Feature in two stories in the Journal today – long queues at our Post Offices and opposing plans for cuts to our local train stations.
20p to save cherished arts centre
Supporters and local Liberal Democrats are enlisting the help of local residents in an eleventh hour bid to save Jacksons Lane Arts Centre ahead of the Arts Council decision next Wednesday on whether to continue its subsidy.
Current indications are that the Arts Council will not continue to support the centre due to a lack of funding commitment from Haringey Council. The Centre has suggested that a £50,000 commitment towards fundraising would save the centre – the equivalent to only 20p per Haringey resident per year.
In a last-ditch attempt the Liberal Democrats have contacted several thousand local residents by email urging them to lobby Haringey Council to find the funding.
Following heavy lobbying by supporters and local Liberal DemocratMP Lynne Featherstone – who personally visited the Arts’ Council to make the case – Jacksons Lane was given a twelve month reprieve by the Arts Council, which runs on Wednesday.
Many national stars’ talent was nurtured at the venue including David Walliams, Jo Brand and Eddie Izzard.
Lynne Featherstone comments:
“I cannot accept that Haringey Council is willing to see this unique performing arts venue go to the wall. I hope this last ditch attempt will show how much Jackson’s Lane means to our community.
“However, I do have this nagging suspicion that Haringey Council really want Jacksons Lane empty so they can sell the building to plug a hole in their finances. I very much hope I am wrong.”
Cllr Rachel Alison, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Highgate adds:
“I am furious that Haringey Council appear to have washed their hands of Jackson’s Lane.What they classify as supporting the arts includes mending a roof and help while the centre was closed for the roof to be mended. This is what you would expect of a landlord and hardly the acts of a council committed the arts.
“I hope local residents will rally round this last ditch attempt to secure a future for Jacksons Lane.”
The power of Twitter
Spent morning at Microsoft in my role as Chair of the new Technology Advisory Board – and later was on Simon Mayo’s program talking about Twitter. Three other mega-enthusiasts were there too – twittering as the program was live with live responses coming in. Talking of which, Simon Mayo got an email in from one of my constituents asking if I could contact Haringey Council about Fortis Green pavement being extremely icey. After the program – I did – and Haringey said they would go out at once as a priority. The power of Twitter and the Simon Mayo program – whooaaaaaaaa!
Child protection debate
I spoke in last night’s Parliamentary debate about child protection, talking around the issues to learn from the death of Baby P. You can read my speech here.
Digital Britain: our future safe in the Government's hands?
Last week the Government published its interim report into safeguarding our digital future. I’ve done a piece for Liberal Conspiracy on my thoughts on it:
It is rather like producing a report on the wine industry that is largely about the supply of glass bottles and has very little about the product that goes in those bottles.
You can read my full post here.
Freedom of speech: corporate and bureaucratic self-preservation wins out too often
So says I in a piece I’ve written for Liberal Democrat Voice.
When bureaucrats get to work on the English language
Oh dear – “programmed to be upgraded”! And since when did putting all of the text on a sign in capital letters make it easier to read?
The Fountain Pub, N15
This isn’t actually in my patch – as is in other half of Haringey – but I thought some local people might wish to put their comments in on the planning application on the garden of a pub called The Fountain in N15. See: http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub3334.html for details and a picture. The Fountain pub is a few minutes walk along West Green Road from Seven Station, N15.
The pub has a large garden – which of course makes it a target for developers. The residents successfully won against the previous plans to flatten the pub and garden on the grounds that the pub was to be classed as a community amenity. Local people then thought they were safe but a new developer has come back with a new plan. The lovely garden has been fenced off; the garden fountain was put in a skip and the garden allowed to decay. A passing resident managed to save the actual parts of the garden fountain from the skip so it can be restored.
Details of the planning application, and the opportunity to comment on it, are on the Haringey Council website.
Local MP promised more staff and fresh shops as she presents Post Office survey
Post Office boss Richard Barker promised local MP Lynne Featherstone more staff and refurbished Post Offices last Thursdaywhen she presented the results of a local waiting-time survey. Wood Green residents, who according to the survey have to queue for up to an hour to get their stamps, will soon see three more members of staff at the Wood Green Post Office.
Efforts will also be made to help elderly and disabled residents after the survey showed they found it hard to stand and queue. Post Office bosses gave cast-iron promises that as many chairs as possible would be put into the Crown Post Offices in Wood Green, Crouch End and Muswell Hill when they are refurbished in the summer.
Lynne Featherstone’s survey showed that residents have to queue for an average of 12 minutes at Post Offices in and around Hornsey and Wood Green. Residents using Crown Post Offices at Wood Green and Muswell Hill have experienced hour long queues and had average waiting times of 27 and 18 minutes respectively.
Lynne Featherstone commented:
“We already knew that waiting times at the Post Offices had risen as a result of last summer’s closures, but it was very useful to be able to present the Post Office manager with real numbers to show him just how bad it is. And it works, because he gave promises that will go some way towards making the situation a bit better.
“Queues at Wood Green are especially bad, and at least now they are getting some more staff.
“The other issue that was especially clear from the survey was that many elderly residents simply don’t go to the shops, as they can’t sit down and queue. I will certainly hold Mr Barker to his promise to deliver those chairs.
“I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to count their waiting times and send them on to me.
“But I’m not going to give up here- the fight for more local post offices continues, watch this space!”
Alexandra Palace accounts – trustees' concern
Three Ally Pally trustees have expressed their dismay that the Alexandra Palace accounts have been submitted to the Charity Commission without the unanimous approval of the Board of Trustees.
Attempts by the three councillors, Bob Hare, John Oakes, and Neil Williams, to have their concerns taken on board were ignored by the Palace, and the accounts were submitted on the basis of a majority vote of Labour trustees, conducted via email.
The three have now challenged the Board of Trustees to justify their refusal to accept the changes, which centre around the period when the Trust granted a controversial licence to Firoka, leading to losses running into millions of pounds.
The three objected to the lack of clarity in the way in which these very large amounts were disclosed, and wanted the accounts to report the overall costs of the failed attempt to sell the Palace.
Trustee Bob Hare comments:
“It is extremely worrying that the Labour trustees have not sought to engage with us or reach agreement and address these concerns in the interest of the Palace. We have made every effort, but our concerns have been swept aside.
“The Charity Commission were not even contacted to see if they minded a slight delay while an attempt was made to resolve the stalemate.
“The Commission will be well aware of the serious concerns surrounding the license – and the Trust itself was months late submitting accounts last year.
“The vote was conducted by email, without any further meeting, a procedure which itself is open to question.
“This worrying step by those trustees appointed by the Labour Council shows more than ever that we need an independent chair and indpendent trustees at the Palace.
“We have no wish to conduct Palace matters by complaints to the Charity Commission, but we have a responsibility as trustees to safeguard the Palace and Park for Haringey’s residents and other Londoners. It is those people, after all, who are the beneficiaries of the Ally Pally charity, and if our concerns over the accounts are ignored in this way, then that is how we will have to do it.”
Lynne Featherstone 