Haringey’s Liberal Democrats are this month conducting a major survey of residents living around Finsbury Park to obtain the views of local residents on large concerts and similar events in the park.

The survey follows years of campaigning by local Lib Dem councillors and local campaigners, who have worked closely with many residents in the area over concerns about the park’s suitability for large concerts and events, their frequency and the quality of the clear-up afterwards.

Stroud Green’s Lib Dem councillor Laura Edge says that residents’ opinions and concerns have been repeatedly ignored by Haringey Council who continue to make key decisions on the park behind closed doors. It is hoped that the results of the survey will promote a public debate on the issue.

Cllr Laura Edge comments:

“Finsbury Park is a fantastic community resource, but sadly Haringey Council often seems determined to leave the community out of any decisions with regard to its use.

“I am hopeful that we will have a large response from the residents and we can press the Labour-run Council to start listening to local people’s concerns.”

You can download the survey here (pdf format).

Liberal Democrats in Haringey have expressed concern at figures published by the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) this week showing Labour-run Haringey Council is failing in its duty to recycle.

The figures that were part of the Government department’s Municipal Waste Management Survey 2002/03 show the progress of council over the last 4 years to meet the national target of recycling 10% of domestic waste. Haringey’s figure for recycling was just 5%, putting it in the bottom five councils in London for recycling and well below both the London average of 9% and the national average of 14%.

More worryingly, the figures highlighted the fact that Haringey’s recycling levels did not improve between 1998 and 2003 with Haringey Council recording just 5% throughout.

Lib Dem Environment spokesperson Bob Hare is disturbed by the poor performance of the Labour run council. While the figures are likely to see an improvement next year, he is concerned that considerable sums of ‘Better Haringey’ money is being spent on advertising rather than improving recycling services and information in the borough.

Cllr Bob Hare comments:

“These statistics are very disappointing, and reflects a long-standing failure to properly plan for and invest in recycling. This is why so many people in Haringey choose to drive to recycling centres outside the borough. The Council should be extremely concerned that there was no improvement in recycling between 1998 and 2003.”

Environment Scrutiny Panel Member and Fortis Green councillor Matt Davies adds:

“Unless Haringey Council spends more of the Better Haringey budget on practical recycling information for residents, instead of self promoting advertising, then they will fail to see the scale of improvements that a cash injection of this size should bring. It is poor targeting of resources with poor results.”

Highgate’s Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed the long-awaited removal of a large pile of rubbish from a residential street, but have urged Haringey Council and the local water company to work more closely together to ensure that such unsightly piles are removed quicker in future.

Lib Dems and local residents battled to remove the pile of street works paraphernalia that was left abandoned on the footpath for months in Broadlands Road N6, despite repeated requests from residents that it be removed. The rubbish was finally removed last week.

Haringey Council had said that the refuse was the responsibility of Thames Water, whose contractors had left the rubbish there after working on the water supply in the road.

Thames Water failed to comply with a request to clear the footpath and were issued with penalty charge notices by the Council. In the end, Thames Water’s failure to comply has resulted in Haringey Council removing the rubbish themselves. The Council will now be seeking to recover the cost of disposal from the water company.

Cllr Neil Williams, Lib Dem Leader and Highgate councillor, comments:

“I am pleased this huge heap of rubbish has now been removed. There was far too much buck-passing, and I am very disappointed that Thames Water did not move more quickly to take these materials away, as they were clearly the result of activity by themselves of their contractors. I hope they will react more quickly in future, as no one seemed to want to take responsibly for this mess.”

Haringey Council and the TUC must work with the local community to keep learningat the heart of the former TUC building says local Lib Dem councillor and Regeneration Spokesperson David Winskill.

Cllr Winskill believes that the site, which was previously the HornseyCollege of Art, should retain education as its main function – and that itwould be an ideal opportunity to meet the need for a new local primaryschool. Cllr Winskill says that local residents are rightly concerned thatthe site could be sold for housing development, increasing pressure onCrouch End’s infrastructure and worsening the school places crisis.

“The TUC National Education Centre has been a great asset to our communityfor over forty years, offering first-class training and serving as a focalpoint for community group meetings,” explains Cllr Winskill. “It is sad thatthe TUC are ending their association with Crouch End after all these years -but when things like this happen we must look for the opportunities theypresent.”

“The need for a primary school in the area is well known, and this would bea fitting new use for a site which has already contributed so much tolearning in our borough,” says Cllr Winskill, who has written to BrendanBarber, General Secretary of the TUC, to urge him to do all he can tosupport proposals for a school.

“The TUC has a good track record in the area and I hope they will resistthe temptation to ‘cash in’ on the development potential of the site andinstead look to the great potential for a positive lasting legacy in thearea.”

Cllr Winskill is urging the TUC and Haringey Council to work as closely as possibleto develop plans, particularly as suitable sites for vital community developments suchas schools only rarely become available.

Commenting on allegations from Haringey Labour that the Liberal Democrats are trying to “kill off” the Bernie Grant Centre project with concerns over finances, Lib Dem Deputy Leader, Councillor Wayne Hoban, comments:

“Concerns about the current business plan for the Bernie Grant Centre extend well beyond the Lib Dem Group on Haringey Council. These are genuine concerns and must be addressed.”

