One out of three children in Haringey have not received a place at their preferred secondary school it has been revealed. Children and parents face continued uncertainty after figures released by Haringey Council show that only 67% of children starting secondary school in 2008 would be able to attend their first preference school.

Local Liberal Democrats have criticised Haringey Council for failing to make progress on the annual school places crisis, which has seen year on year decreases in the number of children receiving their first preference school.

The number of children not receiving their first place increased by 3% from last year and no progress was made in children receiving their first two preferences. Over the past four years children not receiving their first or second preference have increased from 11% in 2005 to 18% in 2006, 20% in 2007 and 20% in 2008.

The Liberal Democrats have also expressed concern over the increase in the number of children failing to receive any of their first six preferences – up from 191 to 196 in 2008 and an apparent east-west divide showing more children in the east of Haringey failing to receive any of their preferences.

Cllr Gail Engert, Lib Dem Children and Young People spokesperson, comments:

“Again parents and children have to face the annual school places crisis and once again this crisis deepens. Haringey Council is continuing to fail to provide places at schools that children want to attend and alarming new trends have emerged. It is worrying that a large amount of children in the East of Haringey are not receiving any of their preferences.”

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

“This has been a problem since before I became a councillor ten years ago, and the Liberal Democrats have constantly reminded Haringey Council that better forward planning is needed before this reaches crisis level. Again, we see a failure in planning, and again we see an increase in this figure. Labour have poured money into education without results – how long will it be until children in Haringey have the service they deserve?”

Noel Park residents were today airing their concerns about proposed Post Office closures when they met Lynne Featherstone MP, and Councillor Fiyaz Mughal, Liberal Democrat councillor for Noel Park, in the Salisbury Road Post Office. The Post Office was crowded with residents who all expressed great apprehension about how this closure might impact on what they can do locally.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Thank you to everyone who turned up. I was concerned to hear to hear the many stories of the hardship this closure will cause local people, especially the elderly and the frail. It confirmed my gut instinct that people don’t want these Post Offices to close.

“The Labour government needs to sit up and listen to residents- they simply don’t want this closure.”

Councillor Fiyaz Mughal adds:

“Today Lynne Featherstone and I listened to the very real concerns and anger that resident’s feel about the closure of these community hubs. It shows that Labour disregards the views of local residents, and frankly do what they please in the end.”

Haringey Lib Dems and their popular candidate Rachel Allison are celebrating a stunning win in the Highgate by-election this morning. The party secured over 50 per cent of the poll and almost trebled its majority, to 614 votes.

The election was a disaster for Haringey Labour. The party polled just nine per cent of the votes – their worst ever result in the history of elections in the borough. The result also confirms the Lib Dems as the only challengers to Labour, with the Tories comprehensively beaten – and still with no seats on Haringey Council.

Local residents responded to Rachel Allison’s positive campaign to protect local services and tidy up the area, giving more say for Highgate residents.With the Council finely balanced, with 31 Labour councillors to 26 Lib Dems, Highgate residents confirmed that only the Lib Dems, and their hard-working local team, can bring these positive changes to the Council.

Lib Dem Highgate councillor Rachel Allison comments:

“I’m thrilled to have been elected to serve the people of Highgate, and I would like to offer my thanks to everyone who came out to vote in the election. I have met hundreds of local residents over the past few weeks, and it’s going to be a pleasure to work on their behalf.”

Local Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone adds:

“Many congratulations to Rachel, who will make a fantastic champion for Highgate. She will be joining a Lib Dem team that has transformed the political landscape in Haringey.I’m looking forward to working with Rachel on behalf of Highgate residents.”

Rachel Allison 1,339 (50.9%)
Labour 241 (9.2%)
Tories 725 (27.5%)
Green 138 (5.2%)
Independent190(7.2%)

An urgent review of how £200m will be spent by Homes for Haringey has been demanded by local Liberal Democrats following the revelation that serious government ‘concerns’ over the high costs of Haringey Council’s ALMO bid delayed the cash award.

The serious indictment of Haringey’s ability to spend money efficiently was contained in a secret ministerial briefing marked ‘not for the public domain’ obtained by local Lib Dem MP, Lynne Featherstone through a Freedom of Information request.

Unhappy with the government’s bland response over the delays in allocating the desperately needed housing funding, Ms Featherstone demanded to see all the ministerial briefing material for her recent Parliamentary Questions on the subject.

