Local roads in Haringey would be better and last longer if Haringey Council stopped “slap-dash” repairs and resurfacing practices. Currently, when resurfacing roads contractors conceal manhole covers with tarmac, making them inaccessible for drain repairs, and making roads weak and prone to damage. Local Liberal Democrats asked, last week, at a meeting of Haringey Council’s watchdog committee for Haringey Council to stop shoddy resurfacing and raise manholes to road surface level.

Cllr Newton, Liberal Democrat Highways and Transport spokesperson, comments:

“This is symptomatic of the slap-dash attitude of the Labour administration. It is nonsense to be resurfacing a road by covering manholes and losing access to the services underneath – and at the same time producing a weak surface that will end up having to have repairs month on month.

“Residents are rightly fed up with a system that plasters over the cracks rather than carrying out a proper job which would make our roads better, safer and, in the long run save Haringey Council money.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“It’s ridiculous to be repairing roads but covering over manholes that often leak and you need to dig up again if you need to inspect the drain. Only Haringey Council could do this and think it is right.”

MP Lynne Featherstone last week helped a local Head Teacher present the findings of a survey on school testing to the Schools’ Minister Jim Knight MP.

The survey of parents found that 90% of those who responded to the questionnaire at Coldfall Primary are opposed to SATS.

In the meeting in Parliament, Evelyn Davies, Head Teacher, and her colleagues gave a forceful presentation of the school’s experience of SATS testing and the negative effects they have on children and the curriculum.

The school urged the Government to give teachers, as the professionals, more power to assess and moderate children’s performance.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, said:

“This is democracy in action. The school had something important to say and I helped them say it directly to the right person. I was immensely impressed by the work of the school and by the quality of their presentation.

“With SATS, something is terribly wrong when you have primary school children being made ill from the stress of these tests.Whilst not fully representative – this survey is a good straw poll of what local parents think.

“With the testing regime currently under review, I think it was a good time for the Minister to hear what the real experts have to say. It is vitally important that politicians never become disconnected from the reality of what goes on in schools.”

Ms. Evelyn Davies, Head of Coldfall Primary School, adds:

“The heart of the matter is that education for young children should be about developing the skills, attitudes and knowledge to enable each child to become a whole rounded, social, emotionally intelligent and capable individual, able to make choices and develop their skills and talents.

“Children should love learning and develop learn to learn skills, they should not be judged or valued on their test performance at such a young age. Our aim at Coldfall is to ensure children’s learning is relevant, meaningful and motivational and enable life long learning.”

Commenting on his third successful finish of the London marathon, Liberal Democrat councillor Matt Davies, who was running to raise money for Refuge, said:

“With the weather a lot hotter than I was expecting, I found this marathon a bit of a struggle. It’s the slowest time of the three I’ve done, but the main thing was always finishing it and raising money for Refuge.

“Refuge do excellent work for victims of domestic violence and I’m glad I will have got over £2,500 in sponsorship for them. Thanks too to Spurs who gave me a signed pennant to auction.

“Sunday’s race wasn’t the most comfortable day of my life. But running alongside thousands of people raising money for excellent causes like Refuge – and people like the war amputee with a metal replacement leg – made it a very satisfying day again.”

Haringey Council should do more to inform local residents of the potentially harmful effects of breaking and disposing of some ‘green’ light bulbs, local Liberal Democrats have said.

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs), the main type of energy-saving light bulb currently on the market, contain some harmful substances, such as mercury, which can escape if the light bulbs are broken and so the bulbs should not be put in residents’ waste or recycle bins. Liberal Democrats have raised questions but Haringey Council have only committed to putting a new page on their website to inform residents.

Cllr Martin Newton, who raised the question at the last Full Council (30th March 2009) and Overview and Scrutiny meetings (20th April 2009), comments:

“Whilst energy saving light bulbs help the environment by consuming less electricity, local residents must be alerted that they should not throw these away and be aware of the potential harm if they are broken.

“If these bulbs are broken, small amounts of mercury powder will be released and anyone using these bulbs needs to know how to handle them safely and what to do if they accidentally break one.

“However, Haringey Council seem to have not taken this seriously and have only committed to a new page on their website. This is not enough. They should be advertising how local residents should dispose of these light bulbs so they do not get into the waste stream and harm the environment.”

Haringey Council has neglected children’s safety by failing to fix a raw sewage leak at Bounds Green School, just yards from a drinking fountain. Alarm was raised on Friday last week when a member of the school’s staff contacted local Liberal Democrat councillor John Oakes saying that Haringey Council had been aware of the leak for the last ten years but had done nothing to repair it.

Cllr Oakes, as Health and Safety Governor of Bounds Green School, has threatened to have the school closed if Haringey Council does not deal with leak by the end of today. He has told council officers that he will ask Area Health Officer, Eugenia Cronin, to close the school unless the raw sewage leak is dealt with.

Cllr Oakes is now calling for an urgent health-audit of all other Haringey schools.

Cllr John Oakes, Bounds Green, comments:

“This is a serious threat to the health and safety of hundreds of children. Labour-controlled Haringey Council can always find funds for headline grabbing expenditure but consistently fail to deal with the basic maintenance necessary to keep our children safe.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“I am truly shocked that Haringey Council has not recognised the seriousness of this situation. We cannot have our children going to school with raw sewage yards away from their drinking water. This needs to be fixed now, no excuses.”

After a five year long battle by local tennis enthusiasts and a local school, the newly refurbished Highgate Woods Tennis Courts were officially opened yesterday with the help of tennis star Jo Durie and local Liberal Democrats Lynne Featherstone and Lyn Weber.

The successful opening was the result of the long-running joint campaign between Highgate Woods School and the Highgate Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club committee, led by Tennis Secretary Steven Reynolds and Club Treasurer Nick Harvey.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“What a glorious day to celebrate the grand opening of these beautifully renovated tennis court.

“It’s great to see that five years worth of energy and commitment by Steven Reynolds, Nick Harvey, the tennis club committee and Councillor Lyn Weber has come together in such a fantastic local asset where residents and Highgate Wood students can play happily ever after. Well done all!”

After a five year long battle by local tennis enthusiasts and a local school, the newly refurbished Highgate Woods Tennis Courts were officially opened yesterday with the help of tennis star Jo Durie and local Liberal Democrats Lynne Featherstone and Lyn Weber.

The successful opening was the result of the long-running joint campaign between Highgate Woods School and the Highgate Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club committee, led by Tennis Secretary Steven Reynolds and Club Treasurer Nick Harvey.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“What a glorious day to celebrate the grand opening of these beautifully renovated tennis court.

“It’s great to see that five years worth of energy and commitment by Steven Reynolds, Nick Harvey, the tennis club committee and Councillor Lyn Weber has come together in such a fantastic local asset where residents and Highgate Wood students can play happily ever after. Well done all!”