Muswell Hill Lib Dem councillors are asking residents in St James’s Lane and Hillfield Park for their views about the current state of parking problems in the area. The two roads have a large number of parking problems. Local Lib Dem councillors are now seeking information about residents’ views and whether they have witnessed many crashes and bumps.

Cllr Jonathan Bloch said:

“Parking in and around Muswell Hill is an issue raised by many residents, particularly on Hillfield Park and St James’s Lane, where there is a very large volume of traffic on difficult roads, with a lot of parking problems. We want to know what local residents think could be done to solve the parking issues and cut down the number of accidents.”

Cllr Ross Laird added:

“The Marks and Spencer car park is very heavily used. We want to make sure that people can enter and leave the car park in the safest possible way. It is equally important that we look after the interests of local residents and ensure they can park safely.”

If you would like a copy of the survery, please email survey@lynnefeatherstone.org, including your name and full postal address.

Lib Dems have called for action by Haringey Council and other agencies to clean up St James’s Lane. Cllr Ross Laird has called for immediate action by the Council to clean up dumped rubbish, abandoned cars and blocked drains in the section of the road from Parkland Walk to Muswell Hill.

Local Lib Dem councillors are particularly concerned about an unpleasant pool of slime developing at a blocked drain near the Performing Arts Centre and wrecked cars by the garages.

Cllr Laird said:

“I am very concerned about the large pool of slime developing outside flats and the Performing Arts Centre. This raises concerns about health and the environment in an area frequented by many children.

“While the council has responded by logging some seven abandoned cars in short stretch of road, Haringey Council must take firm action to remove the abandoned cars by the garages behind the flats at number 78.”

Lib Dem councillors have vowed to continue to fight for a gate of some form across the entrance to the car park at Veryan Court, Park Road.

The move follows an announcement by Labour-run Haringey Council chiefs that their experience to date with barriers had been disappointing.

However, Lib Dem councillors say a gate is essential. The three local Lib Dem councillors have called for a solution to the problem of dumping, and even sexual activity, at the back of the flats.

Cllr Laird commented:

“I am very disappointed that Haringey’s Highways department and the Hornsey Housing Office have taken such a negative view about the need for some form of gate at the entrance to the car park.

“A solution to this problem should be relatively simple and cost-effective, given how much the Council must spend on removing dumped items every year. I will continue to work with Lynne Featherstone and liaise with local residents and the officers until we have found a solution that can stop unwanted guests and dumping at Veryan Court once and for all.”

Lib Dem councillor Ross Laird is calling on Labour-run Haringey Council to take urgent action to clean up a local lane in his Muswell Hill ward. Farrer Mews is at the back of the shops on Priory and Park Road.Cllr Laird has written to the Council, branding the state of the local lane as ‘ a disgrace’.

Cllr Laird says that Farrer Mews is often in an awful state. He wants the Council to act by declaring a one-day rubbish amnesty for getting rid of bulky items that have been dumped in the area and for the lane to be given a ‘deep clean.’

Cllr Laird comments:

“I don’t mind shop-keepers going about their business and there will always be an element of waste as a result, but the whole of Farrer Mews is now littered with rubbish. I am urging shopkeepers and residents alike not to dump any rubbish onto the street. The present situation is dreadful and I have written to the Council to ask them to give the area a thorough clean.”

Haringey’s Liberal Democrats have again formally complained to the Labour-run Council after a Labour Lead Member failed to give an answer to a question put by the Lib Dems in the council chamber.The Lib Dems are accusing Labour of contempt for the rules and of deliberately keeping local people in the dark about important questions of local policy.

The question (oral question 15 from the last council meeting) came from Lib Dem leader Lynne Featherstone, who had requested in part an explanation as to why Haringey Council had not bid for any money from Transport for London for a particular project. The answer provided did not provide any answer or even reference to this part of the question.

Councillor Featherstone has in the past had to raise with the Council’s monitoring officer the failure of Labour Lead Members to answer questions. The Council has admitted that it is not within the power of councillors to pick and chose which questions or parts of questions they wish to answer – yet Haringey Labour members persist in flouting these clear rules.The Lib Dems want firmer action to ensure that councillors meet their legal obligations.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Ross Laird, comments:

“Time and again, Labour members are showing a total disregard for their obligations to answer questions put to them. It is not good enough. If it goes on, we will be pressing for action, as this is in our view a breach of the standards that councillors are expected to uphold. And local people are entitled to have Labour councillors held properly to account. Labour can’t just pick and choose as it wants.”

Note:

The Lib Dems are specifically asking the Council’s Chief Executive and Borough Solicitor:

a)What action will be taken to rectify the failure to answer Oral Question 15.

b)What measures are proposed to ensure that questions are answered in line with the council’s legal and regulatory obligations in future, particularly bearing in mind the Council’s acknowledgement of its failure to meet these obligations in the past.

c)At what point would the repeated failure of a councillor to discharge their duties to answer questions qualify as a breach of the standards which councillors are expected to uphold, with particular reference to principle 4 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Haringey’s embattled Labour party has been dealt another severe blow today, as a prominent local member has announced he is leaving the party and joining the opposition Liberal Democrats. Francis Oparaji, a senior and long standing Labour member and a prominent community campaigner in the Finsbury Park area, has been welcomed into the party by Ross Laird, the Lib Dems’ Deputy Leader.