Commenting, Ms Featherstone says:

“Local council tenants and leaseholders have waited and waited for this desperately needed money to bring their homes up to just a basic standard. Now we find out the delay was caused by the Government not having any confidence in Haringey being able to spend the money efficiently.

“If Labour ministers don’t even trust them not to waste taxpayer money, why should local residents? What guarantees do they have that this huge amount of money won’t be frittered away through more Haringey waste and inefficiency?”

Councillor Carolyn Baker, Haringey Lib Dem Housing Spokesperson adds:

“There are hundreds of properties desperately in need of basic modern facilities. Now we discover that they have had to wait longer because Haringey has been unable to get its act together. Haringey Council played an intrinsic role in preparing this bid.It is therefore a damning indictment of Haringey Labour when their own government says they haven’t got a clue how to ensure money is spent well.

“The scale of this project dwarfs all of their other failed major investments, such as Tech Refresh. When you’re talking about almost £¼ billion of public money this is serious problem. Council tenants and local leaser-holders will be short-changed if this money isn’t spent properly.”

After years of delays, local residents will have to wait until the summer before they are able to benefit from a local car club scheme. Haringey Council’s proposals to introduce car clubs have for many years stalled, and a small scheme that only proposes to have ten parking bays for the whole borough will not be introduced until 1st July 2008.

Local Liberal Democrats have criticised Haringey Council for dithering over proposals and have demanded reasons why Haringey Council have failed to provide these schemes earlier, considering that neighbouring boroughs have very successful and wide ranging programmes in place.

Lib Dems have recently met with colleagues in Islington who have won national recognition for their Car Club scheme at the London Transport Awards. Car clubs aim to help reduce traffic congestion, on- and off-street parking pressure, pollution and CO2 emissions.

Rachel Allison, Lib Dem Highgate by-election candidate, comments:

“I have first hand experience of the misery caused by car parking pressures and I’m a member of a local car club. However, this is in Islington as Haringey have consistently failed to act decisively to introduce similar schemes that would help to reduce car use, congestion and pollution.

“Neighbouring boroughs have large schemes in place yet Haringey are yet to get of the starting blocks. Once again Haringey residents have been left behind by the Council’s lack of drive.”

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

“Haringey Council has been stuck in neutral for too long. It should follow Islington’s lead, instead of proposing a half-hearted scheme of ten parking bays, that won’t provide enough coverage to get the positive environmental outcomes we’ve been hoping for.”

Local MP Lynne Featherstonepaid a special visit on Fridayto Treehouse, to look at plans and inspect the area that is soon being landscaped into an exciting wildlife area next to the centre. Following a recent £80,000 national lottery award as part of the People’s Millions 2007, Treehouse are now making their innovative school, where building work is due for completion in May, even more exciting by creating a wildlife area where students get to learn essential life skills.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am delighted to see such a worthy cause being recognised. The Treehouse Trust is an invaluable asset for young people with autism, and this award will allow it to continue its amazing work.

“This is the outcome of years of hard work, thought and research. When the garden has been fully landscaped I think it will provide an amazing area for exploration and help students develop skills for life.

“I am looking forward to coming back when work on the new school and the garden has been completed. I am just so please to see how work is proceeding.”

A special advice session is being held in Salisbury Road Post Office with Lynne Featherstone MP to give local residents an opportunity to raise concerns about its threatened closure.

On 10th March, 10.30-11.30, Salisbury Road sub-post master Vasanthi Ravendran will open up her doors for Lynne Featherstone, who will speak to local residents in preparation for her response to the consultation.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am outraged at the threatened closure, and want to hear from as many of Salisbury Road Post Office customers as possible, so I can best represent your views in the consultation.

“So please come to the post office on the 10th March, bring your neighbours and give me your views. Together we can fight this.”

A request for a formal investigation by the Information Commissioner has been made today by Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone following the serious breach in Haringey Council’s archiving of confidential and sensitive files.

The Data Protection Act requires that all personal information must be kept securely. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has legal powers to ensure organisations comply with this Act and where serious breaches have been found, to serve enforcement orders.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone says:

“Haringey Council holds extremely sensitive information, from child protection records to everyone’s council tax details.All Haringey residents need cast-iron assurances that their private data is safe.

“Dumped files found in a squat is hardly evidence that Haringey has a fail-safe system in place to ensure it is honouring its legal duty to keep information secure.

“The scale and seriousness of this breach of people’s personal confidentiality means we need an independent expert to investigate Haringey Council’s failure to secure private files, as well as an internal review. The Information Commissioner is the only independent authority that has the powers needed to ensure Haringey mends its ways.”