council services, as it is the only way to force Haringey to listen.”

Note:

The “Notes for Executive on 22/10/02” contain figures showing in 2001/2 898 complaints recorded by council at all stages of its complaint procedure – i.e. 75 per month on average. However, for 1 February – 28 October, 874 complaints logged – i.e. 109 per month on average, an increase of 45%.

A Highgate Lib Dem councillor is calling on Haringey’s Labour-run council to take action to repair the lighting on the Archway Bridge. The move follows months of lame excuses to Councillor Neil Williams (Highgate) and attempts by Haringey Council to dodge questions on the issue.

Two of the famous and elegant globe lights on the famous bridge have not been working for as long as Archway locals can remember. Since his election in May, Councillor Williams has repeatedly asked the council to take action and has been offered a range of weak excuses.

Neil Williams comments:

“I am simply not accepting Haringey’s excuses on the bridge lighting. If Islington can work so hard on the traffic calming plans on Hornsey Lane, the historic route of the bridge, Haringey ought to be able to get two lightbulbs working on the bridge. It is such a shame, as this is one of our most historic landmarks.

“I will now be asking the council to provide solid evidence that the cost of getting the lights to work is as high as the council says. I am rather sceptical.”

Note:

Under an agreement between Islington and Haringey, the former looks after Hornsey Lane while the latter has the lead on the bridge. The whole route forms the Haringey’s southern boundary with Islington.

Lib Dem GLA member and local councillor Lynne Featherstone has won assurances on local police numbers following questioning of the Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA).

She was questioning him over fears that police numbers in Haringey may plummet after March 31st, which is the deadline for meeting the Met’s police numbers target. Ms Featherstone, who also sits on the MPA, was acting on information she had received suggesting that police numbers may then fall once the target had been met as around 40 officers in Haringey were being prevented from proceeding with their applications for jobs in other areas or other police squads until after March 31st.

Those approaching Ms Featherstone feared that having made the target, officers would then be able to move on to new jobs, so that from next April, numbers might start to plummet and the same problem of understaffing in Haringey’s police force would reappear all over again.

After close questioning by Ms Featherstone the MPA’s chair undertook to ensure that numbers would not fall after the target date.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Making sure that Haringey gets and then keeps its full compliment of police officers as promised is absolutely vital. I am glad to have a public assurance from the Chair of the MPA that those numbers, once we have them, will not only be maintained, but may be increased. However, I will be watching very closely to see what happens to numbers in Haringey after 31st March.”

Haringey’s Lib Dem councillors have expressed astonishment after revelations that embarrassed local Tories have written to their own supporters to apologise for their negative campaigning in the area.

The Tory move was made to coincide with an ‘anonymous’ leaflet currently being issued by the Conservatives in an attempt to discredit and smear Haringey’s hard working Lib Dem councillors.

The move from the disgruntled Tories follows their wipe-out at the hands of the Lib Dems in the May council elections and their dismal third place in last year’s general election.

The fake leaflet uses the well know Liberal Democrat ‘FOCUS’ title and designs taken from previous Lib Dem leaflets. The leaflet does not say anywhere that it is from the Conservatives, having only a cryptic reference in small print to being printed by “HWGCA” and a PO Box number. HWGCA stands for Hornsey & Wood Green Conservative Association.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Ross Laird comments:

“It seem the local Tories have sunk to a new low – and it will not get them anywhere.It is no wonder the Conservative’s party chairman, Teresa May, has warned about the party being the ‘nasty party’. They have so little to offer they have to hide where their leaflets come from and write to their supporters in advance to apologise. It is a rather sad spectacle.”

Reacting to the news that Haringey’s Social Services is once again to be given a ‘zero star’ rating by outside experts, Haringey’s opposition Liberal Democrats have called for Labour councillors to admit their failure to sort out social services.

The Government’s Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) report into the Social Services department is due tomorrow (Friday 15 November) and will announce updated Star Ratings for local authorities.

