Haringey Lib Dems have called on Haringey NHS bosses to come clean on their plans for relocating GPs – and let local people have a real say.

Liberal Democrats on Haringey Council’s Scrutiny Committee argued on Monday night that the Primary Care Trust’s strategy was too vague on plans for when GPs move into new polyclinics.

The proposals, which include the provision of minor surgery and emergency facilities at polyclinics, were debated at a meeting of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) on Monday evening. Liberal Democrat Councillor David Winskill said the proposals were ‘vague and uncertain’, particularly plans to radically change GP coverage in the borough.

Liberal Democrats have asked Haringey Primary Care Trust (PCT) to suspend the timetable of the adoption of their ten year strategy and come back with more detailed plans to allow for further public consultation.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Martin Newton comments:

“We have no real idea what the criteria will be to decide which surgeries will remain and which will be relocated – never mind what the actual changes will be.”

Liberal Democrat Councillor David Winskill adds:

“The report is basically a work in progress. Both political parties agree that, like the Post Office, the GP network is too precious to be tampered with without informed input from residents. I have suggested that the Council should hold a health scrutiny review to give residents a choice.”

Liberal Democrat Adult Social Services Spokesperson Cllr Richard Wilson adds:

“Haringey Liberal Democrats will continue to press for the PCT to respond to and take account of residents’ worries about access and continuity of care that GPs provide.”

Plans to help beleaguered residents in Crouch End beset by parking displacement chaos since last summer faces yet more delays.

The new setback follows Haringey Council’s failure to send the promised draft consultation documents to local residents’ representatives via email which resulted in only five responses arriving before the initial deadline.

After investigations by local Liberal Democrat councillor, Lyn Weber it was discovered that some of the residents’ representatives groups had not received correspondence from Haringey Council asking for their views. It has emerged that Haringey Council department had handed over the names without complete contact details. The deadline for groups to respond has now been extended until this Friday.

Cllr Lyn Weber (Crouch End) comments:

“Haringey Council has an unfortunate and uncanny knack of destroying any confidence built up surrounding this project.The time is ticking away and whilst it was agreed to extend the submission deadline to this Friday it still leaves a sour taste.One hopes that the future is brighter and more positive.I am sure Cllr Haley will be disappointed and I have asked that he resolve this communication issue today to enable residents to respond by the new deadline of Friday.”

The proposed closure of local Post Offices will have a devastating impact on people’s lives, particularly on small businesses and home workers. That was the verdict of local Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone as she handed in her official response to the Post Office consultation that ended on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Ms Featherstone handed in her detailed response calling for all the Post Offices to be kept open along with more than 2000 letters, petitions and emails she has received from constituents supporting her stance. *

Her response also included the emails she had received supporting the government’s plans for closure – there were just 4 of them!

Ms Featherstone comments:

“The scale of the response and the detail of people’s comments show just how much these Post Offices will be missed if they close. The Government must listen to what is so clearly the will of the community to keep these Post Offices open.

“Closing these Post Offices is madness. Many form the beating heart of local shopping areas – if they go then other shops on these parades will become more marginal and less able to survive in a retail environment where they are more and more under fire from the big out of town supermarkets. We risk empty shop units which in turn lead to vandalism and crime.”

* Whilst over 2000 responses of various sorts were received, it is possible that some of these may be duplicates where the same person has responded through several different media.

Action from Thames Water over an ‘abandoned’ water leak on Upper Tollington Park, Stroud Green (N4) has been demanded by local Lib Dem councillor, Ed Butcher. There have been reports the leak has been running for several weeks causing disruption to traffic and excess water flowing over into neighbouring streets.

Councillor Ed Butcher has been in urgent contact with Thames Water head office demanding action to repair the leak.

Commenting, Councillor Ed Butcher says:

“It difficult to see why anyone should take any future pleas to save water seriously when thousands of litres of water have been wasted here.

“I was chatting to one resident who told me it has been like this for weeks – this is completely unacceptable.Thames Water should be treating it as an emergency, not as a ‘whenever we get round to it’ repair. “

Councillor Richard Wilson, Liberal Democrat ward colleague, adds:

“Traffic has to circumnavigate this whopping great hole and it is on the corner of a busy junction.It is causing unnecessary danger to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.This should be treated as a priority.”

Liberal Democrats councillors have expressed fears that the crisis over a shortage of reception places for schoolchildren in Alexandra ward is now widening out to adjacent areas.

Of the 136 children (nearly double the number in 2006) who did not receive any of their parents’ four preferences for a reception place in September, 25 came from Alexandra ward, 17 from neighbouring Muswell Hill and 14 from next-door Bounds Green ward. Together, they make up over 40% of the total, whilst the cut-off distances around popular local schools such as Rhodes Avenue and Bounds Green continue to shrink.

Liberal Democrats say that action must be taken to deal with the worsening shortfall. Cllr Gail Engert, spokesperson for children, schools and families, has been pressing Haringey Council since the summer to undertake a feasibility study on expanding Rhodes Avenue to three-form entry, which could provide an extra 30 places to allow local children a choice of a local school.

Cllr Engert comments:

“This situation is going from bad to worse, while Haringey Council just turns a blind eye. Expansion may have taken place at Tetherdown, Coleridge and Coldfall primaries, but this is now history and these schools are full. The Labour Council needs to act now to make sure that increasing numbers of parents around Alexandra are not let down.”

