With my Independent Shops Competition Finale fast approaching, I’m looking for local bands and musicians to provide live unplugged entertainment on the day. It’s taking place on 29th June in Crouch End, between 11am and 3pm in the Hornsey Town Hall Square.
Please get in touch via lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org if you or your band would be interested in performing. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Here’s a blog post from Nigeria. Yesterday, I was in Kano, launching a a two year teacher support programme alongside a significant contribution from the Kano state government, which will reach all 5,335 public primary schools in the state.
School means different things to different people.
For Adamu, it means his family sending him from their rural village to live and learn in a small room in the Fagge area of Kano in Northern Nigeria.
His family want him to receive a traditional Koranic education. Previously, this would mean a syllabus focused on rote learning of the Koran. Far from his family, without numeracy or literacy skills, Adamu may not have had access to important opportunities to fufil his potential.
For Fatima, school means a class of 50 in a school teaching 13,000 children. Fatima is in the morning shift when I arrive at Gobirawa special state primary school. Surveys in 2010 suggested as many as around 80% of Nigerian state teachers would struggle to pass the country’s tests set for 10 year olds.
But DFID programmes have made a difference here. Our ESSPIN programme has trained teacher trainers, mentored head teachers on school management, and helped write lesson plans. Today I launched a two year teacher support programme alongside a significant contribution from the Kano state government, which will reach all 5,335 public primary schools in the state.
Meanwhile, working with religious leaders and the state government, ESSPIN training and mentoring has meant Koranic schools can (and do) access the state primary curriculum. Standing next to the chief mallam in Fagge as he smiles, watching his three young children learn multiplication, I’m told that the school hopes to send its first pupils to state secondary school later this year.
That the government is focused on education, and recognises the work that must be done, is heartening. Because school can ultimately mean opportunity. And Nigeria has that in abundance. Education is one way in which Nigeria’s stunning economic growth can be shared by all of its citizens. And DFID will stand by Nigeria to achieve its ambitions in schooling it’s children.
Local MP Lynne Featherstone, along with Liberal Democrat Councillor David Winskill, has met with Whittington Board members to discuss their public engagement programme, and to ask for updates on their Foundation Trust application.
The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green has been pushing the Board to engage fully with the public ever since they announced controversial plans to make changes to the Hospital. Over 2,700 residents have signed a petition, supporting the MP’s call for engagement.
At the meeting, the Board informed the MP about their engagement process, which has involved open weekends, seminars, public meetings and liaison with local community and interest groups.
The Board confirmed that the engagement period would end on the 31st of May, and that their plans would then be reviewed in the following months. They will then release the revised plans.
The Liberal Democrat MP’s petition also calls for assurance that there will be no loss of service and proper consultation throughout this period of change. She has met frequently with the Board since the announcement in order to find out the facts and work constructively to secure the future of the hospital.
Following the meeting, Lynne Featherstone MP commented:
“There is a growing consensus that some changes must be made to secure Foundation Trust status, and therefore the future of the Whittington Hospital.
“Initially, for instance, Labour called for no changes– yet now one of their own councillors has spoken out and admitted that campaigning against any changes at all will do more harm than good to the hospital.
“All along, the local Lib Dems and I have recognised the need for some changes. However we have campaigned hard to ensure no services are lost and that the Whittington engage with the public and review their plans accordingly.
“I’m very glad that the Whittington Board has undertaken a programme of engagement – though I still feel more could be done to bring the details of the situation to the wider community. I will continue to ask them to do more.
“In the meantime, anyone who has strong views on the plans, and on the future of the Whittington should contact the hospital as soon as possible – as this engagement period will end on May 31st. I will also be emailing my constituents to let them know.”
Lynne Featherstone MP last week met with the Store Manager and PR Ambassador at the Sainsbury’s store in Muswell Hill.
The local MP was given a tour of the store, and shown the expanding ranges of low fat, healthy and ‘free from’ food. The store also has a deli section and salad bar.
The Liberal Democrat MP also spoke to the manager and PR ambassador about their work with charities. Alongside their long-running work with national charity Active Kids, Sainsbury’s Muswell Hill are also working to support local charities. All food which has passed its shelf life (but not its sell by date) is passed to the Soup Kitchen in Muswell Hill.
