Concerns over the funding of the Bernie Grant centre were heightened in the council chamber yesterday evening, when Lib Dem councillor Wayne Hoban accused Haringey Labour of writing a blank cheque for the development, which could cost local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Councillor Hoban also said that if council funding on this scale is being sought, the centre should be for the whole of Tottenham and not just for one section of the local community.

The Lib Dem councillor for Alexandra Ward urged the council to consider renaming an existing public building instead of opting for the new centre, which is riddled with financial uncertainties.He suggested that the Tottenham Green Leisure centre cold be renamed in Bernie Grant’s memory, as it was a very popular local facility.

Wayne Hoban comments:

“Haringey Council is in danger of getting itself in to a ‘heads you win, tails I lose’ situation over the centre. Even within the present proposals, the projected deficit of £200,000 per year from 2004 is way above what can be sustained, given the council’s other pressing problems. There has got to be a complete rethink on this scheme.”

Crouch End Lib Dem councillors Ron Aitken, Peter Floyd and David Winskill have pledged to support residents of Wolseley Road and Shepherd’s Hill. They are campaigning for traffic calming measures to prevent a serious accident along the busy through-route which connects Crouch End with the A1 Archway Road.

The Lib Dems are campaigning to hold Haringey Council’s Traffic Management Group to a pledge that traffic calming measures will be introduced in the 2003-2004 council budget.

Residents are particularly worried about an accident occurring as large numbers of school pupils cross the road at the junction with Montenotte Road, which is made particularly dangerous by lorries and buses speeding down from Shepherd’s Hill.

“We welcome commitments from Haringey Council that this problem will be addressed,” says Crouch End Lib Dem councillor, Ron Aitken. “Along with my Lib Dem colleagues Peter Floyd and David Winskill, I will press for the decision to be implemented as soon as possible to ensure the safety of schoolchildren and residents.”

Haringey is to be pressed into action by Lib Dem controlled Islington Council to improve the traffic chaos on Stroud Green Road. The move follows intervention by Haringey’s Lib Dem Leader Lynne Featherstone.

Ms Featherstone had asked Transport for London chief Derek Turner to help reduce the jams and bottlenecks on the busy road, which is often obstructed by traffic mayhem and illegally parked cars. The route, which forms part of the 210, W7 and W3 bus routes, is a vital link for Highgate, Muswell Hill and Crouch End, connecting them to the major transport interchange at Finsbury Park. However, bus journeys are often delayed by the jams on Stroud Green Road.

Co-ordinating the battle against illegal parking is not helped by the fact that the road forms part of the boundary between Islington and Haringey, and has in the past been victim of inadequate co-ordination between the two boroughs over the enforcement of parking restrictions.

However, as result of Lynne Featherstone’s intervention, Islington Council has told the Lib Dem leader that officials would meet with Haringey to set up a new joint initiative to tackle the problem. The two boroughs are now committed to enforcing their sides of the road together, which should result in a substantial improvement.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone said:

“This is good news. However, the traffic and parking problems on Stroud Green Road have been around a long time. Haringey has dragged its feet in the past, but happily Islington is moving things forward. Buses must be able to travel freely and swiftly along their routes.”

Haringey Labour has been accused of underhand tactics by the opposition Liberal Democrats, after the ruling party pushed out all the Lib Dem oral questions at next Monday’s full council meeting.

The controversy has arisen as the Lib Dems discovered that Labour had quietly tabled enough questions from its own backbenchers before last week’s deadline to drive out all the questions being tabled by the opposition.

Question time has traditionally been an opportunity for the opposition party to grill the council on current issues. Last month, the Lib Dems pressed Labour with a series of questions on Haringey’s handling of the Victoria Climbie tragedy. However, this month, Labour has successfully blocked all the Lib Dem questions, with some rather sycophantic offerings from its own members, with no opportunities for the opposition to ask any questions at all.

Lib Dem Leader Lynne Featherstone has branded the move a disgrace, and has accused the Labour council of being terrified to face questions from the Lib Dems.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“The public expect the opposition to be given the chance to ask questions, and this has always been the case.This move is both sneaky and underhand. Yet it’s all too typical of Haringey Labour that having had a drubbing in the elections in May they’ve suddenly decided to start tabling questions, attempting to stifle any examination of their record by others.

“But it will be a hollow victory, because in the long run, we will ensure that Haringey Labour has nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.”

• 14% of rents uncollected: well above the London average
• Rent arrears double the London average
• Percentage of housing deemed ‘not decent’: a staggering 30%

Haringey Liberal Democrats will tonight (22nd July) criticise Labour-run Haringey Council’s housing policy. With dreadful performance statistics, 30% of the Council’s properties deemed to be in a very poor state, chronic overcrowding and leaseholders deeply unsatisfied with Haringey Council, Haringey Lib Dems will warn that if Haringey Labour does not shape up, the Council will be under pressure to transfer its housing stock to another provider.

Speaking ahead of tonight’s housing debate, Lib Dem Deputy leader, Cllr Ross Laird, said: “It is all very well for the Labour Council to run bleating to the Government for extra cash, but it needs to get its own house in order first.There can be no doubt that the Council can still improve its rent collection – which is still well below the London average. Rent arrears still stand at nearly double the London average. The percentage of the Council’s housing stock which is deemed to be ‘not decent’ still stands at a staggering 30%.”

