Lib Dems introduce new mental health waiting time standards

Posted on 10th Oct 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

On World Mental Health Day, Lynne Featherstone MP has welcomed Nick Clegg’s ground-breaking announcement on mental health treatment in the UK.

At the Liberal Democrat conference on Wednesday, the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed that treatment for mental health conditions will finally be brought into line with other NHS services, with the introduction of the first ever waiting time standards.

For the first time, from April 2015, most patients needing talking therapies – for conditions like depression – will be guaranteed the treatment they need in as little as six weeks, with a maximum wait of 18 weeks.

For many patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis, the NHS will start to provide treatment within two weeks of referral – bringing it into line with consultations for cancer.

Evidence shows that treating psychosis rapidly can dramatically improve patients’ chances of recovery and potentially save £44 million each year in hospital admissions.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“Finally, thanks to the Liberal Democrats in Government, people with a mental health condition will receive the same standards of care as they would for a physical health problem.

“And it’s about time – given that at least one in four people will experience a mental health problem throughout the course of our lives.

“Mental Health treatment is rightly making its way up the agenda. I am so happy to also hear that one of our great local mental health charities, Open Door, has just been awarded two major new grants to support its work.

“We really are getting closer to equality between mental and physical health treatment!”

Lynne Featherstone MP named most influential Lib Dem woman

Posted on 9th Oct 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP has climbed nine places in the Times’ ‘red box power list’ this year. The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green is listed as the seventh most influential Lib Dem – and is the highest ranked woman in the list.

The Times explained the decision by saying: ‘The equal marriage legislation was her baby and she pushed the scandal of Female Genital Mutilation to the top of the agenda. If she keeps her seat she will be a major player.’

The Liberal Democrat MP is currently a minister in the Department for International Development – where she leads the campaign to tackle FGM, and to promote disability rights in the developing world.

In her previous role at the Home Office, Lynne Featherstone was the architect of Equal Marriage, and a strong advocate of LGBT+ rights.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“By being part of the Government, I have been able to push campaigns on Equal Marriage, on tackling FGM and many more – like promoting disability rights and tackling all forms of violence against women and girls abroad.

“These are all issues which have been on the back burner for far too long – and I’m so glad that we have seen change. But there is still a long way to go.

“With the strong support from the Lib Dem party, hardworking civil servants, the media and most importantly from the people in my constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green, I hope to continue working on these issues and others for many years to come.”

Lynne Featherstone MP calls for urgent meeting on local travel chaos

Posted on 23rd Sep 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP has called for an urgent meeting with Transport for London (TfL) chiefs, as major roadworks continue to cause traffic chaos across parts of the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Major works are currently occurring on Wood Green High Road and Muswell Hill Broadway. Both are causing buses to be diverted and cancelled, heavy traffic jams, and inconvenience for motorists and commuters.

Residents have expressed their concerns about the lack of notice given by TfL and Haringey Council before the works started. Traders are also not happy about the disruptions happening in the run up to Christmas.

A number of residents have contacted the Lib Dem MP to complain about the works and suggest alternatives. The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green will represent the complaints and ideas to TfL chiefs at the meeting.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“The lack of notice from TfL and Haringey Council is appalling. As soon as I found out, I sent an email to residents to give them advance warning. It was the first many of them had heard about the roadworks.

“The works are now causing such a disruption, that I have called an urgent meeting with TfL chiefs. I will do all I can to get them to minimise the disruption over the coming weeks and months. I have a number of ideas from residents, which I am more than happy to pass on to them.

“I will also be raising the timing of the works at Muswell Hill Broadway with them. Surely, it should have been done over summer to minimise the impact on commuters and traders.”

Lynne Featherstone MP takes part in Finsbury Park Community Games

Posted on 23rd Sep 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone on Sunday attended the Finsbury Park Community Games – a sports day organised by Westminster Justice and Peace church group, in partnership with local churches, mosques and councils.

‘Community Games’ take place across the country, with the aim of bringing a community together to take part in sporting and cultural activities, inspired by London 2012.

The Liberal Democrat MP made a speech to the attendees, highlighting the importance of faith groups and community groups working together, and of keeping sport alive in the community after the successful London Olympics.

After giving a speech, the Hornsey and Wood Green MP met with the organisers of the games, and the people who attended and took part.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“It was great to see the local community pulling together and organising the Finsbury Park Community Games.

“In 2012, we saw the most fantastic spirit from our athletes and our country. In Haringey we’re leading the way in keeping this up – thanks to the hard word of the community volunteers who organised these games and other events.

“Next year, I have promised to help the organisers of the Community Games promote the event more widely – so as many residents as possible get to take part.”

Lynne Featherstone MP joins the People’s Climate march in London

Posted on 22nd Sep 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP yesterday joined thousands of people in central London on the Climate March. It was one of 2,000 similar events taking place in 150 countries.

The marches seek to raise awareness of climate change issues, in advance of the summit on climate change in New York.

The Liberal Democrats are the only major party that prioritises tackling climate change.

The Lib Dem Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Davey, has secured a commitment to halve UK greenhouse gases by 2025. 200,000 new green jobs have been created since 2010, and the amount of electricity generated from offshore wind has doubled.

Further Lib Dem achievements include planting 1 million trees in England (as part of the first government tree planting programme since the 1970s) and introducing a 5p plastic bag charge to help clean up the environment and protect Britain’s natural habitat.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“I really enjoyed attending the Climate March. There were so many different people there, all united behind one cause – making our planet greener and safer, by protecting in from the threats of climate change.

