Councillor Ron Aitken is calling for Arriva Buses and a local school to take action after having no choice but to intervene in a fight between two girls on the W3 bus. A girl from Hornsey School for Girls was left with injuries to her nose and face during a violent incident involving four older pupils from the school.

After being given first aid the pupil was accompanied by friends and Cllr Aitken to her normal getting off stop in Wood Green.

Councillor Aitken comments:

I was quite shocked by the incident – there was blood all over the bus. The young lady was very shaken up, and bleeding heavily from her nose. My understanding is that her head had been slammed against the bus window.

“I was on the W3 bus travelling towards Alexandra Palace when the incident occurred near Priory Park at about 3.30pm. Something like fifty school children were very animated, as children are, but some of them seemed particularly excited, and before I knew it they were fighting.

“Although recent efforts by the Neighbourhood Policing Teams at bus stops during school leaving time are welcome, there are clearly issues of bullying and intimidation which need to be addressed by the schools and London Buses”.

In a previous incident on a W3 bus Cllr Aitken and another Lib Dem councillor had to bundle a violent and abusive male out of the doors before someone was injured.

Alexandra Palace has been leased to the Firoka Group for 125 years, as Labour councillors voted to ‘sign off’ the draft lease and agree to hand over Ally Pally to the private sector. Liberal Democrat councillors abstained on the vote, saying that while they were not in principle opposed to the leasing of the palace, Labour had ignored serious concerns that they had raised, meaning they could not support the lease terms proposed.

The current process of selling the Palace began just over a year ago, and early on, Lib Dems were asking questions about the protection of the historical assets of the building. More recently they have voiced their serious concerns over the long-term protection for the world’s first public broadcast TV studios and the CUFOS community centre, as well as concerns that the Palace building is poorly protected against the demolition of its internal structures.

Councillor Bob Hare, Lib Dem Spokesperson on Alexandra Palace, said:

“We are not opposed to the principle of leasing the Palace, as long as it achieves a good result for the Palace and the people of north London. However, we have numerous concerns about the deal that has been negotiated which we feel have not been adequately answered. We shall be putting our concerns to the Charity Commission during the 30 day period for representations that will be starting now.”

Liberal Democrat Alexandra Palace and Park Board Member Councillor Sheila Rainger adds:

“Our concerns lead us to believe the deal on offer does not protect some of the key elements of the charitable trust, moreover, we have some doubts about the processes leading to the lease. The Charity Commission must look closely at the details of the proposed sale before it approves this lease. We will be making representations to the Charity Commission, and would encourage anyone else who has concerns to do so.”

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Everyone, particular the Haringey taxpayer will be relieved to be no longer burdened with the cost of the Palace. That said, the future of the Palace now rests in the hands of the Firoka group for the next 125 years. I wish this new endeavour every success. However, this success still needs to incorporate the aspirations of local people and the preservation of the unique birthplace of television. I will be keeping a keen eye on progress as this take shape.”

At last night’s meeting of the Full Council, Labour councillors rejected the opportunity to set a firm target for reducing greenhouse gas emission for Haringey, citing the costs of the measures as the reason for doing so. Lib Dem councillors have strongly criticised the move.

Labour tabled a motion asking Haringey Council to sign up to the Nottingham Declaration, a voluntary pledge signed by many councils across the country to actively tackle climate change at a local level.

The Liberal Democrats tabled an amendment to the motion, committing Haringey Council to setting a target in the next three months, and saying that the Council could and should go much further in its pledge. Labour Councillor Brian Haley told his fellow Labour councillors that they should not support the amendment, as the costs of doing so could be too high, in spite of the recent publication of the Stern Report indicating that climate change is going to be cheaper to tackle now than in the future.

Councillor Ed Butcher, Lib Dem Deputy Spokesperson for the Environment, comments:

“This is a very disappointing decision from Labour. We explained in advance that we were fully supportive of their motion, and that we would vote for it in the chamber, as we did. It’s a shame that Labour were not able to do the same and put principal before politics. We expected that Labour might be willing to go further and add some real meat to the bones of the declaration, but they were not bold enough to do so.”

Cllr Bob Hare, Haringey Lib Dem Environment’s spokesperson adds:

“Climate change is an issue in which we all have to play a part. At every level, those in government should be leading the fight, and the Lib Dems believe that this is especially true at a local level. I hope very much that we will find a way to persuade Labour to take this message on board, but I suspect that the only way that we will see real progress here in Haringey is under a Liberal Democrat administration.”

Alexandra councillor Wayne Hoban has this week persuaded Haringey Council to put in place waiting restrictions and yellow lines on the junction of Alexandra Park Road and Albert Road. Cars parking too close to the junction were causing concern over the safety of children walking to Rhodes Avenue and Alexandra Park schools, and causing major problems for buses which use the route.

Residents contacted Councillor Hoban, who comments:

“I am very pleased that the Council have agreed to make these necessary changes a priority. Parked cars were causing problems for buses using the roads, but more importantly, were restricting visibility for other cars, making the junction more hazardous. A great many children use the area as a pedestrian thoroughfare, and I am very pleased that the Council have agreed that these works must be a priority.”

Note:

The Statutory Consultation for the proposed restrictions will commence on 9 November 2006. This is the legal part of the process before Haringey Council installs the parking restrictions and takes the form of a Public Notice, which is published in the local press setting out the Council’s intention to install parking restrictions.The Notice has a 21-day Statutory Consultation period which will be completed by 30th November 2006. If no objections are received by the Council during this period, the yellow lines should be implemented in December/January.