Lib Dem Leader Cllr Neil Williams adds:

“While we would all like the centre to succeed, I find it odd that Haringey Labour are now themselves seeking to publicise uncertainties surrounding the issue, while having criticised Lib Dems for bringing the issue to the Scrutiny Committee last week.

“You could be forgiven for thinking that they are now looking for someone else to blame should the project fail.”

Lib Dems in Haringey have expressed concern over findings of recently published patient surveys for the borough’s two local hospitals. Lib Dems say the Healthcare Commission surveys for the Whittington and the North Mid confirms their concerns over the Accident and Emergency/medical admissions units at the two hospitals.

When patients were asked: “How organised was the care you received in Accident and Emergency or the medical admissions unit?” both hospital trusts scored in the bottom 20% of all trusts. While the performance of the Whittington in the survey as a whole was patchy, the North Mid scored in the bottom 20% of trusts for 17 or the 19 questions that patients were asked.

Lib Dem Leader Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate) comments:

“These results leave me concerned that despite the enormous efforts of NHS staff, services in both hospitals are not fully meeting patients’ expectations. This is particularly true of emergency services at both sites.

Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson, Cllr Lynne Featherstone, adds:

“With both hospitals some way from achieving three stars or foundation status, I fear that an even bigger wedge is being driven between the better and the weaker hospitals in our region as a whole. This is not good news for us in Haringey, where we will always rely primarily on our local hospitals.”

Liberal Democrat councillors have criticised the latest figures for customer service standards at Haringey Council. The results, published recently in the Best Value Performance Plan (BVPP) 2004, show Haringey Council has failed to meet four of its five customer care targets, with two out of four of them getting worse in comparison with last year.

In one case, customer services centres waiting times, the target was not met despite it being lowered from 80% in 2002/03 to 70% in 2003/04 for customers being seen within 15 minutes.

What has concerned the Lib Dems most is the dramatic increase in telephone queuing time that has seen the average increase from 2 minutes 42 seconds to 3 minutes 28 seconds, missing the target of two minutes by almost 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Lib Dem leader Neil Williams says that the statistics support residents complaints that Haringey Council is not easily accessible and does not deal with complaints effectively. He wants Haringey Council to redouble its efforts to ensure that residents are served quickly and effectively.

Cllr Williams (Highgate ward) comments:

“These figures are worrying but not unexpected. Every week councillors hear from residents who can not get the answers they want from the Haringey Council.

“Haringey Council must take immediate action to ensure that this situation is drastically improved, or else Haringey will in no way live up to its claim of being an open and accessible local council.”

Liberal Dem Deputy Leader Wayne Hoban has expressed disappointment that Haringey Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee rejected a call for a full meeting of Haringey Council to consider funding issues relating to the proposed Bernie Grant Centre for the arts in Tottenham.

Cllr Hoban had brought the issue to Haringey Council’s top watchdog committee to explore issues in relation to the recognised high financial risks of the project, a meeting at which the press and public were excluded. Lib Dem councillors have in the past criticised Haringey Council for their approach to funding the project, which has seen Haringey Council agreeingto increasing amounts of subsidy for the project.

Cllr Wayne Hoban comments:

“I am disappointed that the Labour members of the committee voted not to refer this issue. Most seemed more concerned at having to take the time out to attend this important debate. This is not about the benefits of regeneration to the area, which I have, and will continue to, fully support, but rather whether the current business plan and development vehicle is either realistic or financially sound.

“It is clear there is a great deal of anxiety about both funding issues and the development vehicle in this project and these must be fully explored. We will continue to monitor the situation vigorously and bring decisions back to the Scrutiny Committee if they continue to raise concerns about the financial risk to Haringey Council and Haringey residents.”

Haringey Council has told the Lib Dems that they will be taking action to enforce planning restrictions over the controversial Gaudi-style, shop-front that has suddenly appeared in Muswell Hill Broadway.

Lib Dems say that the shop front is totally out of keeping with the character of the Edwardian town centre and conservation area, and should never have been installed. Haringey Council has agreed that they will pursue an enforcement order against the changes.

Councillor Stephen Gilbert (Lib Dem, Fortis Green) who represents the area comments:

“The previous occupants had removed an-old style shop-front, but the situation has now gone from bad to worse and action really must be taken.

“This shop front would look all right in parts of Barcelona, but it simply doesn’t work at all in Muswell Hill.

“I am pleased the Council has agreed to take action as the planing guidelines in the conservation area really must be enforced or this sort of mish-mash will be the inevitable result.”

The local Liberal Democrats had to call in the police yesterday after the local party received a suspect package at their Hornsey FREEPOST address. Lib Dem Leader Cllr Neil Williams was looking through the party’s mail yesterday morning, when he spotted the home-made envelope, which was offensively addressed and contained a loose and suspicious item.

Specialist staff from Scotland Yard came and dealt with the package, which turned out to be a hoax.

Cllr Williams, who has also been assisting the local CID investigation into the crime, comments:

“This is a rather nasty and stupid crime by someone who appears to have a grudge against the Lib Dems locally. I’m appalled that anyone would send such an item designed to cause fear and also to waste so much police time.

“For both these reasons, I am pleased to see that the police are taking it seriously, and I have been helping them in the hope that the culprit will be caught.

“I can also say that the police response was incredibly swift and thorough. The unfortunate fact, for them, is that all such incidents have to be investigated, and such deliberate hoaxes are an utter waste of their valuable resources.”