At the Lib Dem national party conference, local campaigner Lynne Featherstone has scooped an award for her local party website, http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org.

The website, with hundred of pages of local news and views from Haringey’s Lib Dem team, achieved a ‘highly commended’ award at the party conference for the way in which it is used to keep residents informed about local news and to solicit feedback from them.

Haringey’s Lib Dems have gone from strength to strength with their campaigns, and have wiped the Tories off Haringey council. The party’s 15 councillors have Labour deeply rattled, as they worry about losing both the council and the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary seat at the next general election.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“With the website, we try to keep local people as well informed as possible about what is going on in the borough.

“Even more importantly, they can also let us know what they think on local issues, by filling in on line surveys or surgery forms. We are the only local party that offers such a comprehensive internet service, on top of our more traditional campaigns, and I am delighted that the team has received this award.”

The North Middlesex Hospital is one of the busiest accident and emergency centres in London, and also has to cope with an enormous workload of elective surgery.

Following discussions at Haringey Community Health Council last week, the Lib Dem Health Spokesperson Cllr Wayne Hoban (Alexandra Ward) has questioned the North-Mid’s sums on the deal and raised the issue of affordable housing for nurses and doctors.

“I have written to the Trust asking that affordable homes for healthcare staff should form an essential part of any deal. With things as they stand, this cannot be guaranteed.” said Cllr Hoban.

Lib Dem health spokesperson at the London Assembly, Lynne Featherstone, comments:

“I am concerned about the impact of a £2.7 m per annum shortfall in revenue funding once the deal is up and running. This would have to be funded for a period of five years by the Health Trust, and could result in cuts to other vital services.

“These are important questions which must be answered if this scheme is to serve the interests of the local community.”

Haringey’s Liberal Democrats have hailed as a victory the decision by the Labour-run council to extend door-to-door recycling across the borough. Labour’s climb-down comes after pressure from the Liberal Democrats, who made the extension of recycling a key issue in the recent local elections where the party gained 13 seats from Labour.

Labour’s record has been the subject of sharp criticism in recent months for its abysmal record on recycling.

In July, a government inspection gave the council a zero-star rating for its recycling, rubbish collection and traffic management services. The borough’s recycling rate is at an abysmal 4%, with the council in danger of government intervention if it does not improve.

In the 1998 elections, Labour promised a sharp increase in the borough’s recycling rate over the next four years, but instead it fell even lower.

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem Leader of the Opposition, comments:

“I welcome Labour’s rather late conversion to recycling, and will be watching closely to see that these plans are followed through. The Liberal Democrats in the borough have long campaigned to get the council to take action. At last, they have finally done something which may improve the present hopeless performance.”

Local Lib Dems have welcomed the news that following their intervention, the Greater London Authority has now requested information from Haringey Council on the operation of the Grosvenor Road barrier. The move comes as part of London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s consideration of an appeal by Barnet Council over the future of the barrier.

The Liberal Democrats have criticised Haringey Council for having made no effort to speed along the Mayor’s participation, but have used his involvement as an excuse to avoid taking action on the wider traffic issues affecting the surrounding area.

It took the intervention of Lib Dem London Assembly member Lynne Featherstone to ensure that inquiries were made by the GLA as a prelude to the Mayor considering the appeal.

Local Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Susan Oatway comments:

“This is good news as it removes from the council an excuse for further time wasting over traffic improvements in the area.I will be writing to Peter Norton and his traffic team today about this. As this drags on, it is more and more vital to get calming measures in place, especially given the likely knock-on effects of work to the North Circular.”

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Haringey has been using the appeal to the Mayor as an excuse to delay consultation and action on the long-promised introduction of wider traffic measures in the area. It is vital that the wider consultation goes ahead so we can settle these issues and help out residents across the whole area.”

Crouch End Lib Dem Councillor Ron Aitken has called for action to stamp out the fly posting of lurid red and yellow posters in and around Crouch End, which he describes as ‘an eyesore’.

The posters advertise the services of a removal firm and have been pasted to junction boxes, empty shop fronts and lampposts all over Crouch End and the surrounding area.

“I telephoned the owner of the company named on the posters and asked them if they knew that their posters were causing an eyesore and were a blight on Crouch End,” says Lib Dem councillor Ron Aitken.

“He promised to put a stop to it, but a week later the posters were still going up.Something needs to be done as, like graffiti, once fly posting becomes the norm the whole area will suffer. I will be calling on Haringey Council to take a lead in effective and swift action against the fly-posters.”

Following Haringey Council’s continued failure to resolve the chaos at Crouch End Library’s recycling point, local Lib Dem councillor David Winskill is asking for local residents help in pressing Haringey Council to take urgent action.

In the last few months, one of the most frequent complaints made to the Lib Dem councillors in Crouch End has been the deterioration of the Hornsey Library Recycling Centre. Last weekend things reached a new low. Last Friday evening’s scheduled collection was not made, so by last Sunday morning the recycling point was in a worse mess than ever. All the banks were completely full with paper, bottles and cans covering a wide area and spilling out onto the Library car park approach road. To make matters worse, attempts had been made to set fire to piles of paper. If successful the consequences could have been disastrous.

Lib Dem councillor David Winskill comments:

“I have asked Haringey Council for an urgent onsite meeting to discuss what action should be taken, including the possibility of sacking the contractor responsible for this mess. I am also asking local residents if they would rather see the facility suspended until the council sorts out this shambles, either under a new recycling contract or better still, with a new company.

