Category Archives: News releases

MP gets assurances that worst bus in London will get better

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Lynne Featherstone MP has recently been provided with assurances from TfL that the W3 bus, which this winter has been the most complained about bus in London, will see significant improvements.

In a recent response from TfL, the Liberal Democrat MP has been given assurances that the issues that led to the vast number of complaints, to do to with an unreliable, overcrowded service, are now being resolved. The Hornsey and Wood Green MP is now planning to hold TfL to their word, by surveying bus users in a few weeks time, to see if commuters are seeing the improvements.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“With many people locally being completely reliant on the W3 bus to get to work, school or out and about, an unreliable service and overcrowded buses can mean a very bad start or end to a day, and worst case scenario leave people stranded.

“It’s essential that TfL works with the bus operators to address any reliability and overcrowding problems, and I am glad to hear that recent steps have been taken by replace old buses and resolve engineering problems.

“In a few weeks time I will launch a W3 survey to see if the service has indeed improved, so watch this space. And in the meantime, if any residents have any issues with buses, tubes or trains, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, I am here to help.”

Liberal Democrats in Government getting young people earning or learning

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Liberal Democrats in Government has recently announced that young people in Haringey who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), will see an investment of over £430,000 to get them earning or learning again.

As part of Nick Clegg’s Youth Contract, the Coalition Government will, for the first time, target funding through tailored support on a payment-by-results system to 16 and 17-year-olds with no GCSEs at A* – C who are at the highest risk of long-term disengagement.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“We’re doing the right thing in government and supporting young people in Haringey who have had difficulty finding a job or training when they’ve left school.

“This funding will ensure they receive personal, targeted support from experts to help them develop the confidence and skills that they need to stay in education or find a job.

“Youth unemployment here in Haringey is very high, and it’s absolutely right that although money is tight, we’re prioritising investment in the Youth Contract to get young people earning or learning.”

Commenting further, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said:

“Sitting at home with nothing to do when you’re so young can knock the stuffing out of you for years. It is a tragedy for the young people involved and a ticking time bomb for the economy and our society as a whole. This problem isn’t new, but in the current economic climate we urgently need to step up efforts to ensure some of our most troubled teenagers have the skills, confidence and opportunities to succeed.

“Many of them will have complex problems: truancy, teenage pregnancy, a lack of GCSEs and health problems. So helping them onto their feet will not be without challenges and Government cannot do this alone. But we all have a duty to reach out to the young people who can be hardest to reach.”

MP meets local apprentice as Haringey sees record number of young people join apprenticeships

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Gene Spencer-Salmon is one of a record number of young people who are pursuing apprenticeships in Haringey this year. Lynne Featherstone MP met with the Haringey Adult Learning Services apprentice on Friday to hear about his experiences and to highlight the rise in the number of apprenticeships.

Gene, who lives in Hornsey, won a place on a scheme working with Haringey Adult Learning Service. The 18 year old apprentice had been looking for work but had not been able to find a job because of his lack of work experience. His place on the nine-month long scheme will give him experience of a wide range of tasks at the service which is based at Wood Green Library.

New figures reveal that record numbers of young people are benefitting from apprenticeships. More than 1,200 people started apprenticeships across Haringey in the year 2010/11.

The Government is providing extra help to enable small employers to hire their first apprentices. It will also continue to develop new advanced and higher-level apprenticeships to deliver the world-class skills that people need to get ahead.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“Gene’s experience shows how investment in apprenticeships can provide great opportunities for young people who are looking for work. Apprenticeships equip young people with the skills needed to get jobs and build prosperous careers.

“470 apprenticeships started up in Hornsey and Wood Green alone in the Government’s first year in office. That’s compared to 160 in the year before. Early figures for the current year indicate that the numbers are continuing to grow.

“Liberal Democrats have long been fighting for more investment in apprenticeships, in opposition and in Government, and I am delighted that Business Secretary Vince Cable has been able to deliver such a big increase in schemes that will make a huge difference to young people’s lives.”

Liberal Democrats meet luncheon club heroes and call for Council to do more

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Lynne Featherstone MP and Cllr David Winskill with luncheon club users at Woodside House, Wood Green.To meet the local heroes who have kept a local luncheon club open despite loss of Council funding, Lynne Featherstone MP and Councillor David Winksill this week, visited Woodside House in Wood Green.

The visit included talking with luncheon club users about how they have managed to keep the Tuesday club going despite the complete cut in funding by the Labour Council last year. Whilst the club is now run by volunteers, it no longer provides hot meals or personal or medical help due to the lack of permanent staff. Uncertainty remains as to whether the current service will be able to keep going without more help.

