A Lib Dem councillor has slammed the Labour-run Haringey Council for failing to turn up at a vital meeting with neighbouring boroughs to discuss the controversial plans for the A406 North Circular Road.

The criticism comes from Councillor Susan Oatway of Alexandra ward, after Haringey council staff failed to attend a vital Monday night meeting on 23rd September, which included the local GLA member and MPs, along with officers and councillors from both Barnet and Enfield councils.

Susan Oatway says the issue strongly affects residents in the Bounds Green area. The Transport for London proposals for the road, which involve changes to several junctions between Bounds Green Road and Green Lanes, are certain to affect Haringey traffic flows. A dedicated cycle network is also being mooted, along with restricted access to several side roads.

The Liberal Democrats have been leading the campaign in Haringey to ensure that residents are properly consulted and involved. It was only after pressure from the Lib Dems, that Haringey Council arranged a meeting to consult local residents.

Susan Oatway comments:

“This meeting was a useful step in getting key players together on the North Circular Road. I have written to Haringey Council expressing my dismay that there was no one to represent the council’s view on such an important issue. Haringey much show a bigger interest in these plans.”

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.”

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.

Lib Dem Leader Lynne Featherstone has expressed disappointment at the borough’s continuing poor record of dealing with complaints from the public. Ms Featherstone says the latest figures from Haringey Council show that rapid improvements are still needed.

According to new data, only 42.4% of the 898 complaints received from the public were dealt with last year within the target timescale. Figures get worse the further the complaint progresses. Only 33% of complaints passed on for a formal investigation were dealt with on time. As far as the troubled Social Services department is concerned, only 27.1% of complaints were dealt with in time at the first stage.

For complaints involving the independent watchdog, the local government ombudsman, there is a ruling against the Labour-run council on average once every nine days.There were 31 cases for local settlement plus two cases of maladministration in the last year, for a total 33 – up from just 25 in 1999/2000.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“These disappointing figures show that Haringey is still not on top of its complaints handling procedures. The delays in dealing with complaints in Social Services are particularly worrying, as this is where some of the most serious complaints which need swift action occur.”

“We will be looking to see real evidence of progress in the coming months.”

Local Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone has stepped up the campaign for the introduction of a “healthy living centre” on the site of the former Hornsey Central Hospital by making a fact-finding visit to a similar service in Bromley by Bow in East London.

Lynne Featherstone believes this is just the sort of community facility Haringey Council, the Health Authority and the Primary Health Care Trust should have been aiming to put onto the Hornsey Hospital site.

The centre not only has a doctors’ practice, but also seeks to address housing, employment, benefits and emotional well-being – providing a significant community facility and nipping local health problems in the bud before they start.

Alongside the conventional health practice are all sorts of activities, from art to gardening, as well as employment and educational courses. There are also people there to help locals through the minefield of the benefits system. Many people who visit the centre go there for one thing or another and become volunteers. Everyone is encouraged to contribute for themselves in whatever way they can.

Lynne Featherstone says that a similar healthy living centre was meant to be part of the resurrection of the Hornsey Hospital site. However, Richard Sumray, the Chair of Haringey Primary Care Trust, never planned an actual building for the Healthy Living Centre – arguing that it could be a network of services and people without a building. Even this possibility now stands dismissed from future plans.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone said:

“Bromley by Bow has created a truly ground-breaking centre, which sees 2,000 people visits per week, with a staff of 105. It has therefore become a significant local employer in its own right.

“Having now visited this facility, it is clear that a real Healthy Living Centre needs a building and truly has the potential to benefit the local community. I am writing to Richard Sumray to once again push for decent local health services to be re-instated on the Hornsey Hospital site.”