Campaigning Liberal Democrat candidate David Schmitz has published his ‘Seven pledges for Seven Sisters’ – the seven key issues that will form his top priorities if elected on 15th January.

David Schmitz’s seven pledges are:

1.Push for a full enquiry into the state of Haringey’s Children’s Services and the death of Baby P – no more Labour cover-ups

2.Freeze Council Tax – give hard working families a break from rising bills.

3.Halt the privatisation of the Laurels Health clinic – let local people have their say.

4.Keep in touch all year round – and listen to local people

5.Save Wards Corner – don’t let Labour bulldoze our market.

6.More police on our streets – Labour are planning to reduce police numbers.

7.Clear up local grot spots – crack down on overflowing bins, graffiti, litter and dumping.

David Schmitz has been the most active of the challengers to Haringey Labour. Haringey Council is run by Labour, with 32 councillors to the Liberal Democrats 25. No other party has any councillors.

“I have spent much of the last few weeks talking to local residents and asking them about their concerns,” says David Schmitz. “These seven priorities form the heart of my campaign, but I am finding lots of issues on the doorstep. I want to hear from local people about all the issues that matter to them, right down to their own street.”

Residents can write to David at FREEPOST LON11153, 100 Uplands Road, LONDON, N8 9BR, or at david.schmitz@haringeylibdems.org

Haringey Council are set to increase tenants rent by an inflation-busting 6.1% next year it has emerged. This comes after this year’s increase of 6.5%. Local Liberal Democrats criticised the move at last week’s meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny committee saying it is hitting the poorest in the London Borough of Haringey the most.

Members on the committee also discovered that this will be in addition to increased tenancy charges and massive hikes in heating and lighting bills for some tenants. They have asked for full disclosure of the figures.

The increases are a result of a Labour government policy to increase council rents into line with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) by removing central grant funding. The impact of this policy is likely to fall on the most vulnerable in Haringey.

Cllr Laura Edge, Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson, comments:

“Tenants will despair at this further inflation-busting rent hike. In an economic environment of increasing joblessness, rising fuel and food bills, the last thing tenants need is news before Christmas that another fat bill is coming their way.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, adds:

“Labour claim to be the party of the people but then they hit those struggling most.”

Cllr Gail Engert, Liberal Democrat Children, Schools and Families spokesperson comments:

“This is another damning indictment of Haringey’s Children’s Social Services. It is official identification that Haringey is failing to provide adequate services for our young people and most worryingly describes the capacity to improve matters as inadequate.

“The fundamental change needed to turn our Children’s Services around seems unlikely when Labour continue to shuffle their pack rather than embrace any real change. They have restricted scrutiny, stifled debate and discussion – an exemplar children’s service will not be borne from such bad governance. ”

Cllr Robert Gorrie, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, adds:

“This report assesses Haringey as one of the four worst performing boroughs in the country and states that ‘weaknesses have been identified at all levels of the Council’.

“Forty years of Labour mismanagement has produced an enormous problem for Haringey and its residents. We have called on central government to re-inspect all our services and provide substantial additional resources so residents do not have to pay the penalty for Labours failings.”

Local Liberal Democrats have expressed their outrage at the reaction shown by Labour’s regeneration boss disregarding the effect of the economic downturn on Haringey’s small businesses.

Cllr Amin, Cabinet member for Regeneration and Enterprise, has been criticised for her comments that Haringey Council will closely monitor the financial situation rather than take decisive action. Liberal Democrats say that Haringey Council should take action now before the grip of recession takes hold.

Cllr Amin was quoted in the press last week saying, “To date there is no discernable increase in the closure of shops or businesses in our main shopping centres”.

Cllr Amin’s comments come three months after a meeting with Crouch End traders and Liberal Democrat Cllr David Winskill. They are still awaiting a response from Cllr Amin on actions agreed at the meeting.