The store raised a total of £22,000 for charity last year including around £10,000 for Comic Relief.
After the visit, Lynne Featherstone MP commented:
“It was great to visit the local store and hear all about the great work they are doing in the community. It’s so important that stores contribute to their local area, and Sainsbury’s Muswell Hill is a shining example of how things should be done!
“I wish them the best of luck with their work this year, and look forward to working with them on some of their fundraising events.”
Lynne Featherstone MP has today spoken to the Director of the Sincura Group – the company which will exhibit and possibly sell the Banksy piece ‘slave labour.’ The piece recently went missing from the wall of Turnpike Lane Poundland, sparking numerous campaigns and calls for its return.
The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green wrote an email this morning asking Sincura to clarify whether the piece will be exhibited or auctioned, and for their comments on the legality of its removal from Turnpike Lane.
In a follow up phone conversation, the Sincura Group Director confirmed that the piece will be shown at their exhibition at the Film Museum in Covent Garden on the 2nd of June – and that there will be an opportunity to purchase the piece. They said, however, that if the piece is not snapped up on the night, it will be sold to a private American collector.
Similarly, Sincura have confirmed that, if the piece is pulled from sale before the event, it will be sold by default to the American collector.
The Group, who say they will not profit from or make commission on the sale, also claim to be “entirely satisfied that the mural was legally salvaged.” This contradicts previous statements from the property owners, who were adamant that the piece was removed without their knowledge or consent.
Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP said:
“The story of the Turnpike Lane Banksy gets more and more bizarre. After being withdrawn from sale in the US, the piece arrives back in the UK and will be put up for auction again.
“The Sincura Group is saying that unless their auction goes ahead and another buyer is found, the piece will be sold to an American collector and lost forever. This leaves campaigners in an impossible position regarding whether to call the auction off or not.
“This seems to leave us one option – to track down the current owners and plea directly to them. Unsurprisingly, they have remained anonymous to date – but I will do my best to expose them before the 2nd June.”
Wood Green’s Banksy has dominated the news again this week. The Standard, ITV, BBC and Sky all reported that the piece will go on sale at the Film Museum in Covent Garden on the 2nd June.
This was in response to the announcement on the Sincura Group website – which invites its members to: “view, and even purchase, some of the most important artwork in the modern era including the infamous Slave Labour piece.”
However, Sincura have now released a statement saying that the piece is NOT up for auction. They say that: “The showing of this piece was the culmination of months of hard work and we simply wish to display it in again its home city before it disappears forever…”
They go on to say that the piece will be returned to the US where it will form part of a private collection. This is totally unacceptable – the piece belongs to the public in Wood Green, not in one person’s warehouse.
Journalists, local residents and politicians have been trying to track down the piece since it mysteriously disappeared from the side of the Poundland building in Wood Green. The well-travelled piece ended up in Miami for auction, but was dramatically pulled from sale at the last minute; after the people of Wood Green let the auctioneers know what they thought about their Banksy being sold for private profit.
I held a meeting with the owners of the building – Wood Green Investments – who were adamant that the piece had been taken without their consent.
But – Sincura say they are entirely satisfied that the mural was legally salvaged. Something just doesn’t add up here, and the Banksy mystery is now more confusing than ever.
I have now contacted Sincura and asked them for answers. Is our Banksy up for sale or just being exhibited? How can they be sure that there was no criminality, when the owners didn’t give consent?
Attempts will also be made to contact the ‘owner’ of the piece and/or their representatives.
I will be sure to keep everyone updated on the mission to restore our Banksy to its rightful place – here in Wood Green.
The controversial piece before its removal from Turnpike Lane
Lynne Featherstone MP has today made urgent contact with Labour-run Haringey Council, after a resident informed her of the pending closure of the Burghley Road under 5’s Community Centre.
In March, the Trustee of the Centre had written to the Council, expressing a desire to return the building. He did this, however, without consulting the management team.
The team at the Centre acted quickly, putting new trustees in place, securing the Charity Commissions’ consent to continue as a charity, and agreeing a new funding arrangement with Haringey Council’s Childcare and Early Years Department until 2015.
The Community Centre management then received a letter on the 3rd May from Haringey Council’s Property Services department, informing them that they needed to vacate the property by Monday 13th May.
