Publication of the detailed results from 2008 London elections has revealed that Liberal Democrats were the popular choice in Hornsey & Wood Green with London Assembly candidate Monica Whyte winning 11,270 votes to Labour’s 10,487.The Conservative candidate was consigned to a distant third with only 6,046 votes.

In spite of the Ken and Boris squeeze, the Liberal Democrats in Hornsey & Wood Green bucked the London-wide trend and increased their share of the vote in the important Parliamentary constituency by over three percent.

The Conservatives failed to top the vote in a single ward in either Hornsey & Wood Green or elsewhere in Haringey Borough.

Commenting, Councillor Monica Whyte said:

“I am delighted and grateful for the confidence the people of Hornsey & Wood Green showed in myself and the local Liberal Democrat team.

“I look forward to building on our continued success and working with David Schmitz to build up our grass roots support in Tottenham. “

Local Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone added:

“I am very proud of Monica’s achievement.Local residents obviously recognise how hard Lib Dem work for them where we are elected.”

Lynne Featherstone has demanded full Oyster smartcard service for local stations following a visit this week to Alexandra Palace station with Oyster specialists.The local Liberal Democrat MP met with Cubic, a principal partner in the TranSys consortium that runs the Oyster system for Transport for London, to discuss how commuter train services in Hornsey and Wood Green, operated by First Capital Connect, can benefit from full Oyster integration.

The call for action comes after the recent announcement by other train companies, including First Great Western, that they will be operating the Oyster pay-as-you-go system by September 2008. South West Trains have also committed to the scheme as part of their new franchise from 2007, aiming to have the technology in place by January 2009.

Lynne Featherstone said:

“Local residents have had empty promise after empty promise – enough is enough. Needing separate tickets for travel in the same city is reminiscent of a Soviet bureaucracy not a world class city like London.

“As I discovered on my visit the technology is available and other rail companies are doing it.I want First Capital Connect and TFL to accelerate discussions and reach agreement sooner rather than later. The people of Haringey deserve this service and I will be calling for talks with First Capital Connect.”

Anonymous job application forms, in a bid to end discrimination in employment selection, have been proposed by Liberal Democrat Youth and Equalities Spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone MP in a speech today to the Equality and Diversity Forum.

The measure, to be put forward as a Liberal Democrat amendment to the forthcoming Single Equalities Bill, would see applicants’ names replaced with National Insurance number on job applications.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone said:

“You may ask what is in a name, but more often than not it can tell you someone’s race and gender.

“We need name-blind applications if we want to make absolutely certain this information does not form part of the initial selection.

“A bold revision of equalities law is needed in the new bill to seriously challenge the status quo and pave the way to greater work place equality.”

The impact of a surge of gambling premises in Noel Park and Wood Green High Road will now be looked at in Hairngey Council study. Concerned by the sudden increase in betting shops and the potential impact these have on the surrounding area, Liberal Democrat Cllr Fiyaz Mugha, requested that the study, initially aimed to research only the Green Lanes area, was expanded to include Noel Park.

Cllr Fiyaz Mughal (Noel Park) comments:

“Noel Park and Wood Green High Road are facing an explosion of gambling venues despite the opposition of many local residents. Such venues have replaced quality local small businesses and it seems residents are powerless to influence this influx. We need hard evidence of their impact on anti-social behaviour and on the young and vulnerable in order to support residents concerns. This is why I have fought for the study to be expanded.”

Cllr Ron Aitken, Liberal Democrat Crime Spokesperson adds:

“Met Police statistics released this week indicate that Noel Park has very high levels of crime compared to London as a whole, yet it is supposedly our cultural and commercial heartland. Taking a serious look at the proliferation of betting shops in areas of deprivation and high crime makes sense.”

A Muswell Hill resident has been forced to look for private health care after she was denied vital foot care on the NHS, local MP Lynne Featherstone recently found out as she visited her home.

Since 2007, when her local Fortis Green clinic closed, Mrs. Audrey Kelly, 82, who suffers from severe foot problems that often leave her unable to walk, has been refused treatment or referral to an NHS chiropodist by her GP. Mrs. Kelly, who is on income support, has been told that, as she is not considered a ‘high risk’ patient, the only way she can get foot care is to go private.

Local Liberal Democrats are now calling on Haringey PCT to provide a foot care service, similar to the one that was provided at the Fortis Green clinic, when Hornsey Hospital opens next year.

Local MP Lynne Featherstone, comments:

“It is outrageous and completely unreasonable that the NHS will not treat her foot problem. Mrs. Kelly is in such severe pain, and being unable to get treatment on the NHS, she tried self treatment, which left her worse off with severely bleeding and infected feet.