Haringey, despite the lessons of the Laming Inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie and an injection of £2m funds into children’s services, has once again been given the bottom ‘no star’ rating.

This news follows the SSI criticising Haringey Council for its attempts to rig the results of a questionnaire to users of the Children’s Services and the revelation in leaked Labour documents that extra money for social services was not going on front line services but instead on improving the press operation for the troubled department.

Liberal Democrat Social Services spokesman Cllr Ron Aitken said:

“Haringey will try to put the best gloss on this very poor showing. However, cosmetic changes and the scapegoating of relatively junior employees hide the lack of real accountability by the Labour politicians who remain in charge. Decision-making is still made behind closed doors in one-party meetings.”

Liberal Democrat councillors have condemned the decision at last night’s Haringey Council Planning Committee to give the go-ahead to a controversial planning application on Aubrey Road.

The application, to build four new luxury houses on a “backlands” space will result in the loss of local garages, small workshops and a car repair business.

Residents have strongly opposed the application, saying it will harm the area, cost local jobs, reduce much-needed off-street parking and put extra pressure on public services in the area.

Crouch End councillor David Winskill comments:

“Haringey Council had the opportunity either to defer or reject this controversial planning application, but chose instead to side with the developers against residents. This is another example of how the planning system is letting down people and will lead to great disillusion with the planning system.”

Councillor Lynne Featherstone, who has met with London Mayor Ken Livingstone over the problems with backland developments, comments:

“We will continue to work with residents to fight other similar controversial applications that are in the pipeline.”

Lib Dem councillors are calling on Haringey’s police force to take steps to ensure calls from the public are answered swiftly. The move follows a report from one Crouch End resident who repeatedly failed to get through to the police after reporting a break in.

A local resident of Shepherds Hill called the police after a break-in at his garage.When he called the local police station, having looked up the number in Thompson’s directory, the phone just rang and rang without answer, or without even switching over to an answering machine.

When the resident called a second time, he finally got through after half an hour on hold. The police said they would send someone round to his home, but then more than 24 hours passed before anyone finally appeared.

The resident said: “When you get a response like this, how can the police expect people to report incidents? You can see why people are put off, even though I know that’s not the right attitude and the public should always report a crime.”

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem leader and crime spokesperson, comments: “This is one worrying consequence of the pressure on police numbers, but we really must have the public dealt with immediately when they call the police. I will be asking Chief Supt Stephen James what measures he will be taking to ensure that police inquiry lines are sufficiently resourced.”

Local residents in Muswell Hill and Highgate are fed up of dumping and vandalism, according to the results of a survey conducted by Lib Dem councillors in the area.

Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate) and Cllr Lynne Featherstone (Muswell Hill) conducted the survey in Wood Lane (Highgate) and Wood Vale (Muswell Hill), which links Highgate and Muswell Hill and runs through Queen’s Wood.

A total of 30% in Wood Vale and 40% in Wood Lane say they’ve been victims of car vandalism during the last year. A massive 77% think dumped cars in Queen’s Wood are a serious problem, and 87% think fly-tipping in Queen’s Wood is a serious issue. In total, 75% would support the use of CCTV in Queen’s Wood and 86% want better lighting.

Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone comments:

“We have already take action to report the dumping of cars and huge piles of rubbish in the woods. However, I would like the police to look seriously at introducing CCTV, as residents have shown they would support it. It could make a real difference, as it has done with graffiti in Highgate village. The present situation is making a real mess of one of the most beautiful parts of Highgate and Muswell Hill.”

Lib Dem councillor Neil Williams comments:

“The high number of people reporting being the victims of crimes in the last year suggests that many crimes are currently going unreported – which is why police think crime in the area is less of a problem than residents say so. I would urge residents to ensure that all crimes are reported in future, so the police have a full and accurate picture when deciding where to allocate resources.”