In a strongly worded email, the Liberal Democrat MP has demanded answers from the Council, particularly whether Property Services will withdraw their demand to vacate the property.
Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP said:
“I am shocked at the way this issue has been handled by Haringey Council’s Property Services. There has clearly been no communication with the Early Years Department, who agreed to fund the Centre until 2015. The Centre performs a vital role in the local community, accommodating up to 200 children.
“The stripping of a resource such as this from the local area would constitute a great loss for local residents and create a huge gap in local childcare.
“No consideration seems to have been given regarding the value of the Centre to the local community. And finally, 10 days is a completely unrealistic amount of time for the task of shutting down a Centre that has been in place for a great number of years.
“I have asked some tough questions of the Council and requested that any action against the Centre is suspended until I receive a full response to the questions raised. I will keep residents updated with any further developments.”
What fantastic news to wake up to – Alexandra Palace has been awarded an £800k grant to get its restoration plans off the ground! This will be followed by a whopping £16.8million for construction work, once the plans have been finalised.
The team at Ally Pally want to transform the eastern wing, by bringing the Victorian theatre and BBC studios back to life and making it accessible to the public.
The local Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for 15 years for proper plans to revamp the Palace and Park. It hasn’t been an easy ride – as the Labour-run Council bungled decision after decision, trying to sell off the landmark and costing the taxpayers millions in the process. But finally, the Palace is now moving in the right direction.
Duncan Wilson, the Chief Executive of Alexandra Park and Palace has said that: “The ‘People’s Palace’ in its entirety can now become a reality and we are thrilled that the HLF have endorsed our plans for its future.”
I am so happy, and couldn’t agree more!
Here is the quote I sent to the press first thing this morning –
“Congratulations to the team at Alexandra Palace, who have successfully secured millions in funding for the historic site.
“From the start, the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund was well researched and involved local people. The proposals for the theatre and TV Studios attracted particularly strong support in the public consultation – so it’s great to see them at the centre of the restoration plans.
“After years of turmoil, the Palace is now well and truly on the right track and has taken a great step towards securing a long term future. Thank you to the Alexandra Palace team, and to the Heritage Lottery Fund. I can’t wait to see the results.”
Ps – I recently described Alexandra Palace as my favourite landmark, and made a recording as part of the ‘London Beyond Sight’ project. You can listen to it here.
A new £2m scheme has been launched by the Coalition Government to help boost childcare businesses and help women back into work.
From yesterday, people who want to set up a nursery can apply for grants of up to £500 to help cover things like legal and insurance costs, training, equipment and adaptations to buildings. The scheme aims to launch up to 6,000 new childcare businesses across England.
The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green has expressed hope that people in Haringey will take up this offer, so that a significant number of new nurseries will open, boosting options for parents.
This funding boost comes on top of other recent good news for parents. Last month it was announced that 882 of the poorest two-year-olds in Haringey stand to benefit from 15 hours free childcare a week from this September.
Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP said:
“Liberal Democrats want to create a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling everyone to get on in life. Childcare plays a vital role in achieving those goals. It helps the early development of children and removes barriers for those parents keen to return to work.
“We have seen time and time again the important difference that good quality childcare can make in giving children the best possible start in life.
“This money will help entrepreneurs set up and run new childcare facilities which will be a boost to Haringey’s economy and a massive help to families here.”
Lynne Featherstone MP on Sunday attended a maypole dance and street party on Hillfield Park in Muswell Hill. This year, it included a bake off judged by Maison Blanc, a hulahoopathon, a tug of war and maypole dancing.
The Liberal Democrat MP gave a short speech praising the residents and organisers of the street party, which has become an established annual event.
The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green then presented rosettes to the winners of the ‘best pet’ competition. The runners up included dogs and a hamster (who sat on the rosette to pose for the photo!) The local MP presented the winning rosette to the pet owner – as the winning cat, Boris, had disappeared!
After the party, Lynne Featherstone MP commented:
“I had a great time at the street party, which is always so well organised and attended by the local residents.
“It’s fantastic to see a community come together and take part in these fun activities. I was very happy to present the best pet prizes – even though the winner absconded before the prize giving ceremony!
“I look forward to next year’s party.”
Lynne Featherstone 