Doom and dust

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Well – with the measures Alistair announced in the Budget – it is the country’s doom and Gordon will be dust! OK – so I’m never going to get employment as a sun headline writer – never mind.

This was an opportunity for the Government to have rebalanced the tax system – not by the 50p rate of tax (which is not going to bring in enough income) but by raising the threshold and taking £700 of the vast majority of people’s tax bills. And this would be paid for by really closing the tax loopholes and clamping down on exemptions that benefit the very rich and leave that majority of low or middle income earners paying proportionally more tax than the the top earners. That would help people who are struggling.

In the future, as we climb out of this mess, we will need a national debate about what the state can or cannot afford in the future. That way we will all have a stake in the pain that is to come and we can choose where that pain is best born to make the burden lighter.

I was, however, very interested in the Chancellor’s promise that every young person between 18 and 24 would be offered a job, training or education if out of work for 12 months. I want to know what jobs, what training etc and in Tuesday’s budget debate hope to catch Mr Speaker’s eye and get called. As youth spokesperson, I am very worried about the lost generation who will emerge from tertiary education in particular to nothing. The loss of confidence and the loss of talent from that cohort must be avoided. But there was no flesh on the bones of the announcement – so my mission is to find out exactly what the Chancellor means.

In praise of Coldfall Primary School's Head

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Jim Knight (Minister for Schools) was very jovial at the meeting I arranged with him for the Head, Deputy and Assistant Heads of Coldfall Primary School. They had been so upset by what the unforgiving, child-hostile testing regime of SATs was doing to children that I had met with them recently on this issue – and this meeting was the result.

Well – was enormously proud of Coldfall’s case to the Minister. Evelyn Davies (Head) made an outstanding case against the over-testing and flawed league tables. She was clear, passionate and extremely knowledgeable and experienced – and measured. Moreover, when Jim Knight responded and referred to testing at Key Stage 3 in secondary schools – saying it found favour – quick as anything Evelyn came back and challenged this – pointing out that she is talking about what is happening to 6 year olds – just not comparable.

Since the debacle over the agency that failed to deliver the SATs results (and was sacked) and the recent union threats to ballot for strike action if SATs aren’t abolished – the Government is not unaware of the unpopularity of this regime.

The Minister laid out what the Government is doing – reviews on the curriculum etc etc. But it was clear that – whatever the replacement regime is – there will be more testing and more measurement. They are even going to measure well-being.

I don’t think this Government really understands that the tick box methods, the overly process-driven, responsibility-removing target-setting environment is the problem – not the solution.

But the case was made – and made well. If I was Jim Knight I would grab Evelyn Davies and put her as his key adviser on education. That way our children would be well educated in every sense of the word!

Lynne Featherstone comments on the temporary closure of two mental health Wards at St Ann's Hospital

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Following the news that the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust has had to urgently close two rehabilitation wards at St Ann’s Hospital following a damning assessment by the Care Quality Commission, Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“It’s extremely worrying that two wards have had to close for not being in a fit state to provide patient care. But it begs the question why it took a visit from the Care Quality Commission to show this sorry state of affairs.

“Patients are caught between the under-funding from the NHS London devil, and the unfit wards ignored by the Mental Health Trust deep blue sea.

“I want to know that the NHS will be giving the Trust enough funding so decent care can be provided, and that the local Trust will do all in their power to give the best possible care to service users. The sorry state of affairs we see today cannot be allowed to continue.”

Liberal Democrat councillor renews call for conservation area after Haringey Council ban gated house

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The refusal by Haringey Council’s planning department to grant a local resident permissionto create a gated house in Muswell Hill Road has been welcomed by local residents and Liberal Democrats.

The proposal to install automated gates in front of 54 Muswell Hill Road was met with widespread dissatisfaction among local residents who submitted twenty-five letters against the application saying that it was not in keeping with the surrounding area.

Muswell Hill Liberal Democrat councillor Jonathan Bloch, who made representations to the planning department and has restated his call for a conservation area to be implemented, comments:

“What the owners were proposing was grotesque. It was out of keeping with the area and by using electronic gates it would have cut the house off from the road, promoting a feeling of exclusivity.

“Local residents want their area to be protected – the best way forward is for Haringey Council to consult with local people as soon as possible on the implementation of a conservation area. If not, time and time again, developers will try to ruin the uniqueness of Muswell Hill.”

Muswell Hill Post Office – how are things going?

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I reported a little while back on the success of the nagging to get the queue times reduced at Muswell Hill Post Office. In fact – when I went to check how things were going a few days ago, there was no queue inside! And the figures for queue times in March showed a big improvement. But we need to keep the improvements going:

This film is hosted on YouTube.

Local sixth-form funding cut by half a million pounds

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Sixth-form education funding for eighty-one children in Haringey is under threat, it has been revealed. Information unearthed by the Liberal Democrats shows that the blunder made by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which caused a national shortfall in post-16 education funding, will cost local schools £587,547. This is equivalent to funding for eighty-one pupils for the next academic year and is also likely to impact on the number of courses available.

