Good news, good news, good news

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Lynne Featherstone with residents of Westpoint, Clarendon Road, celebrating their parking permit successOne – during the week my Liberal Democrat colleagues on Haringey Council got a motion through for Haringey Council to opt-in to the Sustainable Communities Act. The act in itself is really only a tool to open up future possibilities – but now we’re well on the way to being able to do that.

Two – parking permit problems for residents in Clarendon Road sorted out.

Three – Transport for London (TfL) have now promised that we will be able to use Oyster Pay As You Go on trains by September. Easier train travel, here we come!

Many thanks to everyone who backed the campaign on this – I’ve no doubt the public pressure make a big, big difference.

Holocaust Memorial Day, 2009

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Just got back from the Holocaust Memorial Day. This year’s theme is ‘stand up to hatred’. As ever – there were a number of readings, poems and recollections from dignitaries, those who had firsthand experience and others. Today was very poignant as Jewish people in this country are not having an easy time at the moment. However badly people think Israel has behaved – what was palpable in the air today was how vulnerable they still feel in this country. I don’t know what the recent stats are on anti-Semitic attacks, but that feeling of vulnerability was very much there. And the Jews are not Israel. Believing that would equate with the dreadful discrimination against Muslims as if all of them are synonymous with terrorists.

It is always a shock to see a gas chamber (part of a screen presentation) and in your mind’s eye to imagine the people – and particularly the children – being herded into these filthy, hideous stone rooms – and then instead of water – the gas.

There are many holocausts around the world where one race decides to slaughter another – but I always think that one reason that this holocaust has such resonance is because the perpetrators were so like us, in a nearby country. It’s a reminder that civilisation is only skin deep – and that’s why we remember and must guard against those who do harbour racial hatred deep within but mask that truth until their opportunity knocks. We must never let that happen.

Tackling discrimination against women and Catholics

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Jammy dodger Evan Harris has come up seventh in the ballot for Private Members’ Bills. As for what the ballot is about – names get put in a hat, and then pulled out at random – and the lucky ones are giving some time in Parliament to introduce a Bill. You have to come near the top to have any chance of getting your Bill through. I enter each time – but have never been lucky enough – as yet.

Anyway – Evan is taking forward the accession issue (one I had some success with last year) that females are shunted out of line to the throne by males (‘primogeniture’ ) as part of his Bill. He is also bringing in the issue around Catholics being prohibited from sitting on the British throne.

It’s about time this ‘discrimination’ was eliminated. To me it’s a no-brainer. When I managed to get it on the agenda last year and forced the Government into having to say that it would act it seemed – from the discussion on the floor of the chamber – that there was (on the whole) cross -party agreement. The Tories, not surprisingly, were the least keen as I remember their spokesperson, Dominic Grieve, whilst giving it lukewarm support suggesting that it wasn’t important really.

Well – you can always say that something that affects so relatively few people is unimportant – but I would say that there is no clearer symbol of the message that goes out in this land – that women are second class citizens and the lack of impetus to change is demonstrable evidence of this.

No doubt the other chestnut that will raise its head will be ‘if we’re talking about accession – surely we should have the debate about whether there should be a monarchy at all’.

No, no, no, no – whatever views there are on becoming a republic – this is a separate issue. As long as we do have a monarchy we should ensure that it does not enshrine discrimination against women or Catholics. Way to go Evan!

How not to plan ahead: Parkland Walk

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Haringey can’t get it right for getting it wrong. It took a monumental effort to get Parkland Walk in the frame for a facelift and residents were delighted when finally it happened – but apparently just a little while later the revamped and refreshed walk is covered with rubble and mud!

It’s presumably the muck and mess from phase 2 – but how ridiculous to lay a new path etc when there was still work to be done further inside the park. The JCBs have churned up the landscaped reserved and the workmen are dumping earth and stones on the revamped bit. Stupid or what?

They say that the work will be completed by end of March 2009. Whoever phased this work should be hauled over the coals!

A story with a happy ending

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Advice surgery this morning was as ever grueling as ever with tragedies too personal to relate here. Happily my first afternoon visit was a success story and just the best happy ending.

Back a while I went in to do battle for a woman (Bonnie) living in a tiny, dilapidated flat, with infestations and damp and mold and general horribleness that most would not put up with. Perhaps even worse there was no room to move at all – desperately bad situation.

With two children, husband and sister (who she looks after) Bonnie is one of those who fights and works and wants to make a good life for her family. But no accommodation was forthcoming for years.

