Success as Liberal Democrat campaign forces Mayor to consider one hour bus ticket

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After a successful campaign by Liberal Democrats Lynne Featherstone MP and London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon to get a one hour ticket on London’s buses, the London Assembly last week unanimously voted in favour of the proposal, ensuring the Mayor of London will have to seriously consider the idea.

The cross-party agreement in the London Assembly for a one-hour ticket contrasted with Labour councillors in Haringey who last week blocked a motion supporting the same idea.

The suggestion, which would enable passengers to use more than one bus during a 60-minute period without paying more than £1.00, would be more affordable and convenient for Londoners who use public transport.

The unanimous vote in the London Assembly on Wednesday came after GLA Member Caroline Pidgeon presented the Mayor with a Liberal Democrat petition signed by 2000 Londoners.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Travelling from one end of my constituency to the other is not only tricky, but can also get expensive if you use Oyster pay-as-you-go, as you have to change bus at least twice. Having a one-hour bus ticket is a brilliant idea and really makes sense, not least from a green point of view.

“But it is very disappointing that, unlike their Labour colleagues in the London assembly, Haringey Labour can’t put politics aside and support such a sensible, green idea that would really benefit local residents.”

Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson in the London Assembly adds:

“You can already switch from tube to tube on the same ticket, so it makes real sense to allow people to do the same with buses. It really is unfair that people who use Oyster pay-as-you-go have to pay a new fare every time they change buses.

“One hour bus tickets already operate successfully in Paris, Rome and Brussels. It is now time London caught up and gave bus users a fair deal.”

Bus stop on a slippery slope

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There is a bus stop on Muswell Hill – and Muswell Hill is aptly named. The steep gradient sees toddlers tumble, mothers with buggies hang onto them for dear life, wheelchairs needing restraining and older people picking their way fearfully to get to said bus stop. As for when it is wet or slippery….

It has been there a long time – but what has changed is that this is the primary bus stop that local people in Muswell Hill will have to use to get to the new community health centre at Hornsey Hospital at the bottom of the hill.

We (Liberal Democrats) have campaigned successfully on this to the point where Transport for London (TfL) agreed to consult on moving this badly sited stop. I have now submitted my own and local residents submissions to that consultation.

My LibDem colleagues Cllr Martin Newton, Cllr Gail Engert and myself met TfL officers at the bus stop in the summer to point out how dangerous it was for the young, the old and the disabled. As TfL agreed to look into the issue I wrote to local residents to get their views on moving the bus stop and then included all responses in my submission to the consultation.

For example, one of the letters is from a woman in her seventies, trying to push her husband in a wheelchair down the steep slope, and literally having to bend over backwards not to lose control.

So – let’s hope that TfL are moved to action by the responses to the consultation.  

 You can watch more about this story in this YouTube clip:

The video is also available on the YouTube website.

Labour Leader's brush-off for Tottenham road safety campaign

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Local Liberal Democrats have expressed concern at the refusal by the Labour leadership of the Haringey Council to support a petition to improve a dangerous crossing in Green Lanes, Tottenham, near Ducketts Common.

A question put by Cllr Karen Alexander (Harringay Ward) to the leader of the Council last week asked whether the Council would support the petition. In answer, Cllr Claire Kober replied at the Full Council meeting, “I find the request the most perplexing question I’ve been asked all night, you know, no, this is not about petitions, this is grown-up.”

Cllr Alexander (Harringay ward) comments:

“There is nothing childish about local residents working to get Haringey Council to remove a death-trap to which hundreds of children are exposed every day when they go to school. It would have been helpful if Haringey Council had supported our campaign. We would stand a better chance of receiving funding, that Haringey Council says it has applied for, if we can show the level of local support for the necessary works.”

Tottenham Liberal Democrat chairman, David Schmitz, who lives near to the junction and who has spearheaded the campaign, adds:

“This petition has gained enormous support from people of all political parties. We now have about 250 signatures, and the number is constantly rising. It is disappointing that Cllr Kober is mocking a campaign that people in her own party have supported in the past.”

Cllr Carolyn Baker (Harringay Ward) adds:

“Petitions are the traditional way of showing just how strongly local people feel about an issue. For the Labour leadership to be so dismissive of the campaign shows just how hopelessly out of touch they are.”

GFest – gayWise LGBT Arts Festival

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Went to the launch of GFest – London’s premier LGBT cross-arts festival. As Equalities spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats – this is the second year I have been asked to come and speak at the launch – and it is a great honour.