Local Liberal Democrats have recently unearthed £1.5million that has been left unspent in the Council’s Older People’s Budget this year. This has raised serious questions as to why drop-in centres, day centres and luncheon clubs (like those in Woodside House) have closed if funding is still available. Only two of Hornsey and Wood Green’s four luncheon clubs have managed to stay open, leaving many older people in the borough without this essential lifeline.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I am so impressed with these local heroes who have soldiered on to keep the Woodside luncheon club open, despite the loss of funding last year. But it’s been tough for them, they are now running a much reduced service and the future of the club is uncertain without cash to keep it going.

“Luncheon clubs are cheap to run, but give so much back, both to the individual and society at large. A little would go such a long way, and Haringey’s older people deserve to get their luncheon clubs back.”

Liberal Democrat Adult Social Services spokesperson Councillor David Winskill adds:

“It’s frankly appalling that the Labour Council has cut so fast and deep that £1.5million for older people’s services remain unspent this year. The money could have gone to keep luncheon clubs in the borough open. It’s clear from speaking to club users here today, that this service is loved and treasured, and sometimes the only opportunity some older people have to get out and meet other people.

“I am urging this Labour Council to put some money back into services that were cut last year to help support this very vulnerable group. The luncheon clubs are too important for Haringey’s older people and I hope that Labour Councillors will agree to my suggestions.”

MP takes card competition winner on special Olympic Park Tour

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Lynne Featherstone MP’s Christmas card competition winner Phoebe Brady on Friday joined the MP for an exclusive tour of the Olympic Park.

The Rhodes Avenue student won the prize after her drawing was chosen for the cover of the Liberal Democrat MP’s 2011 Christmas card. This winter, to mark the London 2012 games, the theme was an ‘Olympic Christmas.’

The 9 year old was joined by her parents, Lynne and some fellow classmates on a special bus tour of the Olympic Park, and saw the now near-completed Olympic venues, some of which will remain after the games this summer.  As a special prize, Phoebe also got to wear Jonathan Edward’s Olympic gold medal from the 2000 Sydney Games.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“We’ve had a really memorable afternoon here at the Olympic Park. It was great to be able to offer such a special prize this year, to get us all warmed up for the summer’s games.

“All the Olympic venues have their own special design, and it was fascinating to see how the park is gradually coming together – with some work still left to be done!

“Phoebe seemed to really enjoy herself – and rightly so, she was a really worthy winner and her winning design was very beautiful. Thank you also to the Olympic organisers for a great afternoon.”

Revealed – Labour’s £1.2million slush fund

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Documents revealed last week show how Labour councillors propose to spend over one million pounds next year on creating a fund which has no agreed plan or purpose and has the name of the party’s election manifesto.

Local Liberal Democrats have branded the £1.2million ‘One Borough, One Future fund’ a Labour slush fund which is aimed to promote political aims and pay for Labour pet projects.

Cllr Paul Strang, Haringey Liberal Democrat Resources Spokesperson, comments:

“I’m appalled that Labour have decided to take £1.2million of public money, that could be spent on front-line services, out of the Council’s budget to spend on their pet projects when, in their own words, public services are facing unprecedented reductions in spending.

“You don’t call a fund after the title of your political manifesto if it isn’t going to be spent on politically motivated projects. The fact Labour have no plans as to how this money can be spent shows they haven’t learnt from their years of wasteful spending.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“Labour has cut treasured front-line services, but feel its right to spend £1.2million on yet to be defined projects. That is frankly outrageous.

“The local community should have a say on how this money should be spent or it should be reinvested in the services that Labour has decided to cut.”

 

Local MP visits an urban oasis

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An award winning project in Bounds Green, which has transformed a derelict piece of land into a green community hub, has been praised by local MP Lynne Featherstone.

The MP visited Imperial Road, to see how the £140,000 has been invested by housing group Places for People, and the benefit it has had on local residents.

The project is part of a £15.6 million Big Lottery project which has seen Places for People transform public space in 80 communities across the UK. The Group has worked with 30,000 people to introduce parks and community gardens as well as the creation of sports facilities, play areas, wildlife habitats, sensory gardens and green social enterprises.

The green spaces project at Imperial Road provides:

  • A community garden with colourful play equipment for smaller children
  • A ball games area for young people
  • Improved lighting, a notice board, new railings and lockable gates ensuring better security for residents.
  • Seating areas, planting and shelter creating an attractive environment where residents can socialise.
  • Shrubs and wild flower meadow where residents can get involved in gardening.