“The Liberal Democrats will never abandon our commitment to the environment. We are the only party that has a record of prioritising and delivering green jobs and green growth in Government. My Lib Dem colleague Ed Davey has worked hard to make sure the environment stays at the top of the agenda, even though it isn’t a priority for the Conservatives.

“Thanks to this, we’ve secured a vital commitment to halve UK greenhouse gases by 2025, along with so many other measures like tree-planting, a plastic bag charge and greater use of offshore wind.”

Lynne Featherstone MP meets with Network Rail over Bounds Green alleyway mess

Posted on 19th Sep 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Local MP Lynne Featherstone and concerned local residents met with Network Rail yesterday, to demand that they better maintain the land they own in Bounds Green.

Residents have long complained about the build-up of rubbish and waste on the land, which borders a frequently used alleyway. A campaign by residents and Lynne Featherstone MP saw the land cleared in 2003 – but it has since deteriorated again.

At the meeting, residents expressed their continued dissatisfaction with the state of the land, and the MP for Hornsey and Wood Green demanded that the huge piles of rubbish be cleared as soon as possible, and the land maintained regularly.

Network Rail agreed to this, and further agreed to work with residents, the MP and the council to keep the land properly maintained in the future.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“It shouldn’t take intervention from an MP to get Network Rail to agree to clear up and maintain their land. It is in a terrible state, and it makes the alleyway look dirty and dangerous.

“I am glad that Network Rail agreed to clear the land and to maintain it regularly. I will be keeping a close eye on this to make sure it happens.

“In the long term, I want to push for improvements to the alleyway itself, to make it safer and cleaner. I will be consulting local residents on what they would like to see happen.”

Lynne Featherstone MP reports local rubbish 'health and safety risk' to Haringey Council

Posted on 15th Sep 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Local MP Lynne Featherstone has stepped up her call for better rubbish collections in Wood Green, following further complaints from local residents about the state of their streets. The call also follows the discovery of a pile of unsafe and festering rubbish on Lordship Lane.

The Liberal Democrat MP recently ran a survey for Wood Green residents, asking them to report problems. She has made dozens of representations on behalf of residents to the Labour-run council in the last few weeks alone.

The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green has made repeated calls for Labour-run Haringey Council to improve their services, and to fine their contractor if they fail to meet standards. So far, the Council have not done this.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“Wood Green is a vibrant and diverse area, with a number of great community assets like parks, community centres and restaurants. But all too often, the area is blighted by piles of uncollected and dumped rubbish.

“On Sunday, I walked down Lordship Lane and noticed an awful pile of rubbish on the High Street, blocking residential doors. It was beyond unpleasant – it was a genuine health and safety risk.

“The Labour-run council and their contractor Veolia really must improve their service, so that visitors and residents alike can enjoy the area and its surroundings.”

Lynne Featherstone MP gives talk on development to Muswell Hill volunteers

Posted on 9th Sep 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP on Saturday joined the Muswell Hill Baptist Church soup kitchen volunteers for a reflective practice session.

Around 25 volunteers attended the session to discuss ‘what is poverty?’ The Liberal Democrat MP, who is also a minister in the Department for International Development, gave a talk on her experiences visiting Africa and witnessing extreme poverty there.

The talk was followed by a questions session, chaired by the Soup Kitchen founder Martin Stone. During the session, the local MP agreed with the volunteers that there was a need to tackle poverty in the UK, and highlighted measures taken by the Liberal Democrats to help alleviate poverty here.

These include raising the personal tax allowance, which takes thousands of low paid and part-time workers out of paying tax altogether, and the introduction of free school meals for all infant school pupils.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“It was a pleasure to meet with the dedicated soup kitchen volunteers, to discuss the important issue of tackling and alleviating poverty – at home and abroad.

“In my ministerial role, I have witnessed acute and devastating poverty in Africa. Through the Department for International Development, aid, support and education are provided to those most in need.

“Though, poverty is of course relative to the society in which you live, and there are also people in this country who struggle to buy enough food or keep a roof over their head. Both of these issues must be tackled.

“That’s why, in the UK, the Lib Dems have taken measures like raising the personal allowance, giving mid – low paid workers an £800 tax cut. Hundreds of thousands of part-time and low-paid workers have been taken out of paying tax altogether.

“I’m always happy to discuss these issues with local residents. The work Martin Stone does at the soup kitchen is just fantastic, and I’d like to thank him for giving me the opportunity to speak to the volunteers.”

Lynne Featherstone MP gives prizes at local Horticultural Show

Posted on 8th Sep 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP on Saturday went to the Muswell Hill & District Horticultural Society Autumn show.

The event was well attended by gardeners and local residents interested in the display. The society volunteers provided tea and homemade cake.

The Lib Dem MP was given a tour of the flowers, fruit and vegetables on display, before giving out the prizes to the winning gardeners.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“It was a pleasure to attend the Autumn show and give out the well-deserved prizes. I am always so amazed by what the members of the society are able to produce.

“I’d really like to credit the work put in by the volunteers to host the show. It always runs smoothly, and is an occasion enjoyed by all. I look forward to presenting more prizes in the future.”

Lynne Featherstone visits new local businesses

Posted on 1st Sep 2014 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP last week visited a new café in Alexandra Palace station. The Yard serves teas, coffees, fresh fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and food to take away.

The Lib Dem MP popped in to the Café in between talking with station users about her campaign to make local stations, like Alexandra Palace, more accessible.

Lynne Featherstone commented:

“It’s great to see a new local business opening, especially one serving such a wonderful range of healthy drinks, coffee and food. I’m sure commuters are delighted that the Yard has opened, and I wish the business every success.”