Dr Oparaji says he has “no regrets” about putting the local Labour party behind him, and is looking forward to working with Lynne Featherstone and the local Lib Dems. His loss will be a huge blow to Haringey Labour.He has been a long-standing member of the local Labour party, and has sat on the General Committee for the Hornsey and Wood Green Parliamentary Constituency. In the local community, he is Vice Chair of the Finsbury Park Partnership, and also sits on the Finsbury Park Community Forum, where he has a close involvement with black and ethnic minority issues.

Commenting on his decision to join the Lib Dems, Francis Oparaji says:”I am delighted and relieved that I have now put Haringey Labour behind me and joined the Liberal Democrats. Lynne Featherstone and her local team have been doing an excellent job exposing the failings of the local Labour council. I will continue my work in the community in Stroud Green and look forward to working with the Lib Dems in the future.”

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Ross Laird, says: “I warmly welcome Francis to the Lib Dems. I have been impressed with his local work and commitment to the community. He is undoubtedly fed up with Labour’s failures and infighting, and he will find a welcome home with us.”

Lib Dem councillors have triggered Haringey Council’s new ‘call in procedure’ in an attempt to halt Haringey Labour’s controversial attempt to sell-off Coldfall Lodge in Muswell Hill. Lib Dem Councillor Stephen Gilbert says the Labour-run council has taken the decision to dispose of the Lodge to the highest bidder – without the necessary safeguards to protect the area and residents from intrusive development.

The Lodge, situated on the edge of an historic woodland, is now a run-down building in Creighton Avenue, N10, which has been poorly looked after by Haringey. The Lib Dems say the Council’s behaviour raises many questions over the future of the site. They will be demanding answers at next week’s emergency meeting of the Council’s new ‘Overview and Scrutiny’ Committee, which has been called to consider the issue on Tuesday, 20 August.The Lib Dems want to know who was consulted on the sell-off plans and how much of the land is affected.

Cllr Stephen Gilbert comments: “The decision to sell the lodge was taken without proper consultation with community groups or an exploration of other ways to bring the site back into use. I am very concerned about the lack of safeguards from the Council to ensure the any development on the site is appropriate. I will be asking the Scrutiny Committee to force the Council to start again on this one. Along with my colleague Lynne Featherstone I am also consulting residents to see what future they would like for the site.”

A Lib Dem councillor has won the backing of residents to hold a meeting to discuss severe problems in a Haringey housing development. Cllr Ross Laird, who represents Muswell Hill, has been working with residents of Connaught House, N10, over the severe problems of dumped rubbish, potholes, abandoned cars and crime in the area.

Cllr Ross Laird, Lib Dem Councillor for Muswell Hill, has now won backing from local residents in Connaught House, Connaught Gardens, to set up an initial meeting to discuss their concerns with Housing 21, the Metropolitan Police and Haringey Council. Cllr Laird has already received warm backing for the meeting from Housing 21 officials who said they would support the creation of a residents’ association. Cllr Laird has also written a letter to the Metropolitan Police calling for their involvement and support, and says the estate has been starved of necessary attention and funds for too long.

Cllr Laird said: “I welcome the enthusiasm that some residents in Connaught Gardens, and Connaught House in particular, have shown for the idea of a residents’ meeting to sort out the problems in the area. I will hopefully be holding a meeting some time in September with residents to discuss where we go from here and will continue to work with my colleague Lynne Featherstone to improve the area. I warmly welcome the active engagement of Housing 21 and Haringey Council officers in the process so far, particularly Housing 21’s emphatic support for the creation of a residents’ association.”

Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors have welcomed the news that Haringey is to consult local residents on the introduction of recycling facilities at the top of the Archway Road. The move follows pressure from Lib Dem councillors Neil Williams, Melanie Simpson and Bob Hare to improve Highgate’s recycling facilities.However, the Liberal Democrats are calling for further action to increase Haringey’s very low recycling levels.

The Lib Dems had asked for the site, as local residents in the area currently have to travel to East Finchley to dispose of glass bottles and other recyclables. The new site may not be suitable for waste paper recycling, however, due to the proximity of the local petrol station. The Lib Dems therefore are asking the Council to investigate installing a special steel paper container which would carry a much lower fire risk.

Highgate Lib Dem councillor Bob Hare comments:

“I welcome this news as first step in improving recycling facilities in this part of Highgate. We have submitted a detailed summary of our own concerns and will be asking local residents what they think of the current proposals.”

Liberal Democrat leader Lynne Featherstone comments:

“We will also be keeping up the pressure to ensure that there is door-to-door collection, as this is the only way to significantly boost Haringey’s recycling rate in the long term.”

Liberal Democrat councillors in Highgate have welcomed news that Haringey Council will now take steps to improve disabled access to Dowding House, on the Hillcrest Estate. The news follows lobbying by the residents and local Lib Dem councillors and residents.

Haringey Council has now concluded a review of options and is considering two, one of which is a mechanical device that would fold away under the stairs when not in use.

Lib Dem councillor Melanie Simpson comments,

“It is good news that the council has agreed in principle to improve access, after so many excuses in the past.Elderly residents have had to struggle with the steps for far too long.

“Along with my colleague Lynne Featherstone, I will be pushing the council to make a final decision on how to proceed as soon as possible, and I will want to ensure that the installation is a workable one for the residents.”