GFest is a platform for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) organisations and venues to promote LGBT arts. Organised by arts charity “Wise Thoughts” which is based in my constituency.

This is the third year of the festival – which each year is growing like Topsy and this year has over 100 artists from all over the world – a testament to the organisers – Wise Thoughts.

David Lammy MP (Labour) hosted the meeting, and the other speakers were Ben Summerskill from Stonewall, Richard Barnes (Tory Deputy Mayor of London) and me.

Last year I remember saying that ‘artists are streetfighters’ and so I said the same again – for it is true. All the speakers touched on the issues around the Daily Mail’s column on Stephen Gately, Nick Griffin’s open homophobia and the appalling killing of a gay men in Trafalgar Square.

Legislatively speaking – gay rights are pretty advanced these days (with exceptions like the blanket ban on gay blood donations and unequal protection in schools against homophobic bullying). The point I was making was that whilst legislation might be in place – clearly from those horrific examples above – at street level there is still a very very long way to go.

Also we forget, in London, how cosmopolitan we really are and how different it is elsewhere.

It was a good launch and I hope that many Londoners will flock to the various exhibitions, shows and so on that form the festival.

Local MP demands hazardous bus stop on route to health centre must move

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The bus stop on Muswell HillFollowing a successful Liberal Democrat campaign where Transport for London (TfL) agreed to consult on moving a poorly located stop on the only bus route to Hornsey Central, Lynne Featherstone MP has now submitted her and local residents’ responses to the consultation.

Local Liberal Democrats have long been campaigning for the first bus stop on the W7 route in Muswell Hill, the only direct bus to the Park Road Health Centre, to be moved up to Muswell Hill Broadway. In the summer, Ms Featherstone and Cllr Martin Newton met with TfL representatives at the bus stop to highlight the hazard of getting down the steep slope for less mobile and elderly residents. As TfL agreed to look into the issue, MP Lynne Featherstone wrote to local residents to get their views on moving the bus stop, and included all responses in her submission to the consultation.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“This bus stop is very poorly located, and it’s great to have been able to make such a strong case for moving it up the Broadway thanks to the many responses from local residents.

“One letter in particular paints a very stark picture. A woman in her seventies, trying to push her husband in a wheelchair down the steep slope, and literally having to bend over backwards not to lose control. The bus stop needs to be moved before anyone gets seriously injured; otherwise I fear it is only a matter of time.”

Councillor Martin Newton, Lib Dem Transport spokesperson adds:

“It’s great to see that so many people have written to us with their stories. TfL is bound to sit up and take notice – and rest assured we’ll keep a close eye on this one.”

You can watch more about this story in this YouTube clip:

The video is also available on the YouTube website.

This week's other bits…………

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Liberal Democrat Opposition Day Debates:
The Liberal Democrat opposition day debates were both ones that Labour should have supported. Labour failed to do so on both votes.

The first was on Equitable Life – and I am sure that every MP in the House has had heartbreaking letters from people who have lost their life savings through Equitable Life and are fed up waiting for the always promised, never delivered compensation.

The second motion was asking Parliament to sign up to the 10:10 campaign. Lots of individual MPs (including me) and councils have already signed up to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% by the end of the year 2010. The motion was asking the House itself to sign up, all Government departments and Public Sector Bodies. Given the Labour Government (and the Minister) were so fulsome in their praise for the 10:10 campaign – I am still at a loss as to why they failed to support the motion. They refused to sign us up to the 10:10 campaign. Shame on them. Blimey – even the Tories supported this one.

Women’s Questions
I asked the Minister what the Government was doing about removing the barriers to employing women that had been highlighted in the Equality and Human Rights Commission statement that women’s maternity rights etc were putting employers off. The Minister said she didn’t accept that was the case!

Book on Baby Peter
Met with an author/film maker who is doing the background research on a potential book about Baby Peter. Having received literally thousands of emails during the height of the Baby Peter coverage from people all over the country – including many professionals from relevant fields – who all had such knowledge and contribution, I am very pleased that someone serious is going to do a serious book on this. Whilst Panorama and other documentaries have all tried very hard – it really is not possible to address the complexities of this subject in entertainment format – so am very happy to help.

