The Haringey Liberal Democrat Councillor who last week revealed that Haringey Council in North London has employed 18 convicted criminals to work with children and vulnerable adults in the last three years has made public additional information indicating further inconsistencies in Haringey Council’s child protection policies.

Since September 2002 Cllr Ron Aitken, Lib Dem Social Services Spokesperson, has been questioning Haringey Council’s policy of allowing senior social services managers discretion to set aside the results of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for people working as social workers, care assistants and caretakers. Haringey Council refuses to say what constitutes a minor enough offence to be allowed to work with children.

Cllr Ron Aitken has also asked the Labour Lead member for Social Services how many employees of Haringey Council had been reported to the Department for Education for inclusion on the ‘POCA’ list. The list bars certain people from working with children and vulnerable adults in the last three years. He received an answer that the figure was two.

Furthermore Lisa Arthurworrey, the social worker who is the only Haringey figure to publicly admit her mistakes in the handling of Victoria Climbie’s case is to appeal against her inclusion on the POCA list. Cllr Aitken saysthis indicates more inconsistencies in the Council’s procedures.

“Haringey refuses to say what offences it sets aside for people to work with children,” says Cllr Aitken. “This is making a mockery of CRB checks and undermining confidence in its child protection procedures after the Victoria Climbie case. There is also an indication that it has used the POCA list to scapegoat a junior social worker who acknowledged her inexperience and lack of training in evidence to Lord Laming’s inquiry – the only Haringey employee to do so.”

Cllr Aitken has said he “deeply unhappy” at the inconsistencies and continuing failings in Haringey Council’s child protection procedures:

“The POCA list is for the Ian Huntleys of this world, not a junior social worker left to carry the can by incompetent managers and politicians.”

Lib Dem councillors in Fortis Green ward are calling for urgent work to becarried out to improve security for sheltered housing residents at BuckdenClose, N2.

Buckden Close is a row of eight sheltered housing bungalows entered from analleyway off Southern Road. Lib Dems say the lighting in the alleyway ispoor and local residents and Lib Dem councillors have been asking theHaringey Council to upgrade lighting to provide a greater level of security forBuckden Close residents – many of whom are elderly. So far, Haringey Council hasonly agreed to prune trees in the area to allow more natural light through.

“While pruning the trees should help the situation a little, it is not asubstitute for proper lighting and of course will not make a differenceduring the evenings when residents feel most vulnerable,” says Cllr MattDavies (Lib Dem, Fortis Green).

“This is getting ever more urgent and I am asking the Lead Member for SocialServices to ensure that an upgrade to the lighting happens before thewinter. Leaving the residents feeling trapped in their own home is simplynot acceptable.”

A tall fence runs along one side of the alley and combined with the largetrees and poor lights this raises security worries for Buckden Closeresidents. After dusk many of them do not feel that they are safe to go out- fearing a fall in the dark alley or even becoming a victim of crime. Localpolice agreed during last winter that improved lighting was needed to makethe alleyway safe.”

“Fortis Green’s Lib Dem councillors and I have raised this with the Councilover recent months,” explains Cllr Lynne Featherstone (Lib Dem, MuswellHill), “as have local residents. Buckden Close urgently needs properlighting and action must be taken now so that residents will feel safeduring the dark winter nights.”

Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams (Highgate) has condemned Haringey Council for organising a ‘Leader’s Conference’ to discuss Community Care in the borough while preventing the attendance of non-Labour councillors. He says that in reality the event is a Labour Party meeting, Haringey Council resources should not be used discuss Labour policy.

Lib Dem councillors, who were initially invited, have now had their invitations withdrawn for the meeting. However, other Labour party representatives, including the borough’s MPs, have been asked to attend.

Cllr Neil Williams comments:

“It is quite outrageous that Labour MPs have been invited to attend, while other councillors are being excluded by an event that is itself being organised by Haringey Council. It is in reality a Labour party meeting to discuss Labour’s approach on this important and sensitive issue.

“I am writing to the Leader of the Council today to demand an explanation, and to call for the meeting to be opened up to all councillors or organised on the Labour Party’s own time and not that of local tax payers.”