“A suspension would be a shame, as I don’t want to see Haringey’s abysmal recycling rates falling further, but the present situation is becoming intolerable.”

Residents can write with their views to David Winskill at david.winskill@haringeylibdems.org.

Haringey Lib Dems have expressed dismay at reports of delays in the opening of secondary schools across the borough. The delays have resulted in secondary schools not opening in time for the new term and in continued maintenance work.

Councillor Ross Laird, Lib Dem Education Spokesman, comments:

“The closure of our schools is unacceptable. I have spoken to Paul Roberts, Director of Education, and asked him to investigate why Jarvis has yet again failed to open our schools on time and what maintenance work is still on-going. It appears that Jarvis is failing our schools yet again and this calls into question their ability to get the job done.

“We have always had deep reservations about the PFI deal, and it would seem that we were right to be concerned.At this time when the Criminal Records Bureau are busy checking the records of school workers, we cannot have unchecked workmen strolling around our schools. I trust the Director of Education will be asking Jarvis some tough questions and checking to see whether they should be penalised.”

• Huge show of support from 350 local residents
• Volunteers sign up for training with Met consultant
• Station could reopen by Christmas

Lynne Featherstone and other local councillors have expressed huge satisfaction with an overwhelming show of support from Muswell Hill residents for their plans to secure the reopening of Muswell Hill police station’s front counter.

Over 180 people turned up to a packed public meeting last night at the Muswell Hill Centre. With over 170 residents also sending written messages of support, Ms Featherstone says the police will have the backing they need from the local community to press ahead with the plan for a re-opening of the desk manned by trained local volunteers.

The meeting had been organised by Ms Featherstone on behalf of the councillors from Alexandra, Fortis Green and Muswell Hill wards – those most affected by the police station issue.

At the end of the meeting, over 40 people expressed an interest in serving at the station. These applications will now be processed by Helen Smith, the Met’s consultant on the volunteering initiative, who will add suitable applicants to the list of names already gathered by Ms Featherstone.

Would-be Muswell Hill volunteers will have the chance to meet trained volunteers from other stations where counters have been re-opened.

During the meeting, Helen Smith told residents about the very successful schemes now running in many other boroughs. She told them what was involved, what training they would receive, the sort of commitment needed and the systems in place to make sure all volunteers are 100% safe – including a ‘panic strip’ which if pressed has police officers there within moments.

Muswell Hill councillor Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am delighted at such a huge show of support – it really gives a huge boost to the plans and brings reopening a big step forward.

“While we would all like full time police and a full time service at the station, sadly, with the present resources made available to the police, that is not going to happen. Properly trained volunteers can bring real additional benefits – and if enough people sign up – the station counter could be open for Christmas.

“All types of people can get involved. So long as you can commit a couple of hours a week and are reliable, there are no barriers. All that I needed is common sense, commitment, and integrity.”

Lynne Featherstone says that more volunteers will still be needed to meet the target for a core pool of volunteers. Local people interested in receiving the Met’s information pack on becoming a trained volunteer can contact Lynne Featherstone on 0208 340 5459 or send an email to lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org.

A local Lib Dem councillor has accused Haringey of meanness and double standards after discovering that Labour-run Haringey Council is earning almost £50,000 from rooftop aerials installed in a Highgate council estate – while at the same time taking years to install a disabled ramp in one of the blocks on the famous Hillcrest Estate, Highgate.

The revelations on the income the council is receiving from the masts erected on the roofs of the seven storey buildings came in a written answer to local Lib Dem councillor, Neil Williams, at last week’s full council meeting.

Residents say that Haringey Council has not acted to improve access to Dowding House, on the Hillcrest estate, despite years of pleas from locals.The Lib Dems also say that if plans by telecoms firm o2 for another mast on Mountbatten House go ahead, the council windfall could increase to a massive £56,000 per year. To add insult to injury, not one penny is retained for estate improvements, or the much needed disabled access ramps.

Highgate Lib Dem councillor Neil Williams comments:

“There are huge sums of money pouring in to the council coffers from these masts. The residents have to live with them, and they make the tops of the blocks make them look like a miniature airfield.

“Haringey wants to have it both ways. It wants to cream off this money, taking advantage of the height of the buildings – but when it comes to much needed improvements, often needed as a result of their design, then the money is gone and residents have to wait for years. It is very unfair. At least some of the money should be ring-fenced for Hillcrest, as it is the residents who have to live with this equipment.”

After the intervention of Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors, the Haringey Council has ordered works on a council block to be redone after repeated complains from residents.

Residents had complained that the double glazing being installed in Grimshaw Close, off North Hill, was not up to standard, and the new windows being put in by the council did not fit.Work has now stopped and the council has ordered it to be redone.

Lib Dem councillor Neil Williams has also expressed concerns at the length of time the scaffolding has been on the building, with residents reporting that the work is only progressing ‘every now and then’. Where the new windows have not fitted, residents have complained of filler foam being used, which is oozing in large quantities from the gaps in the masonry.

Highgate Lib Dem councillor Neil Williams comments:

“I am very unhappy about the works that have been done so far in Grimshaw Close, and I am pleased the council has agreed to instruct the window repairs to be done again. However, this is only part of the problem, as residents are unhappy with several other aspects of the current programme.

“Firm action must now be taken by Haringey to get this repair programme under control. I will be watching the situation closely over coming weeks.”