Lib Dem housing spokesman Cllr Ron Aitken said: “For New Labour Councillor Josie Irwin to put down a motion on housing and refugees is hypocrisy. New Labour has cosied up to its friends in the national press, even though they often falsely portray Britain as a paradise for refugees. In reality they are often exposed to racism, vulnerability and poverty.”

Muswell Hill’s Liberal Democrat councillors are to demand action in today’s full council for a clear up of the chaotic and confusing ‘street furniture’ on busy Muswell Hill Road.

The move follows months of inaction from the Labour council.Haringey told Lib Dem leader Lynne Featherstone that action would be taken during a meeting in April on the excessive and confusing yellow lines, lampposts and signposts.However despite repeated requests since, nothing has been done. The Lib Dem leader is therefore raising the issue with a question in full council.

Residents and confused drivers and pedestrians in Muswell Hill road have had to suffer a glut of street furniture in recent years. When new road humps and lampposts were installed, Haringey left the old lampposts in place for a year until a meeting between Ms Featherstone, a local resident and a senior council officer in April. At that meeting, a whole list of problems was discussed and action agreed. Three months later, while Haringey has taken action to repair dangerous kerbing and has removed some lampposts, the bulk of the work has not happened.

Commenting, Lib Dem councillor Ross Laird said:

“Despite the efforts to Lynne and myself in recent months, it is depressing that Haringey can’t implement this straight forward clear-up. We should not have to raise these issues in the chamber, but it is often the only way to get Haringey Council to act. Even the local Labour MP has now joined Lynne Featherstone’s call for the Labour council to act on the problems, so it’s surely about time that Haringey made moves to sort the problem out.”

Local Lib Dem councillors have moved to put a stop to plans to allow lorries of up to 30 tonnes to enter a quiet residential road that is being besieged by building works at a nearby school. Residents of Burlington Road in Muswell Hill have had to put up with months of mud, disruption and even subsidence to their houses from the near constant access by contractor’s lorries during the construction of a new sports building at Fortismere School.

However the already bad situation is set to worsen as, until now, there has been a restriction placed on the contractors by Haringey’s Planning Committee limiting lorries to 7.5 tonnes. Now, an application has been lodged to allow lorries of up to 30 tonnes to use Burlington Road between September 2002 and April 2003.

Local Lib Dem councillor Stephen Gilbert (Fortis Green ward) and Opposition Leader Lynne Featherstone are both campaigning with the local residents on the issue. Cllr Gilbert has written to the council, both objecting to the application and also to the plans to make the decision behind closed doors by council officers using delegated powers.

Cllr Gilbert is insisting that this application come to a proper planning committee and also that it is not swept through in August when many people are away.

Meanwhile, Cllr Lynne Featherstone has arranged a meeting with Paul Smith, senior planner, to present in person the residents’ objection and to try and persuade him to recommend refusal of this variation. The meeting is arranged for Friday 26th July.

Commenting Lynne Featherstone said:

“This change in the restriction is unacceptable. The original condition was applied particularly ‘to minimise the impact on residential amenity.’ As nothing has changed since the restriction was imposed, I can see no reason for this condition to be removed.”

There has been some very good news for Highgate and Muswell Hill bus users this week, with a promise from Transport for London that it will add a much-needed extension to a vital local bus route. Transport for London’s Director of Surface Transport, Peter Hendy, has told Lib Dem Leader Lynne Featherstone that the 234 bus, which connects East Finchley to Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet and Whetstone, will be extended to run the length of the Great North Road to Highgate.

The change will be introduced later in the summer, and follows a long campaign by the Sussex Gardens Residents’ Association, with support from Lib Dem Councillor Lynne Featherstone.

The campaign for the route was started because of a ‘barmy’ practice on the existing route. Buses on the 234 used to regularly travel from East Finchley Tube station to Highgate in order to make the turn for the return journey – but wouldn’t pick up passengers on this stretch, as it was not officially part of the bus route. The buses would regularly sail past frustrated residents who were not able to catch the bus.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“This is great news – it is really encouraging to see that sometimes plain common sense prevails. Congratulations are due to Sheila Elkin and the Sussex Gardens Residents’ Association, for having campaigned so tirelessly for this route extension.”

Haringey police have agreed to provide extra patrols in Crescent Road, Wood Green, after pressure from the local Liberal Democrats. The pressure follows complaints from residents about drug-dealing and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Lib Dem Leader Lynne Featherstone and Lib Dem ward councillor for Alexandra, Susan Oatway, who took up the complaints from residents, have welcomed the news.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased the police have responded on this issue, and we will continue to work with them to monitor the situation.”

Ward Councillor Susan Oatway adds:

“Crescent Road is at the heart of what should be a very quiet residential area, and we need to keep it that way. We are keeping a close eye on things, but any resident seeing suspicious behaviour should of course report it to the police.”

Haringey’s Lib Dem Opposition is writing to residents in the Wood Green area, to ask for their views over major new works planned for the North Circular Road. Local Liberal Democrats, including councillor Susan Oatway, have secured a commitment from Haringey Council to meet with representatives from local residents associations to consult on their views.

Lib Dems say that the issue strongly affects residents in the Bounds Green area, yet while Enfield has been consulted, very few residents on the Haringey side of the borough boundary have been given sufficient opportunity to feed in their views on the new plans.

The Transport for London proposals, 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.

Lib Dem Leader and GLA member Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Residents can reply to our letter, either before or after the meeting, or let me have their views through my website. It is vital that the views of Haringey residents are not ignored on this scheme.”

Councillor Susan Oatway adds:

“I am glad that the council has listened to us and acted promptly to carry out some consultation with local residents.”