There was disappointment and dismay among councillors and residents alike when Labour members of Haringey Council’s key ‘watchdog’ committee moved to crush the concerns of residents over major events in Finsbury Park.

Labour members voted in favour of a report which claimed that residents’concerns over the level of disruption and damage caused by such events had been fully addressed, and moved to stop residents from highlighting the damage done in recent months.

Labour members blocked moves by Lib Dem councillors to try to limit the number of events taking place in the park, and to address residents’ genuine concerns. When local parks campaigner Sally Billot attempted to address the meeting, having waited patiently for three hours to do so, procedural devices were used to cut short her speech.

Lib Dem local councillor Laura Edge, who sits on the committee and represents the area around the park, comments:

“I am extremely disappointed that residents were not given a fair hearing and that the committee agreed a report which essentially claims that any problems with events in the park have been addressed. Park campaigners were not given a fair hearing to present their view of damage done to the gates during recent events. Haringey Council seems determined to use the park as a financial milch-cow, diminishing its role as an open space which the local public can enjoy.”

Lib Dem Leader Neil Williams, who was also at the meeting and proposed limits to the number of events, adds:

“There are serious issues with events at the park and the self-congratulatory report agreed by Labour will do little or nothing to address residents’ concerns.

“I’m dismayed at the behaviour of Labour councillors who simply moved to silence local campaigners who had waited extremely patiently to put forward their views.”

Seven residents agreed to become new committee members of Coldfall Residents’ Association at a meeting on Monday night. The meeting was called to inform residents about some of the work the association had already been doing and outline opportunities for the future.

The meeting, held at Coldfall Primary School, was attended by around 30 residents, council officers and local Lib Dem Councillor Matt Davies.

“It was great to see so many residents there,” says Cllr Davies. “With the new committee members, the association will be able to share the workload and build on the work already being done. My Lib Dem colleagues and I are looking forward to helping them as much as possible and working together to get improvements for the Coldfall area.”

Local residents raised a number of issues including alley gates, noise nuisance, street lights and dog control. Cllr Davies is taking these up with Haringey Council and the residents’ association will be able to press for quick resolutions to these problems as well.

The appeal against the refusal of planning permission to build houses on the land at the rear of 2-16 Lauradale Road was heard on 14th September at the Royal British Legion in Muswell Hill. Local Lib Dems have welcomed the strong turnout from concerned residents.

More than 40 residents turned up to oppose the developer’s appeal, along with the Headmistress of Tetherdown School and local Lib Dem ward councillor for Fortis Green, Matt Davies. The appeal was heard by an independent Planning Inspector, Paul Jackson. Haringey Council formally opposed the appeal and a number of residents spoke against the proposals.

“I was delighted at the strong turnout,” says Cllr Matt Davies. “The Planning Inspector will have been left in no doubt as to the depth of local feeling and residents spoke very well to reinforce the objections outstanding since the beginning of the planning application process.

Cllr Davies also spoke against the proposals at the appeal hearing. He said:

“The strength of opposition to this proposed development is the largest I have known since I was elected to represent the area. This is indicative of the importance the wider community attaches to the footpath which would be lost to the public if this development were allowed.

“Parking, environment, wildlife, visual amenity, overlooking, employment, local character, walking to school, the adjacent conservation area – there are many strong reasons for refusing the appeal. But the strongest of all is the issue of the footpath. This path has been used by schoolchildren and families for years and without safe access along it, this valuable route will be lost. That is not conducive to the aim of encouraging a healthy lifestyle and getting children to walk to school but would lead to an increase in traffic on our already overburdened roads.”

The Planning Inspector’s judgement on the appeal is expected during October.

Commenting on the report in the Evening Standard that Haringey had employed a bus driver with convictions for sex offences against children, Cllr Ron Aitken, Lib Dem Social Services Spokesperson, said:

“The employment of Dennis Bell, a known and persistent threat to children, clearly shows that Haringey Council has failed to learn the lessons of the Victoria Climbie case.

“Yet again, assurances that Haringey Council’s child protection procedures were being implemented properly have shown to be without foundation, with potentially terrible consequences.

“It is time that senior staff took responsibly for this alarming discovery. Those responsible should resign.”