Meeting with Peter Lewis, Director Children’s Services, Haringey
Following neatly on, had organised a meeting with Peter Lewis to touch base on progress in terms of child protection in Haringey. When I first met Peter after he was appointed following the furore over child protection in Haringey – he told me that it would take him three years to turn Haringey’s Children’s Services around. The first inspection of how he and the department were doing decided things were improving but not fast enough. I hadn’t seen him for about six months – and I thought that some of the measures that Peter has brought in subsequent to that inspection to provide rigour in supervising (human rigour not tick box rigour) sounded like they would be effective. I also thought that his action to address the issue of recruiting social workers to Haringey (much needed – as unfilled posts and many agency workers currently) by bringing in social workers from the States and recruiting from big equivalent cities like New York showed initiative.

On education I brought Peter up to date with the Liberal Democrat campaign for Fair Funding (as our children get £1000 less per head than kids in Hackney or Islington) because we pay inner London staff salaries (high) and only receive outer London per pupil funding (low). Given that Haringey schools showed up recently as having a very high level of deficits in their budgets (one of the worst in the country) not surprisingly given that £1000 differential – the pressure has to be kept up to make the Government give us our fair share.

Meeting with new CEO at Whittington Hospital
First meeting with the new CEO of Whittington, Rob Larkman. This was a basically get to know you type meeting, setting out from my point of view the various key interests I have on behalf of local people. It was also about the funding problems coming down the track at our health services, the impact of the new Community Health Centre at the Hornsey Hospital site and in terms of the Whittington itself – my priority – which is making sure that patients are treated well – not just clinically – but as people.

The aspect which people raise with me about their hospital stays – when there are complaints – is always about how they were treated in human terms by the staff. Obviously – the vast majority of the staff are absolutely fabulous – and there are more people praising the Whittington and their treatment than are critical. But – those who do get badly handled – need their local hospital to take such issues really seriously. I have found that the Whittington has been very responsive in the past to any individual complaints I have taken to them – and now I want the new CEO to take over the last CEO’s promise to me – that patient treatment would be a priority.

I look forward to a good and constructive working relationship.

Lynne Featherstone demands better deal for commuters as local residents feel effect of ticket office cuts

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As residents tell of difficulties buying tickets after this summer’s cut in ticket office hours at local train stations, local MP Lynne Featherstone demanded a better deal for commuters in a meeting with the train company boss on Monday.

Following a campaign earlier in the year to stop First Capital Connect cutting office hours at local train stations, Liberal Democrats this summer managed to get a better deal for commuters, as the train company agreed to cut ticket office hours by 69 hrs per week, instead of the originally proposed 115 hrs.

But the cuts, which came into force in August, have already caused difficulties for local residents travelling at night and on weekends. Following tip-offs from commuters, Lynne this weekend went on a fact-finding mission at Harringay and Alexandra Palace stations, before meeting the First Capital Connect boss Jim Morgan on Monday.

Lynne Featherstone found the only ticket machine at Harringay station to be out of order, and signage at Alexandra station either pointing in the wrong direction, or missing altogether:

You can also watch the film here on YouTube.

Ms Featherstone has now asked for the train company to monitor how often ticket machines break down and ensure swift action is taken to repair them. She has also called for all stations to be fully sign-posted so residents know where to get their tickets.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I’m still deeply disappointed that First Capital Connect decided to go ahead and cut ticket office hours at our local train stations.

“And clearly, residents are feeling the effects, signs telling you where the ticket machines are located are really poor, and with machines breaking down there is no-one to ask for help. Not to mention the safety aspect of standing alone on a dark platform now that winter’s coming.

“I hope that the train company will wake up and do their bit by making the machines more accessible, improve the signage and ensure engineers are sent out swiftly if a machine breaks down – that’s certainly the least they can do. And if local residents have any other issues they want me to raise, please get in touch.”

Y-Gen

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Lynne Featherstone with Y-Gen youth assessorsWent to visit Y-Gen in Crouch End. Y-Gen is a great organisation that exists to improve young peoples’ lives. They work with those who provide services for young people.

I was meeting a group of their young people who were all doing A2 year at school – but who voluntarily came into Y-Gen for many, many hours outside of their normal school hours to train and assess services for young people. They do it by awarding a ‘Youth Mark’. I guess the best way to describe it is an equivalent to a ‘Kite Mark’. The Youth Mark they award can be bronze, silver or gold – to organisations who provide young peoples’ services – but it is unique in that this ‘mark’ is awarded by young people based on a rigorous and extensive analysis and assessment of that service provision – by young people.  It is not a matter of failing any organisation – but working with them to improve their service delivery.

Y’Gen has a wealth of experience in a number of areas including developing youth engagement programmes, providing personalised support to help young people overcome barriers to learning, database management and producing analytical reports.

