Why save our local Post Offices?

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Interesting discussion over on StroudGreen.org about the future of Ferme Park Road Post Office, where a couple of people asked why people should want to save their local Post Office.

Well, here’s my answer:

  1. Even on purely narrow financial terms, it’s not as simple as saying “Post Office making a loss so it should close” – because many of those currently under threat of closure are actually making a profit.
  2. Losing a key local service such as a Post Office can have a serious knock-on effect on other local businesses – which in turn, even purely on a financial basis, means a short term apparent saving can turn out to be a long term cost.
  3. Anyway, is life really all just about money? I think there are more important values in life than the bottom of a balance sheet. For many people the local Post Office is a key part of the local community, and I think that sense of neighbourliness and belonging is something that matters and is something to be cherished. Put it like this – would you judge who your friends are purely on how much money they’ve got? There are other things that matter than money.
  4. That said, we shouldn’t be naive about costs. But one thing we are lacking is any real drive to help make Post Offices more financially vibrant, such as by using them as the delivery point for more public services in future. With drive and imagination, there’s much that could be done to strengthen their role in the community, rather than to gut it.

And if I’ve persuaded you … there’s a petition at ourcampaign.org.uk/haringeypostoffices

Another day, another set of tales about data being lost

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Back in January I blogged about the Government’s record at losing data (they lose lots of it, year after year). So this blog posting caught my eye – which lists a whole set of other instances of the Government losing our data in the last few weeks.

There’s one common conclusion from all the cases – the more data the Government has about us, the more that ends up getting lost with all the risks to privacy and identity theft that follow. Which is another good reason to be opposed to their plans for a mandatory national ID cards scheme (in addition to the many other reasons – such as its huge cost; the money could be far better spent on other, more effective crime-fighting measures).

Local MP invites residents to share views on Post Office closure

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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.”

London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard

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I did a filmed interview for True Tube today – a sort of version of You Tube but with the emphasis on interactive debating. Today’s interview was targeted at 15 – 25 year olds and was about women in politics and women in the work place. Did feminism still need to exist? (In brief: yes).

London Lesbian and Gay SwitchboardFollowed by a visit to the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard. With my portfolio of Youth and Equalities I wanted to meet this voluntary (mainly) organisation that provides such a life line to the gay and lesbian population. They get something like 100,000 calls a year to their volunteers who are there for those in doubt, need or confusion – to listen and to help. With 160 trained (very carefully trained) volunteers their phone lines are open from 10am to 11pm and everyone gets as much time as they need.

Tim Gutteridge is the Chief Executive and he showed me around. The volunteer room has a bank of ten phone lines – with the peak time for calls being between 5 and 11pm. The largest group of callers are those who are coming out – but they also have people with all sorts of issues from health and HIV to the discrimination faced by older gay people in care homes and those with mental health challenges. All are listened to and advised with warmth and commitment.

It is clear that there is a huge need for this service – and yet their funding is hand to mouth. There is a portion (not large) funded by London HIV Protection which comes through the Health Trusts – but it is not enough and they have to go to each trust separately outside London if they want funding from around the country. One third of their calls come from London but two thirds from outside. This is nuts!

Another stark issue appears to be that the trend is to move people who are HIV positive away from the very good specialist care they have had out to local GPs – but it is clear that the reception that HIV positive people get from GPs is variable.

One instance was cited of a nurse taking details from a patient and when she came to the part of the form where HIV positive had been filled in – she couldn’t even say the words! Many barriers to comfort and variable knowledge or lack of is not inviting to those who may be sensitive about their condition and/or their sexuality.

Anyway – I was greatly impressed with the work they are doing and will be taking forward a number of issues including homophobic bullying, treatment of the elderly, funding and NHS health services for gay people.

Data watchdog asked to investigate Haringey Council file scandal

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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.”

Walking out of Parliament

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Just walked out from Commons alongside the other Liberal Democrat MPs. Follows disgraceful blocking by the Parliamentary authorities of our amendment calling for an in/out referendum on Europe.

We’ve bended over backwards to try to deal with every request from them on this issue – and in the end, enough is enough – if you’re debating Europe, you should be able to vote on the central big issues on Europe.

