Lib Dem councillors in Haringey have welcomed progress being made on traffic calming in the Alexandra area. The comments come following a meeting with council officers and the Council’s Executive member for environment, attended by Councillors Lynne Featherstone (Muswell Hill) and Susan Oatway (Alexandra).

The meeting was to discuss the implementation of the road calming measures to Dukes Avenue and the surrounding area, which were backed by residents following two years of consultation. However, Council officers have been presented with a petition from residents of Rosebery Road objecting to ‘pinch points’ on the road of grounds of loss of parking. Similar concerns have been expressed by residents in Muswell Avenue.The Lib Dems says the challenge now is to match residents’ clear preference for traffic calming following the completion of the consultation process in July, with specific and sensible proposals.

Cllr Lynne Featherstone comments: “The working group of local residents associations has worked closely with local people, residents’ associations and Haringey Council over the past two years to ensure the best way of calming traffic in the area. However many residents are still dissatisfied with the details. We will continue to work with them to try to find a solution. If we fail to do so, I fear the money earmarked for this project may eventually be lost to other areas.”

Lib Dem councillors have welcomed the news that Haringey Council has improved its annually assessed Corporate Performance Assessment Rating from “weak” to “fair”. But the Council’s official opposition say that much more work needs to be done in order to provide a service that is anywhere near the level that residents deserve.

The results, published by the Audit Commission, follow an inspection earlier this year. Although there are some improvements to services, Lib Dems say that when compared with a council like neighbouring Lib-Dem run Islington the rate of improvement is poor.

Lib Dem-run Islington has seen its CPA rating leap from “poor” (one star) in 2002 to “good” (four star) in 2004, while Labour-run Haringey has only moved from “weak” to “fair” in the same period of time. Haringey Lib Dems think that it is not through lack of effort of council staff but through poor and complacent leadership by the weak and divided Labour Executive.

Of great concern is the position of Social Services. Despite huge overspends, the results show no overall improvements, with the service remaining on one star. Equally, while the council’s £5 million PR campaign on its environment services has made little impact on the CPA with the Council scoring ‘weak’ (two star) on this service.

Lib Dem leader Cllr Neil Williams says that Haringey’s score merely confirm the concerns of Lib Dems and residents alike.

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“Haringey Council staff deserve thanks for any improvements they have delivered. However, the rate of improvement compared to a similar borough such as Lib Dem Islington make sit clear that Haringey is still under-performing, and could clearly learn a thing or two from the Lib Dem council next door.”

Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams has expressed his dismay over the use of emergency powers by Haringey’s Labour-run council. Cllr Williams fears that the rules are being exploited to avoid proper scrutiny of important council decisions, including those over Hornsey Town Hall.

The move follows the publication of papers for the Labour Executive meeting on 21 December, in which no less than seven times, including the proposals for Hornsey Town Hall, are being pushed through as ‘urgent business’. The move follows concerns raised in October, when a one million pounds payment to the Alexandra Palace for the hiring of consultants was also put through by Labour under urgency procedures.

Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams comments:

“I will be asking for a full review of the use of the urgency rules by Haringey. Some of the reasons given are questionable at best. Most importantly, this denies councillors and residents the chance to properly scrutinise all of these decisions – papers are received late, and decisions can’t then be brought to the Council’s Scrutiny Committee. It is not acceptable.”

Highgate Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed assurances from Haringey Council that they will consult properly on any extension of parking controls in the area – and have pledged to continue to ensure that residents’ voices are fully heard in the consultation process. The move follows reassurances given at a special meeting of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee called by Highgate councillors to hear concerns raised by Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams and others over present proposals for a Highgate station scheme.

As well as local councillors, five residents groups expressed their views and concerns on the Council’s plans. Among the issues resolved were:

-Following requests from residents groups, residents in ‘the Cholmeleys’ and Southwood Lane would receive a consultation paper (with a clear ‘yes/no’ option on whether they want to be included in the Highgate Village Scheme) early in the New Year.

-Streets that have just been added to the process at the statutory stage of the consultation process in the proposed Highgate station scheme will be the subject of a full decision by the Executive at a later stage and not passed ‘on the nod’ by the Labour lead member.

-One road, Bishops Road, which was to have been left out of the consultation process, but could have been surrounded by streets with parking controls, is to be given a say at the second stage of the Highgate Station consultation.