Cllr David Winskill, Crouch End, comments:

“There is precious little evidence that Haringey Council is doing anything to help our threatened shopping centres. In September, I brokered a meeting between traders in Crouch End and Haringey Council to discuss the growing crisis yet no action has been taken. I have written to Cllr Amin asking what has been done. We have already lost Meyers and the sad closure of Woolworths is imminent. I really wonder where she is getting her information from.

“I would encourage any residents that are worried about their local shops to write to her as well asking what help she can offer. This is something Haringey Council cannot sit back and wait to happen. Before this Labour Council gets its act together the borough could really be in trouble.”

Cllr Rachel Allison, Liberal Democrat Regeneration and Enterprise Spokesperson adds:

“Local and family run shops face a bleak New Year. They are the lifeblood of all our main shopping centres and must be supported.

“I would urge all small businesses who are not currently claiming small business rate relief to take a look at the council’s website and see if they are eligible. It’s extremely easy to apply and the form should only take a couple of minutes to complete. You can claim up to 50%, which could be backdated.”

Last night Haringey’s Labour councillors rejected calls from the opposition for a series of re-inspections of Haringey’s services.

The request follows the admission by chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, that Haringey officials misled Ofsted during a key inspection. Council services have been subject to thirteen separate inspections over the last few years and the Liberal Democrats want re-inspections to find out whether other inspectors were also misled.

Haringey opposition leader, Councillor Robert Gorrie, and local MP Lynne Featherstone are now be writing directly to the heads of government inspectors to request re-inspections.

Commenting, Councillor Gorrie says:

“Council officials provided misleading information to Ofsted inspectors only weeks after Baby P died.

“The culture of secrecy and cover-up is endemic in Haringey Council. It is extremely unlikely that its Children’s Services are alone in misleading inspectors or councillors.

“Now that the Labour Council has failed to recognise the significance of providing misleading reports to government inspectors, we will be ourselves to ask for a blanket re-inspection.

“Local residents need to be confident these inspections provide an accurate report of the services provided by their council.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey & Wood Green, adds:

“These are critical services affecting the everyday lives of thousands of very vulnerable people in Haringey. Inspections play a vital role in allowing us to make sure these people are getting the service they deserve.

“How can we trust any of these reports? We need to start again with re-inspections across the board to start rebuilding confidence in these key services.”

The new leadership in Haringey starts in the same vein as the old one ended with Haringey Labour refusing a raft of measures proposed by opposition Liberal Democrats to improve scrutiny and restore confidence in inspections.

In an extraordinary Full Council meeting this evening, the new leader of Haringey Council and the Lead Member for Children’s Services refused to agree to vital steps to improve the democratic framework of the council. They rejected calls for:

* The Chair of Council’s key watchdog committee, Overview & Scrutiny, to be passed to the opposition. This change would be in response to the criticism in the Joint Area Review (JAR) that showed scrutiny of performance across the Council was insufficiently developed.

* The issuing of a cross-party request to auditors and inspectors for a re-inspection of the 13 investigations that have taken place following the revelation that Ofsted inspectors were misled by officials.

The meeting was called by opposition councillors following Labour’s blocking of debate on the emergency Ofsted report ordered by Ed Balls at the Full Council held on 10th December.

The only point of consensus of the meeting was agreement that Haringey Council urgently needs extra resources from central government to ensure other key services are not put at risk through the channelling of much needed resources to children’s services.

A request was made for the Chief Executive of Haringey Council to make a public statement to councillors. However this did not take place.

Councillor Robert Gorrie, Haringey’s Leader of the Opposition, says:

“This is just more of the same. The new leadership have started as they mean to go on. It does not bode well for the future of Children’s Services in Haringey.

“More rigorous and more independent scrutiny might have uncovered the severe failings before it was too late.Haringey Council needs a watchdog committee with teeth to prevent inadequacies in services being missed again.

“There have been 13 inspections into Haringey over the last two years.Following the chief inspector’s revelation that they were misled by Haringey officials, what confidence can we have in these other reports? It is disappointing that the whole council could not agree a new set of reports.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey & Wood Green adds:

“Scrutiny-phobia in Haringey has led to a culture where it is impossible for whistleblowers to raise the alarm.I am saddened that Haringey Labour has missed an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and to put its watchdog committee on a better footing to do what it is supposed to.