These young people who you can see in the picture have all received certificates themselves for their work in this program. They told me about two organisations that they had been in to assess – Exposure and Wood Green Library. They spend about 40 hours in an organisation making observations, conducting interviews and assessments before working with their trainers to deliver the final reports.

I was so impressed with their work – that I stayed chatting for far longer than I should have – but it was a very inspiring project to visit – very uplifting. And the skills that these young people develop, the commitment they show and their enthusiasm and interest will no doubt stand them in extremely good stead for the years to come when they themselves go on to further education and the working world.

“Enough is enough” on betting shops say Liberal Democrats

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Horse racingHaringey Council should take swift and firm action to halt the surge in betting shops in the Wood Green area to limit crime and anti-social behaviour, local Liberal Democrats have said .

Speaking out against applications to Haringey Council for three new betting shops in Wood Green High Road and Green Lanes, Cllr Ron Aitken, Liberal Democrat Crime spokesperson, has said that Haringey Council needs to urgently lobby the Government to change the law to enable councils to limit the number amount of betting shops in an area.

Recent statistics revealed by the Liberal Democrats show that 735 incidents of criminal damage occurred in Haringey’s betting shops in the past two years as well drug related and public order offences.

Cllr Ron Aitken, Liberal Democrat Crime Spokesperson, comments:

“Statistics indicate that Haringey’s betting shops are a source of significant crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as being a nuisance to local residents.

“We are not against people having a flutter but enough is enough. Haringey Council needs the power to declare that no more betting shops should be allowed in Wood Green or Green Lanes.

“Labour need to lobby their own Government to give local communities the power to curb the ever increasing numbers of betting shops.”

Cllr Fiyaz Mughal (Noel Park) adds:

“The explosion of gambling and gaming venues blight Wood Green’s main shopping street and they do little to support the local economy

“It is time to call a time out and say that enough is enough. Such venues cannot be allowed to grow exponentially whilst the local authority is virtually powerless to stop them. I would be delighted to hear from any Noel Park residents who would like to help us take this campaign forward.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“I will be contacting the Government Minister responsible for the planning laws that leave Haringey Council and local residents powerless to stop betting shops taking over our high streets.”

Nick Griffin's grin

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Someone had obviously coached Nick Griffin for his Question Time debut, and the key advice given, was obviously to smile – whatever. Media trainers will always give such advice but they may have to rethink it. Mr Griffin’s attempt to present himself and the BNP as reasonable by hideously grinning throughout Question Time served only to make the British public see him even more clearly as a racist, homophobic, bigot.

And that’s good – the BNP is the appropriate party for a racist or a homophobe to vote for. On the doorstep, when I come across the thankfully rare occurrence of an obvious racist – I always say that I don’t want their vote.

But the BNP seats at the European table didn’t all come from racists. And the Government and local councils have not addressed some of the issues that drive those who feel disenfranchised into the arms of the BNP because they feel they are getting ignored or believe they delivered a raw deal.

The BNP and their ilk will always feed off of those who are disgruntled, disenfranchised and ignored. A vacuum in terms of political attention provides the perfect feeding ground for those who feed off of that discontent. Additionally, where there is a scarcity of resources – the extra pressures brought by high levels of immigration and asylum seeking means extra pressure on public services – school places, health services and housing key amongst them in those areas. 

The Government does not give local councils the full costs of bearing the weight of new immigrants and asylum seekers – so it does add pressures. If you take social housing in Haringey – for which the demand outstrips provision by such huge proportions that my surgeries are always populated by those who are desperately in need of housing. And yes – there is very occasionally ‘racism’ towards those who are perceived as arriving in this country with lots of children and immediately getting a house against those who are on the housing list for years and get nowhere. The stories are legion. The Equality and Human Rights Commission did an investigative piece of work to establish whether this tale of the ‘newly arrived’ jumping the housing queue was true – and found it was not. What is needed is more housing, and to publish transparently who gets what accommodation so that the suspicion can be allayed.

Back to Question Time. Yes – the BBC was absolutely right to invite Nick Griffin on to the program. It had no choice with the two MEPs having been elected. However, I don’t expect that those two seats at the European Parliament warrant more than a visit to Question Time once every few years if that – proportionally. If the rating s for last night persuade QT to offer that platform any more often than is proportionally deserved then they will lose the moral high ground which they claimed for giving the BNP that exposure this time round.

And media trainers will have to go back to the drawing board – as ‘smile and the world smiles with you’  just didn’t do it for the BNP.