“Since the Fortis Green clinic closed, I have seen a real issue with elderly people being unable to get foot care on the NHS, despite NHS assurances that the service has not been cut. This is clearly not the case and Haringey PCT needs to deliver on its promises and ensure that people, like Mrs. Kelly, get the service they deserve.”

Repairs to a traffic island in Crouch End are due to start following successful demands from local residents and ward councillors. Grass verges and kerbs had been damaged by large vehicles cutting the corner of the junction of Hornsey Lane and Hornsey Rise.

Haringey Council has now promised that the granite kerbs will be reinstated, re-using the dislodged stones, by the end of this week.

Local Liberal Democrats have also secured assurances from Haringey Council that a new traffic bollard will be installed to prevent future damage but will monitor the situation as the junction is likely to be put under the further weight of heavy traffic accessing local housing developments.

Cllr Lyn Weber (Crouch End) comments:

“Haringey Council should get on to problems like these as soon as they occur and seek to prevent them in the first place.

“I’m glad the immediate problem is being sorted but the issue about large lorries overrunning the island will still remain. The situation is only likely to intensify as large lorries accessing the Roden Court building site face the same difficult road geometry. I will be keeping a vigilant eye to make sure this solution works.”

Haringey Liberal Democrats last night elected Hornsey councillor Robert Gorrie as their new leader. The popular councillor, with a strong record in both in public service and business has been congratulated by colleagues and local MP Lynne Featherstone.

Robert Gorrie was elected in Hornsey on a massive swing in 2006, taking the previously safe seat from Labour. He has been Liberal Democrat Finance Spokesperson, masterminding the Liberal Democrat alternative budget and has repeatedly challenged Labour-run Haringey Council’s waste and mismanagement.

Robert’s business experience makes him well equipped for the task of leading the Liberal Democrat group. Most recently he spent five years as one of the directors that built the Ocado online grocery delivery retailer from scratch to a business with a turnover equivalent to Haringey Council’s annual budget. He remains on the board and still advises the award winning company on staff consultation and communication.

Robert Gorrie has Liberal Democrat politics in his blood. His father, Donald Gorrie has been a Lib Dem MP, MSP and was a local councillor for 35 years. Robert follows this tradition as a campaigning councillor. He has fought locally for residents to be involved in the development of the Hornsey Depot site, challenged the lack of community facilities in the Campsbourne Estate and pushed for long-term solutions to issues of anti-social behaviour and economic disadvantage faced by many residents.

Outgoing Lib Dem leader Neil Williams comments:

“I’m absolutely delighted that in Robert Gorrie we have not just a new leader for the Liberal Democrats, but a brilliant Council Leader in-waiting. He couldn’t be better equipped for the job, and it is the people of Haringey that will benefit the most from his skills.”

Councillor Robert Gorrie, Haringey Liberal Democrats’ new leader adds:

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead such a capable team who are poised to take control of Haringey Council. I look forward to continuing the fight for local residents, for an end to Haringey Labour’s waste and for victory in 2010.”

Local Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone adds:

“I am delighted to welcome such a talented campaigner to the top job in our council group.I have no doubt that he will hold no punches in exposing Haringey Labour’s waste and mismanagement. Together we will be a formidable duo fighting for the people of Haringey.”

Liberal Democrat leader Neil Williams comments on the GLA result locally:

“I’m pleased that we vote added nearly 4,000 votes to our total in Enfield and Haringey. That’s no mean achievement, given the squeeze that resulted in the Mayoral election across London.

“For the Tories, their total rejection round here is remarkable, and it is interesting that their candidate is already pointing the finger at voters here in Haringey. Once again they have totally failed to elect anyone, at any level, to represent this borough.

“While we don’t know the precise figures, the signs are we polled very well in Hornsey and Wood Green, where Lynne Featherstone is of course the local Lib Dem MP.I want to thank everyone who came out to vote for the Liberal Democrats across the whole area.”

Haringey has been branded as the dirtiest places in the country by a new survey. Figures compiled by the GMB union show that, out of 351 local authorities, Haringey was ranked bottom of the list with nearly a half of streets assessed as dirty. Local Liberal Democrats have criticised Haringey Council for failing to tackle the problem and have branded Haringey Council’s performance as unacceptable.

Cllr Martin Newton, Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson, comments:

“Haringey Council should be embarrassed that our borough has been tarred with the dirtiest local authority in Britain badge. This is not a title we should be proud of. Once again it is the failure of Labour-run Haringey Council to tackle a problem that residents want them to solve. If they can’t keep our streets clean then what can we trust them to do?”

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

“Street cleaning the number one service that affects the quality of life of every local resident. Haringey Council spends thousands of pounds on advertising ‘Better Haringey’ it’s a shame they cannot deliver it. It is a disgrace that Haringey Labour cannot get this basic service right.”