Local MP Lynne Featherstone adds:

“It is heartbreaking having to deal with local families who can’t get a place at a much loved local schools for their child.Haringey seems paralysed by inaction when it comes to dealing with the problem in this part of the Muswell Hill. It’s time Haringey Council took up the Liberal Democrat plan for three-form entry at Rhodes Avenue.”

Local resident Gavin Berman yesterday took his warm up for the London Marathon for TreeHouse to Parliament to mark World Autism Awareness Day. Backing his bid to raise money for the local school that offers specialised education for children with autism was Lynne Featherstone MP.

People wishing to sponsor Gavin should visit http://www.justgiving.com/givegav

Gavin Berman comments:

“I am so pleased to be running the marathon for TreeHouse. Paying a visit to the school recently really inspired me to try and raise as much money as possible so that all the staff can continue their fantastic work. The London Marathon is such a fantastic experience and with the hard training now behind me I can’t wait to get onto the start line.”

Lynne Featherstone adds:

“What Gavin is doing is brilliant. TreeHouse is so very important for young people with autism in Haringey and beyond. I am especially excited to support Treehouse on this, the very first World Autism Awareness day, intended to raise awareness of autism, and celebrate the talent of people with autism.”

A mother of two who has been living in a squalid and infested one bedroom flat for nine years as her family has grown, had her dreams of a new home shattered last month by Haringey Council.

Bonnie Tarpey-Wronski, her two young sons, husband and sister, were overjoyed to hear that they had finally been allocated a new home, only to find out minutes later that Haringey Council had made a mistake and withdrawn the offer. The flat they are currently living in has been deemed unfit to live in by Haringey Council, yet nine years on the family are continuing to live, eat and play in two overcrowded rooms, which are currently also suffering from a serious larvae infestation.

Local MP, Lynne Featherstone, who has been battling to get the family a decent home for some time, is appalled at the treatment and paid a visit to their current cramped flat to highlight the desperation of their situation.She has called upon Haringey Council to take urgent action to offer the family a permanent home.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone says:

“This young family has been messed around by Haringey Council – enough is enough.After what they have been through, it is sheer torment to be told one minute you have a home only for it to be taken away the next.

“Day in, day out, I help lots people who have been let down by Haringey Council, but this takes it to another level.It adds insult to injury after the years of squalid housing they have had to put up with. The Council needs to act now to right this wrong.”

Haringey Sports Development last Friday launched an exciting scheme to get young people involved in sports volunteering for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Lynne Featherstone MP met with the group who are getting ready to do volunteering, learning such talents as first aid, organisational and coaching skills.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“It’s fantastic to see so many young people willing to give their own time and help out with volunteering. It’s a great opportunity and win-win all round. I have no doubt they will learn skills that will help them in the future. Hats off to them all!”

Burk Gravis from Haringey Sports Development adds:

“Our volunteering projects really work; it’s a good way to get young people off the street, and into sports and volunteering which boosts their confidence and gives them a sense of belonging. Anyone is welcome, so if you’re keen on doing sports, or want to get involved in sports related volunteering, just get in contact.”

Young people across the borough face a future without significant investment in new playgrounds after it was revealed that Haringey Council has failed to secure additional funding for play facilities.

Haringey is not included in a list released today by the Government showing new ‘pathfinder’ and ‘playbuilder’ authorities set to receive £2 million and £1 million respectively for extra investment in play areas.

Haringey’s Liberal Democrats are concerned at the failure of Haringey Council to secure vital funding and have written to Haringey Council to ask why Haringey, one of the most deprived areas in London, was overlooked. All but one of Haringey’s neighbouring boroughs secured extra funding – Camden, Enfield and Hackney have been announced as ‘pathfinder’ authorities whilst Brent and Islington have been named ‘playbuilder’ authorities.

Cllr Gail Engert, Lib Dem Children, Schools and Families Spokesperson, comments:

“In a borough that lacks any public play areas in two wards – Fortis Green and Crouch End – it is distressing that most neighbouring boroughs have been successful but Haringey Council has failed in their bid for this money.

“In times of increasing childhood obesity Haringey Council should do all in its power to gain extra funding to get our young people engaged in exercise at an early age. Play areas are an important part in this early years development. I hope that Haringey Council does everything to be included in extra funding announced in the autumn.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green adds:

“It is ironic that this scheme is called Fair Play as it seems that the Government has done everything but play fairly with Haringey’s young people – by denying one of the most deprived areas of London and England extra funding.”

Local MP Lynne Featherstone has become the first MP in the country regularly to ‘twitter’.Hornsey & Wood Green residents will now be able to sign up and get direct updates to find out what their MP is up to on regular basis using twitter.com

Forty-four people have already signed up to get the latest whereabouts of the net-savvy MP who has for a number of years kept a regular blog.

Commenting Lynne Featherstone says:

“I am happy to have joined the twittering classes!I am never a stranger to new technology, particularly when it will help me keep in touch with the people I represent.

“The Twitter service also means that local residents can sign up and tell me what they’re up to. It will be a great way for me to find out my constituents get up to and what’s bugging them at any given moment.”

People wishing to sign up to track Lynne Featherstone should sign up at http://twitter.com/lfeatherstone