Anyway to cut long story short Bonnie finally moved into a new (literally new) house in Muswell Hill a couple of months ago and I went to see it today. It is gorgeous – and I have no doubt that Bonnie and her family will prosper and bloom. Full marks to Metropolitan Housing Association as the quality of this new development seemed very high spec to me and the sort of accommodation that will enhance the lives of those lucky enough to live here. And finally – thanks to the officers at Haringey who latterly responded over the last months with real efforts to find suitable accommodation – and did. Dontcha just love happy endings.

Labour predicts they will lose in Haringey

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It’s every politician’s nightmare – leaving information that should be for your eyes only in the copying machine. Well it just happened – to Labour in Haringey. As the Haringey Independent, who have seen the document, reports Labour predicts it will lose the next Haringey Council elections – due in 2010 – and that the Lib Dems will win by 33 seats to Labour’s 24 (with no councillors for Conservatives, Greens or others). Way to go!

Highate councillor Neil Williams was the lucky man to find the document on the photocopier, as he recounts on his blog.

Liberal Democrats welcome much overdue Crouch End parking plan

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The time taken by Haringey Council to help residents in Crouch End besieged by parking problems has been branded “unacceptable” by local Liberal Democrats. This week’s announcement of plans for two new controlled parking zones (CPZ) in Crouch End were welcomed but Liberal Democrats have highlighted that residents first raised the issue with Haringey Council in Summer 2007 – eighteen months ago.

Cllr Lyn Weber, Crouch End, comments:

“This has been a tortuous process. It took Haringey Council many months to even realise that there was a parking problem in Crouch End and when they did recognise that action was needed, it took the best part of a year to make any progress at all. Residents were pleading with Haringey Council to take action.

“Whilst help for local residents is welcome, leaving residents in parking limbo for seventeen months is unacceptable. The amount of stress it has caused is incalculable.

“This is not the end of the road for this issue. There are many worried residents who have indicated that they too may want a parking review.It is vital that the effects of the new CPZs are closely monitored. Haringey Council must listen and respond to what residents have to say about the roads in their area.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“It was back in the summer of 2007 when residents in Crouch End were besieged by parking chaos. It is astonishing how Haringey Council are unable to act quickly to help their residents. Any new parking measure should be fully consulted, but there can be no excuse for the snail pace of dealing with this problem.”

Note: Crouch End CPZ A will be operational 10am – noon and Crouch End CPZ B will be operational 2pm – 4pm.

What should you do with your emails?

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Not new – but still worthwhile – the campaign idea to show our Home Secretary how bonkers her plan to keep all our emails, phone calls, texts etc is. It’s a ‘cc all your emails to Jacqui Smith day’, to raise awareness of the pointless offensiveness of the Government’s database state. It’s a Facebook group campaign – and given that civil liberties is the Lib Dem middle name – want to keep plugging it: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43256614646

As a lot of my emails are to constituents about personal issues, I won’t be joining in I admit – but hope others will make a success of it!

Success as TfL promises Oyster PAYG by September

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After months of dithering and half-promises, Transport for London (TfL) bosses this week gave Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone cast iron guarantees that residents will be able to use Oyster Pay As You Go (PAYG) on trains by September.

The long awaited assurances came as the local MP presented the TfL bosses with hundreds of postcard petitions returned by local residents in support of the Liberal Democrat campaign. Ian Brown, Managing Director for London Rail emphasised that the scheme would not have gone ahead, had it not been for pressure from Lynne Featherstone, Haringey residents and other campaigners across London.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I’m absolutely delighted that Oyster Pay As You Go will definitely go ahead by September. This has been such a long-running saga and too many half promises have gone unfulfilled.

“Being able to use Oyster on the trains will make it so much easier for people to hop on the train when going into town. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the campaign. We did it, and it’s really down to the strong support from local residents.”

Local MP puts an end to parking permit misery

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Hornsey residents who endured months of parking misery due to a Haringey Council mess-up have now finally been given new parking permits after local MP Lynne Featherstone demanded that decisions taken by Haringey Council were investigated.

After having had parking permits for two years, Westpoint apartment residents on Clarendon Road , N8 were suddenly told in September last year that that they weren’t allowed to renew their permits because their flats were built as part of a car-free development.

After forceful intervention by Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone, Haringey Parking Services reviewed the 2003 planning application and found that the car-free development suggestion was never included in the final plans. It was found that the permit refusal was completely unfounded and Parking Services have now started issuing permits again.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“This is a sorry saga, but one we unfortunately see too often. Westpoint apartment residents have had to endure months of parking hell, because Haringey Council’s left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.”

Rosa Hernando, Chair of Westpoint Residents Association, adds:

“The past few months have been so stressful. I bought the flat in good faith, with parking, and have later found out that if Haringey Council had taken away the parking permits, it would have lost £15,000 in value.

“I’m so happy that we have finally got this matter cleared up. We were determined not to allow the council to make us pay for their mistake”.