Lib Dems have urged local health officials to come clean over new plans to review health care in Haringey and have called for a major rethink over the location of proposed super health centres. In their formal response to Haringey Primary Care Trust’s (PCT) health care strategy, Liberal Democrats have expressed concern at many weaknesses that, without action, may result in residents suffering from lack of local health services.

In their letter to the PCT, Lib Dems urged the trust to effectively manage the process of GP relocation to ensure that no one area is entirely deprived of local GP surgeries, for the trust to rethink the location of the super health centres and address the situation that two super health centres are located outside of the borough. In this respect they asked that a transport plan be run in conjunction with consultation on centre location.

Lib Dems have also called for the minimum number of GPs that would be needed to move to super health centres to make them financially viable to be made public and for the trust to be clear on what services would be co-located in super health centres and how these would join up with other local services.

Finally, they urged the trust to look first at NHS providers for services in the new health centres to ensure that the services are those that the public can trust and does not add to the fragmentation of the NHS.

Lib Dems launched their 5 point prescription for Hornsey Central Hospital in January this year aiming to ensure the opportunity to improve Haringey health care is not lost by setting out 5 key areas for stakeholders to consider.

Cllr Carolyn Baker, Lib Dem Health Spokesperson, comments:

“The health strategy, although linked with health inequalities particularly in the East of the borough, is not clear on how these inequalities will be addressed. Parity needs to be sought by increasing budgets in areas of health inequality not by reducing budgets in other areas. There is no benefit of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

“I am concerned that moving GPs further away from residents is only likely to put them off from attending for the routine checks that will catch health problems early on. As the services that will be provided at health centres have not yet been detailed we of course hope that a combination of social and health drop in services will be available that will address these concerns.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“The local residents are very concerned at these proposals as they do not seem to provide a complete picture of what the trust actually intends to do. Of course, we would like to see a more joined up, responsive and local health service, butpeople need reassurance that this is what we are going to get. The Liberal Democrats would like to see a model that retains good local GPs within a couple of streets of residents operating in conjunction with super health centres.”

Festive lights in Stroud Green will not be shining this Christmas due to a blundermade by a Government Agency. The London Development Agency (LDA) decided that ‘proper processes were not followed’ by FinFuture, an organisation it funds, in its project to provide Christmas lights in Stroud Green Road because an advert was not placed in trade press for companies to bid for the contract. Thiscomes in the same week when the organisation was itself rapped for handing over millions of pounds to the Bernie Grant Centre without proper accountancy checks.

Cllr Wayne Hoban, Lib Dem Regeneration Spokesperson, comments:

“How can an organisation, which was criticised for not putting in place proper checks for a million pound arts centre project, criticise Stroud green residents for failing to place an advert for their Christmas lights? The LDA is clearly guilty of double standards in the way it distributes its funds. Regeneration schemes should be subject to the same accountancy checks regardless of the project size.”

Cllr Richard Wilson, who launched the campaign for Christmas lights on Stroud Green Road last December, adds:

“Everyone knows Finsbury Park is in urgent need of a face-lift and these Christmas lights would have helped improve the area. Why does the LDA have time to delve into small projects such as FinFuture’s plan for Christmas lights, but has no interest in where the big money goes?They are behaving like Santa and Scrooge all rolled into one.”

Commenting on reports that the Darfur peace talks are in crisis after a number of boycotts by rebel movements, Liberal Democrat Shadow International Development Secretary, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“China is the only power who can put pressure on the Sudan Government to allow the urgent deployment of the UN/AU peacekeeping force in Darfur.

“The only way to persuade China to use its position as a world power for good is to refer to the Olympics. Stopping the genocide must be the only priority.”

Haringey Schools that ended the last financial year in surplus face a ‘5% tax’ under new proposals being considered by the Labour government.

Local MP, Lynne Featherstone this week has strongly backed a Parliamentary motion calling on the government to drop this unfair levy that is likely to adversely affect a number of schools in her constituency.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP says:

“This is quite literally a tax on the financial prudence of those few schools that managed to buck the local trend and put aside extra money in the last financial year.This cash claw-back could jeopardise major projects that schools have been diligently putting money aside for.

“Our local schools are already seriously disadvantaged because of the unfair per pupil funding system.Now, to add insult to injury, head teachers will have to give back five per cent of their reported surplus from last April – whether they have it or not.”

Councillor Gail Engert, Lib Dem Schools Spokesperson adds:

“I dread to think what cuts schools will have to make.More worryingly, there are schools actually in deficit this year, that will still have to pay this unfair levy because they were in surplus last year. If the Government doesn’t drop these plans, it will be Haringey pupils that will suffer.I will be requesting an urgent assessment of how much this will cost our schools.”