Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors have expressed satisfaction that the special neighbourhood assembly that they secured for Highgate enjoyed a record attendance of over 120 people on Wednesday evening. The meeting gave residents a chance to grill the council on the CPZ issue facing the area, and also covered local policing issues.

Councillors Melanie Simpson, Bob Hare and Neil Williams had pressed for and secured special assembly meetings for Highgate, which had been left without its own neighbourhood assembly by the Labour-run council.

Cllr Melanie Simpson comments:

“It was a good meeting, and will certainly help to keep the council listening over the CPZ issue. Highgate residents turned out in numbers unheard of in other neighbourhood assembles in Haringey which just goes to show the benefits of holding special meetings in our patch.”

Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors also distributed a door-to-door survey on the parking issue to coincide with the meeting.

Councillor Neil Williams and local campaigners are hoping for a big turnout for their ‘Fight Graffiti’ campaign meeting in Highgate on 19 November, 7.30pm, at St Michael’s Primary, North Road, Highgate.The Highgate Lib Dem councillor is organising the meeting after working successfully with local campaigners in a huge and successful effort to remove graffiti in Highgate Village.

Without support from the council, local campaigners raised funds for a clean up, and are spreading the costs among themselves. Councillor Williams says he wants to promote awareness among residents on what they can do to beat the problem. Local campaigner Mike Read, of Southwood Graffiti Action, will be speaking on how the group has wiped graffiti out across a blighted area between Archway Road and Southwood Lane, and Lynne Featherstone from the Greater London Authority, will be reporting on ideas from other boroughs. The police will also be there to report on recent developments.

Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate) comments:

“I hope for a really good turnout at the meeting, because what has been done on graffiti recently in Highgate is absolutely fantastic. We must try and give help and encouragement to areas where they want action. We want graffiti wiped out and then kept out in Highgate. If we all work together we can do it.”

Local transport campaigners are hopeful that the new Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage bus link will move another step forward by the end of the month, with a report from Camden Council on options for bus priority measures along the busy route.

Lynne Featherstone, who has long campaigned for the new route, has been told by London Buses that that the service would benefit from bus priority measures, especially at the Swiss Cottage end of the route. Camden Council, which is ‘lead borough’ on the route, is making progress with evaluating the options, and is set to issue a report by the end of this month.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I look forward to the outcome of this latest stage in the bid for the route. We must now make rapid progress if we are to capitalise on local people’s enthusiasm for the new route. We need to get it up and running as soon as possible.”

The Lib Dems have demanded that Haringey’s Labour-run council conducts a full consultation over its controversial PPP proposals for the borough’s sports facilities and school halls, which would involve handing over council services to private companies.

The move follows severe criticism at last night’s full council meeting where a deeply split Labour group struggled to maintain a united face in public. Several Labour councillors left the room just before the vote in order to avoid having to vote for or against the Lib Dem motion.

The Liberal Democrats want a proper consultation on the issue before democratic control passes away from local people. At last night’s full council they moved a motion calling for urgent consultation with leisure centre and sports facilities users before the Labour Party railroads through the outsourcing of its leisure services.

Many local sports clubs have complained that they have been given little if any chance to contribute to the discussions and the proposed consultations in July were abandoned.

Lib Dem councillor David Winskill says that small and ill-resourced sports clubs and community groups face being cut out of the running of these facilities, or at best becoming reliant on discretionary handouts.

Councillor David Winskill comments:

“Allowing a private company to run our sports facilities and schools is sure to result in higher charges for local groups. There may be no way to hold the service to account. Haringey is not consulting local groups on this. It is a terrible way to remove a vital service from local control.”

Councillor Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Labour likes to claim that Haringey is a ‘Listening Council’. Why then are they afraid of asking the users of our sports facilities and school halls what they think of these plans? If Labour’s leaders can’t even persuade their own councillors that these plans are a good idea, why should they be forced on the people of Haringey?”

Haringey’s Liberal Democrat councillors have attacked Haringey Council after another attempt to scrutinise the budgetary difficulties facing the council was blocked.

Liberal Democrat councillors had called for the large council overspends to be “called in” and investigated by a special meeting of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The blocking of this review follows the earlier moves to block an effective scrutiny of the council’s budget process. Although several other council scrutiny committees have had the benefit of outside experts to give advice, the council refused to allow similar support for the budget scrutiny – resulting in what Lib Dem councillors described as a deliberate fix to try to stop the budget being closely examined.

In blocking the call-in request, Haringey has relied on an obscure part of its rules, arguing that the call-in did not specify a clear alternative course of action. However, the Lib Dem request was for a detailed examination of the reasons for the overspend and for recommendations for action to then follow.

Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson Jonathan Bloch comments:

“It is absurd for the Council to block an examination of its overspending by claiming that we haven’t given a detailed alternative to the overspending. How can people propose an alternative if attempts to find out what has gone wrong in the first place are blocked?”

Liberal Democrat leader Lynne Featherstone comments:

“The council leader and chief executive need to realise that the council isn’t some private gentleman’s club for them to run as they wish.”

Councillor Ross Laird, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Muswell Hill, held a successful meeting at St Mary and St George’s Church Hall on 4 November with local residents from Connaught House and Connaught Gardens, Muswell Hill.

The meeting aimed to tackle long-standing problems in the area, including rubbish, poor maintenance of the buildings and damage from trees. A representative from Housing 21 was present to handle questions about their management of Connaught House.

Cllr Laird comments:

“This was a good meeting. Many of the questions from residents were aimed at Housing 21 and their lack of investment in the property. A welcome series of actions were agreed to take matters forward.”

These included:

* Housing 21 to take urgent action to repair some of the worst afflicted flats

* Haringey Council to be contacted regarding removing abandoned cars when necessary

* The Metropolitan Police Estates Manager to be invited to examine the site

* Local residents to try and establish a residents’ association, working with Housing 21

Cllr Laird continues:

“I am concerned that we are just 6 months away from a potential transfer of Connaught House to another manager. It is important that the views of local residents and tenants are paramount and therefore we hope that a residents’ association can be formed soon.”

Liberal Democrat leader Lynne Featherstone has extracted a key promise from London Mayor Ken Livingstone in the fight against backland developments in the borough. The promise follows a meeting that Ms Featherstone called with the Mayor on Friday 1st November.

The Mayor’s London Plan and the requirement for more desperately needed housing is being used to justify the squashing of new developments into small sites, particularly in the Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Crouch End area.

However, following his meeting with Ms Featherstone, Mayor Livingstone has agreed to write to Haringey Council pointing out that his London Plan should not be used to justify inappropriate developments. Whilst the local authority must remain the ultimate judge in these planning applications, in like with their Unitary Development Plan (UDP), the London Plan is about planned intensification of housing density around transport hubs, not carte blanche for over or inappropriate development.

The Mayor was also sufficiently worried about the poor quality of the development being proposed between Priory Avenue, Clovelly Road and Linzee Road that he asked world-renowned architect Richard Rogers to advise on the poor design in applications such as this one.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“We all want to see more housing – but the Mayor’s London Plan must not be used by Haringey Council or developers as an excuse to build anything anywhere.

“Haringey needs to think very carefully before it grants planning permission for any of the backland sites. This isn’t what the Mayor meant and it won’t solve the social housing crisis.”

There was good news this week for the campaign to reopen the front counter at Muswell Hill police station as the number of applications from volunteers hit the 70 mark.

The local police force has agreed to reopen the front counter, provided enough residents volunteer to be trained and help staff the counter. Similar volunteer schemes are up and running successfully elsewhere.

Following a successful public meeting, organised by the area’s Liberal Democrat councillors, Cllr Lynne Featherstone has been sending out application forms to interested residents.

She has just despatched the 70th form. According to the police, they needed the number of forms sent out to hit the 70 mark in order for there to be enough good quality applications to put together a pool of 40 trained volunteers to reopen the counter.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“We have now reached the milestone of getting 70 people to step forward. If enough people now complete and return the forms, the police front counter will reopen.

“Some forms have already been completed and returned. I would encourage anyone who has a form to try and get it in by the end of November.”

Ms Featherstone added that she has spare application forms for anyone who would sill like to apply. Interested people should call her on 020 8340 5459.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has dodged the question of what criteria he will use to adjudicate on the appeal from Barnet Council over the Grosvenor Road barrier.

His move was the result of a question from London Assembly member and Haringey councillor Lynne Featherstone at Mayor’s Question Time.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone said:

“Ken has totally ducked the question of what criteria he will use to make his decision or when it will be made.

“I have written to the Mayor again to ask again specifically on what basis he will make his decision and when he will make it. Local residents in Alexandra, Muswell Hill and Fortis Green want to know.”

Ward councillor Susan Oatway added,

“This appeal should be resolved quickly and clearly so that we can get a final decision and move on. The continuing delays and uncertainty don’t help anyone.”

Muswell Hill’s Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed the news that major improvements to Muswell Hill roundabout are set to be made after agreement between London Buses and Haringey Council.

The two parties have reached agreement on the lease for the chalet at the centre of the roundabout. Once final legal details are sorted out, this will release £100,000 from London Buses for work on the site.

As the design and contractor are already in place, work is expected to start this month and is due to be completed by September next year.

“This is excellent news and will greatly improve what has been an eyesore for many years,” comments Cllr. Lynne Featherstone, who has consistently campaigned for the site to be improved.