The LSC’s mistake was exposed earlier this month when schools and colleges were told their budgets would be slashed after they had been told in March what their funding would be for the next academic year. Local Liberal Democrats have demanded that Labour MP Ed Balls, minister in charge of further education funding, should come clean whether local schools will have to cut places to cope with the funding shortfall.

Cllr Gail Engert, Liberal Democrat Children, Schools and Families spokesperson, comments:

“This will come as a major shock to our local schools, colleges and, above all, our students.

“A reduction in funding is contrary to the government’s aspiration for more children in further education. Our young people in Haringey will feel that the door to further education has been firmly shut in their faces.

“This will particularly impact our Sixth Form Centre in Tottenham which was built with funds from the Learning and Skills Council.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, added:

“Our local schools are already unfairly funded as they receive up to £1,300 less per pupil than some neighbouring boroughs. This is yet another blow to our schools’ funding, and flies in the face of any promises to give our kids the world’s best education. Our schools need fair funding, and need it now.”

Local councillor to run London Marathon for third time

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Local Liberal Democrat councillor Matt Davies is hoping to make it around the London Marathon course for a third time next weekend, this time raising sponsorship for Refuge.

Cllr Davies completed the London Marathon for the first time in 2003, fundraising for the Terrence Higgins Trust. In 2006 he did it again, this time for Amnesty International. This year he is being sponsored by friends, family, local residents and council colleagues (of both parties) to raise money for Refuge.

Cllr Davies (Liberal Democrat, Fortis Green) is running the marathon to help raise the profile of the work that Refuge do in supporting victims of domestic violence – as well as raising money for the charity.

Refuge is a national charity for women and children who experience domestic violence, providing emergency accommodation and emotional and practical support. Since opening the world’s first women’s safe house in London in 1971, Refuge has grown to become the UK’s largest organisation of its kind, helping and supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence and acting as a national ‘lifeline’ for up to 80,000 victims of domestic abuse every year.

So far Cllr Davies has raised over £1,800 and is hoping to top the £2,200 he raised last time. His fundraising has also been helped by the support of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in donating signed merchandise to auction.

Cllr Davies comments:

“I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far – including Spurs, who donated a signed pennant for me to auction. There is still time to sponsor me, so please dig deep.

“I have done the marathon twice before and survived – but just because I have an idea of what to expect from the 26.2 miles that doesn’t mean I think it will all be plain sailing by any stretch of the imagination. For one thing, I’m three years older and heavier than I was last time.

“But while I know there will be tough times as I make my way around the course, I know that I will be raising money for an excellent cause. That will be enough to keep me going, however slowly!”

Matt Davies can be sponsored at www.justgiving.com/matt4refuge

Liberal Democrats welcome long overdue HGV ban and traffic calming consultations

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After a six-year campaign local Liberal Democrats in Alexandra ward have welcomed the announcement last week of the start of consultations on the introduction of a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) ban and traffic calming measures.

From 14th April until 12th May local residents in the Palace Gates triangle area will be asked their opinion on traffic calming, including a 20mph limit and an HGV ban in the local area. Also in April local residents in the rest of the affected area will be consulted on the plan to ban HGVs.

For many years residents have been plagued by noise and vibration caused by HGV drivers taking shortcuts down small residential streets. The HGV exclusion area proposed stretches from Muswell Hill Broadway in the west, to Dukes Avenue in the south, to Alexandra Park Road/Albert Road in the north and Crescent Road in the east. The ban does not include Muswell Hill Broadway, Alexandra Park Road or Durnsford Road.

Cllr Susan Oatway, Alexandra ward, who brought together local residents, Haringey Council and private haulage companies, comments:

“The fact that this has taken six years to get to the consultation stage is testament to the shear perseverance of local residents, including the hard work of the Palace Gates and Dukes Avenue Residents’ Association, to rid our local streets of the menace of HGVs. We have all worked together to make Haringey Council and private companies sit up and listen.

“For too long local people have had to endure large lorries clogging the streets and thundering down roads.

“When you get the document through your door, please respond, and come to the exhibition if you have any questions.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“This is a victory for the local community. Thanks should also go to Susan Oatway who has tirelessly supported local residents in their cause. Well done and everybody – now take part in the consultation.”

Notes:

The start of the HGV ban (vehicles over 7.5 tonnes) consultation in the Dukes Avenue area is yet to be confirmed.

A proposed exhibition will take place at the Alexandra Park Library on 24th/25th April to take local residents through the plans for the traffic calming and 20mph limit plans (to be confirmed)

London Buses, all emergency services, Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association, London Cycling Campaign and Transport for London’s Network Assurance Team are all consulted along with the relevant councillors and residents.