“I will be supporting the cross-party demands for more resources for Haringey.Other keys services cannot suffer.Ed Balls must follow up his swift action with real investment to improve our local children’s services.”

In a bid to help residents manage their energy costs and save money as the crunch sets in, Lynne Featherstone hosted a very successful energy efficiency event in Wood Green on Friday.

Local residents got advice on how to get financial help towards new insulation and boilers and how to get the best deal from their energy suppliers.

The local MP also hosted a special surgery session where the residents got a chance to raise casework issues. For locals who were unable to make the Friday event, Lynne Featherstone is putting together a booklet with advice from the organisations present. For a copy, please call Lynne’s office on 020 8340 5459.

Lynne Featherstone commented:

“As the winter chill sets in, energy bills skyrocket and with the added strain of credit crunch, some local residents are really struggling. That’s why I wanted to do my bit to help by arming residents with the knowledge of how to manoeuvre through the jungle of advice and get the best possible deal for their family.

“Thank you to everyone who took the time to pop in on Friday. As always, it was great to meet so many local residents, and I hope you all left with some useful advice, that will help your wallet and the environment for many years to come.”

A candidate in the Seven Sisters by-election has called for action to improve safety for pedestrians on St Ann’s Road.

Liberal Democrat candidate David Schmitz says that a pelican crossing is much needed outside the Triangle Community Centre, to discourage children from running straight out onto the busy road. Mr Schmitz has asked Haringey Council to take action.

David Schmitz, Liberal Democrat candidate for Seven Sisters, comments:

“It is high time this crossing was made safer, and the Labour Council should be doing far more.A pelican would be far better than a zebra crossing, as traffic moves very quickly down St Ann’s Road, and it would discourage people, but especially children, from running straight onto the road.”

In the Seven Sisters by-election, Liberal Democrat candidate David Schmitz has called for action to improve safety at the electricity substation on Ermine Road. David Schmitz says that whilst the prominent “danger of death” signs show just how dangerous the site really is, the station is very poorly secured with loose and easily climbable rotting wooden doors.

As well as lobbying Haringey Council, David Schmitz has last weekend written to local residents, alerting them to the safety issues.

“Recently a child climbed into a substation to retrieve a football and could have been killed.This must not happen on this site. I have written to Haringey Council asking for the substation to be more securely protected,” said David Schmitz.

Haringey Council has concealed the identity of the media consultants used to provide PR advice during the Baby P tragedy. In a censored answer to a question from Liberal Democrat Cllr David Winskill to the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny ‘watchdog’ committee, the Council confirmed that £19,000 was spent on PR/Media advice to the Council. It came from three sources and included media training for key spokespeople. However, the reply declared that the consultants’ names to be “Exempt”, i.e. they must not be revealed.

Further inquiries by Liberal Democrats as to why the identity of media consultants were hidden has forced the Council to reveal that the restriction was due to solicitors for one media company expressing concern that revealing their client’s identity would lead to “adverse publicity and personal distress to their client.”

Haringey Council argues that the public interest is served by not revealing the consultants names:

“… because the Council corporately has a legitimate interest in receiving professional media and public relations advice and, in an environment of very adverse and indiscriminate press comment, this can only be ensured if the identities of consultants are kept out of the public domain.”

Liberal Democrats have demanded further information from the Council regarding their media costs during the Baby P tragedy.

Cllr David Winskill says:

“It is a measure of how toxic Haringey Council has become: professional companies are happy to get the business, send in an invoice and get the dosh from local taxpayers but don’t want any one to know who they’re working for.

“It is legitimate for a council to use PR to help present information in a clear and transparent way but this exercise reeks of political spin, obfuscation and has shattered Haringey’s already shaky reputation.

“I want to get to the bottom of this and make sure that ratepayers are not landed with the bill for Haringey Labour trying to hang on to power.”

Cllr Winskill has submitted a list of twenty further questions on this matter.