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“This was a useful meeting, and I am pleased that Haringey Council has now moved to address some of the concerns on the details of the Highgate station scheme. We must ensure that consultation is carried out in a sensible and rational manner, with the detailed proposals meeting the wishes of as many residents as is possible.

“We will continue to work to ensure that residents’ voices are heard – but that schemes are not foisted upon roads which do not want them.”

Lib Dem Councillor Wayne Hoban has welcomed the upgrading of Alexandra Library, N22 after almost two years of lobbying Haringey Council. However, he says more needs to be done to bring the library fully up to scratch. The completion of the new fire escape was the final part of an upgrade that also included installation of a computer room, improved furnishings and vending facilities.

The Lib Dems have been campaigning for many years for improvements to Haringey’s libraries. In February 2002 Cllr Hoban and former Fortis Green Councillor Barbara Fabian requested that Haringey Council guarantee funds for maintaining and repairing Alexandra and Highgate libraries after revelations that no money had been put aside in the budget for this.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Cllr Hoban says that the improvements go some way to bringing the library up to an acceptable standard. However he says that much more investment needs to be made in order to reverse over a decade of neglect.

Cllr Hoban (Alexandra) comments: “I am pleased that we have finally seen some money spent on improving this invaluable local resource. I remain concerned however, that the toilets have yet to be upgraded to facilitate disabled access.

“However it is just a start and I will continue to press the Council to allocate more of its funds to improving this and other libraries in the borough.”

Lib Dem councillor Lynne Featherstone has welcomed news that Haringey Councilhas responded swiftly to her call for repairs to the uneven paving onBrownlow Road, adjacent to Bounds Green station.

The work currently in progress is the relaying of sections of pavingbetween the station and Maidstone Road. A further order has been made forthe relaying of two metres of kerbs plus some slabs at the Maidstone Roadjunction. The work follows complaints made by Cllr Featherstone on behalfof local residents who were concerned at the deterioration of thepavements and the hazard that this was causing.

Cllr Featherstone has welcomed the news but says that further pavement androad repairs need to be investigated and repaired and she will continue topress for this.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am pleased that this much needed work isunderway so that the pavements will be brought up to an acceptablestandard.However, the Council should not let paving get into this statebefore repairs are carried out.”

Labour councillors have not been telling the truth over controversial £1million payments being made to help sell off Alexandra Palace, say Lib Demcouncillors. The payments are for consultants to help turn the Palaceinto a super-casino – plans which now look doomed to failure after theGovernment was forced to slash the number of super-casinos it willapprove.

The payments were rushed through by Labour’s ruling Executive under”urgency” procedures in October, ensuring that they did not receive properand full public scrutiny.

The Liberal Democrats have pointed out thatthere was nothing new in Labour’s sell-off plans which required the use ofurgency powers, and that with proper planning the payments could have beenconsidered by all councillors. Labour used the excuse of ‘urgency’ toblock Lib Dem attempts to ‘call in’ the decision to have it reviewed bythe Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Labour had claimed that the payments were in fact voted through at theOctober Full Council meeting, saying in a recent statement that: “Therequest for funding was agreed unanimously at the last Full Councilmeeting on the 4th October.” [Labour party press release]

However, the Council did not vote the money through. Members at the Full Councilmeeting could not have agreed to any request for funding as the paperworkwas only tabled ‘for information’ rather than for any decision.

Furthermore, the paperwork tabled at the meeting did not specify the£1m which has since been agreed by Labour. If it had, Lib Dems say thatdue to their conflict of interest, Labour councillors who sit on the PallyBoard should not have voted anyway. If a substantive decision on Palaceand Park arose at Full Council, then councillors would have to be advisedthat they would have to consider whether they were acting in their”trustee” or “local authority” role.

Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams comments:

“Labour’s claims about the procedures surrounding the one million poundsprocured for their super-casino plan are entirely false. The facts arethat one million pounds of extra money, without a tendering process, hassimply been signed off by Labour Executive members without givingcouncillors the opportunity to debate on the funding. This is entirelywrong, and the Chairman of the Ally Pally Board in particular, has shown adisturbing lack of understanding of the position.”

Lib Dem Ally Pally Spokesperson Cllr Bob Hare, adds:

“The end result of this sorry state of affairs is that one million poundscould well be wasted. While all this was being rushed through, theGovernment’s controversial plans for super casinos have come spectacularlyoff the rails. The only winners will be consultants, who will be laughingall the way to the bank.”