Including residents in both the design and management of the spaces has helped to create a sense of ownership and pride within the community. As Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“I’m amazed at how this area has been transformed, into a colourful, fun, welcoming community area where neighbours, old and young, can socialise and play. Having met quite a few local people here today, it’s clear that this small project has made a big difference to residents’ lives.”

David Hooper, Regional Manager at Places for People said:

“Good quality green spaces are essential to the well-being of our towns and cities and this exciting programme has delivered environmental and social improvement by providing the local residents with new places to play and relax.”

Haringey Post Offices safe after Liberal Democrat Minister announces Royal Mail deal

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Post Offices in Haringey have been saved from any threats of closure, after Liberal Democrat Business Minister Ed Davey this week announced a deal between Royal Mail and the Post Office.

This welcome news, which will help to create a sustainable future for Post Offices across the borough, means that the area will avoid future mass closures, like the one seen in 2008, when Post Offices in Alexandra Park Road, Weston Park, Ferme Park Road, Salisbury Road and Highgate Village were shut.

After ending the shameful Post Office closure programme, which nationally saw more than 7,100 Post Offices disappear in Labour’s 13 years in office, Ed Davey has announce that a ten-year deal has now been reached between Royal Mail and the Post Office. The deal gives additional certainty to subpostmasters in Haringey and covers the full range of Royal Mail products available at Post Offices, such as first and second class post, parcels, air mail, recorded and special deliveries.

The deal adds to other recent progress for the Post Office, with extra Government cash kicking in, new national and local government contracts won, successful piloting of new models to transform many local Post Offices and improvements in financial services offered.

Commenting, Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone said:

“After years of Post Office closures under the Labour Government, it is excellent news that Liberal Democrats are doing the right thing by ensuring that the Post Office has a sustainable future ahead of it through investment and by brokering this deal with Royal Mail.

“Labour left Royal Mail in a terrible mess and it is Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government who have stopped closures and put Royal Mail and the Post Office on a secure footing. Our plans mean that we will not see the kind of planned closures that devastated local communities under the previous Government, when treasured Post Offices in Alexandra, Highgate, Wood Green and Stroud Green were closed.”

Local Liberal Democrat Communities spokesperson Cllr Nigel Scott adds:

“Post Offices are a vital part of our communities, and residents were rightly outraged at Labour’s massacre of post offices in Haringey back in 2008.

“Our post offices locally are well used and much loved, and I’m delighted that Liberal Democrats in Government are supporting and investing in the Post Office, to transform its future.

“This is great news for Haringey and for local residents who treasure their local post offices.”

Local MP meets trainer behind free exercise class initiative

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Lynne and Shamir 3To hear how free exercise classes in Finsbury Park are helping residents get back in shape after the festive season, Lynne Featherstone MP on Friday met the fitness trainer behind the initiative.

Shamir Sidhu, from MoreFit personal training studio, started the weekly FreeFit training sessions in Finsbury Park in June to help local residents get in shape for free. The trainer and his team run the classes, aimed at all levels of fitness, every Saturday at 2:30pm.

All local residents are welcome to join; they just need to show up at the Stroud Green Road entrance to Finsbury Park.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“It’s so important to exercise regularly, but for many, joining a gym is just too expensive when the budget is tight.

“It’s fantastic to meet someone like Shamir, who is really driven to help get people in shape, has a lot of expertise, and who now wants to offer that to more local residents.

“If you want to swap an hour in front of the TV for a free training session in the park, why not join FreeFit, and see if it works for you?”

Council admits to no consultation on fortnightly collections

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Haringey Council did not consult local people on a fundamental change to the way in which rubbish will be collected in the borough, it has emerged. Last week senior officers addressing the Muswell Hill Area Forum admitted that residents were not asked during a borough-wide consultation on the Council’s waste contract whether they wanted the Council to move to fortnightly non-recyclable waste collections.

Liberal Democrats who, at the Committee section of meeting, voiced their current opposition to the change to fortnightly collections, say that the lack of consultation shows that Labour have failed to get the buy-in of local residents on a change to a basic Council service.

In another development, that Liberal Democrats believe shows the Labour-run Council’s lack of consideration for residents, local people will not have a say on the size of the new wheelie bin for recyclable waste. Instead the Council will provide the largest 240 litre bin to all designated households in the new scheme.

Cllr Jim Jenks, Haringey Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, comments:

“The Council have finally admitted that residents in Haringey were not given the opportunity to have a say on this fundamental change to rubbish collection.

“Liberal Democrats are 100% committed to increasing recycling but a change on this scale without consultation is unacceptable.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“Not only are the Labour Council ignoring the views of local residents on the service but they are also failing to give local people any say on what size of bin they can have. Some households do not need a large 240 litre bin yet Labour are giving them no choice.”