The idea from the Deputy Speaker that we should take this up “through the usual channels” is, well…. let’s just say that’s exactly what we’ve been doing endlessly and in the end the verdict has been, “No, we the powers that be are going to veto your choice on what to put to debate and vote.”

What sort of charade of a Parliament is that?

UPDATE: The party news release from Nick Clegg and Ed Davey is here.

Iraqi interpreters update

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The indefatigable Dan Hardie has an update on his blog on the shameful way our government has failed to stand by Iraqis who worked with our armed forces. For all Gordon Brown’s fine words in October last year – Dan hasn’t been able to find any Iraqis who have actually been evacuated from Iraq since then.

As to why this matters – here’s what one of the people fearing for their lives says:

They (the militia) keep asking my relatives and my family’s neighbors about me and they keep moving in my family’s street and keep their eyes on our home… they told them: anyone know anything about A__ he should tell us immediately and also they said: we will never give up until we catch A__ .

So – do go read Dan’s post – and then lobby your MP (and, yes, it’s worth doing the lobbying even if your MP is someone like myself who is already supporting the cause – because the more contacts MPs get in total, the more pressure Government Ministers will feel under).

Highgate by-election: Lib Dem champion Rachel Allison has 'Six to Fix'

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Liberal Democrat campaigner and by-election candidate Rachel Allison has now written to all Highgate ward residents with her ‘six-to-fix’ – her top priorities for Highgate and Archway.

The energetic Lib Dem candidate from Claremont Road, Highgate, has a proven track record in getting things done in local campaigns. Rachel’s previous campaign successes have included getting the light sequence changed outside Jacksons Lane to allow pedestrians more time to cross the road, moving the border of the Highgate CPZ on Northwood Road, and persuading libraries to donate their used children’s books to St Michael’s school rather than throwing them away.

Along with local Lib Dem councillors Neil Williams (the Lib Dem Leader) and Bob Hare (the Lib Dems’ environment expert) Rachel will:

1.Campaign to protect vital services, such as our Post Offices and Jacksons Lane. The Lib Dems have launched a petition to fight the Government’s closure plans for the High Street post office, and ran a successful campaign to secure vital funding for Jackson’s Lane.

2.Revitalise Highgate’s shopping streets, the Archway Road, and Highgate High Street, making sure the area is tidied up and planning rules are enforced.

3.Protect and tidy up our green spaces, joining Cllrs Williams and Hare in sprucing up small green areas and pocket parks, and fighting dumping, especially in Queen’s Wood.

4.Get more power for Highgate residents, including implementing the Lib Dems’ plans for specific council bosses answerable TO Highgate, IN Highgate – drawn up by Lib Dem Finance chief and Highgate resident Robert Gorrie, who helped build retailer Ocado into a multi-million pound business.

5.Fighting for a permanent police presence in the ward, to make up for the closed police station off the Archway Road.

6.Fighting for local patients, with fairer parking at the Highgate Group Practice – the Council has now made concessions on pay-and-display bays, and more must be done to make charges fairer, says Rachel.

Rachel Allison comments:

“These are my priorities for Highgate – it’s a wonderful area but of course we can work to make it an even better place to live. I’d also like to hear from Highgate residents as well if they have their own ideas for the area. They can write to me at Rachel.Allison@haringeylibdems.org.”

Say no to closure – Post Office petition gathers pace

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Rachel Allison, the Lib Dem candidate in the Highgate by-election, is thanking residents in Highgate and across Haringey for their huge response to their local petition to save Post Offices from closure – but says that every objection is vital if the devastating closure plans are to be defeated.

In just over a week, over 800 people have signed the Lib Dems’ on-line petition, and responses from angry residents have also been flooding back to Liberal Democrat headquarters. Rachel Allison is inviting as many residents as possible to sign the Lib Dems’ borough-wide petition: http://ourcampaign.org.uk/haringeypostoffices

Rachel Allison comments:

“The Government’s closure programme is madness. I hope as many people as possible will sign the Lib Dem petition to protect our local branch network, in Highgate and across Haringey.

“In the case of Highgate, it is outrageous to suggest that we should have a High Street without a Post Office. Local residents, other shops and the entire High Street depend on our Post Office. We will fight to keep it.”