Liberal Democrat councillors have criticised the Labour Council for putting image before results after it topped a recent poll of local government ‘big spenders’ on public relations, with a budget now well over a million pounds.

According to figures published by leading international public relations magazine, PR Week, Haringey spends an average of £5.03 per head of population on communications and has the second largest communications team in the country, with a massive 30 members of staff. However, Lib Dems highlight that despite investment in communications the Audit Commission has given the council a rating of ‘weak’.

Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone comments:

“The truth is out that local residents are paying excessively for improving the Council’s poor image while key services continue to be underfunded and neglected.

“Communicating with residents is an important part of running a successful council, but money is being wasted on glossy self-promotional leaflets, and no amount of wasteful PR spending can hide Haringey’s failings.”

Highgate Lib Dems have welcomed assurances given over the Council’s controlled parking (CPZ) proposals at last night’s Scrutiny Committee meeting which reviewed the decision to implement a scheme in part of Highgate, following the ‘call in’ initiated by Highgate’s Lib Dem councillors.

The all-party Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed to refer the decision back to the Labour Executive, which runs the council, highlighting a number of concerns that must be addressed in the second stage of the consultation on the scheme. High among these concerns was the anomalous position of Priory Gardens and several other streets close to Highgate tube station. Residents of these streets have severe problems with commuter parking, but they rejected the Council’s initial proposals because they felt they would have allowed the problems to continue.

The Labour Lead Member responsible for the proposal agreed to a second stage consultation on the scheme in Cromwell Avenue and surrounding roads, which would give residents a ‘yes-no’ option on the consultation form. The Executive also faced pressure from all sides to ensure that the problems encountered in the original consultation are met by using the electoral roll as the basis for delivering the forms so that all residents have the opportunity to give their views on the proposals.

Lib Dem councillor Neil Williams comments:

“Although the Scrutiny Committee has very limited powers, this was a positive meeting which allowed all sides to put their views. I welcome the support from both Labour and Lib Dem members of the committee to ensure that there is a full and fair consultation at the second stage.

“With Camden not yet at the second stage of its consultation there is now an excellent chance of a transparent and democratic process, provided that the Labour executive sticks to its undertakings. We will be watching closely to ensure that the process is fair.”

Haringey’s Liberal Democrat opposition is calling for a rethink on a move that would in effect rename parts of the Borough.

The Council Executive has made a decision to group addresses in Haringey under just three names – Tottenham, Wood Green and Hornsey. The proposals have been made because of the need for categories to search under in local land searches and the Executive has decided to use the old, pre-Haringey boroughs for the names.

However, there has been no consultation and Lib Dem Leader Cllr Ross Laird wants to see the decision delayed until the Council has consulted local residents.

“This is another step along a slippery slope – the west of Borough is already losing its village identity. The Labour Council started by merging all the local assemblies for communication with residents into one huge Muswell Hill Area Assembly, and this seems to be yet another snub to the distinct communities within this large area,” commented Cllr Laird who also represents Muswell Hill ward.

Without any consultation, the Council cannot know how local residents feel about the move. Cllr Matt Davies, Fortis Green ward, is also concerned that the change will impact negatively on local perceptions of the Council’s attitude towards consultation.

“The concern is that Hornsey is not a name really recognised by most people. Names such as Muswell Hill, Fortis Green and Crouch End mean much more to the people who live there. To put this through without consultation is likely to cause a lot of unnecessary ill-will towards the Council,” said Cllr Davies, who has been talking to local residents about the proposed move.

Caron Brooks, a Muswell Hill resident, says, “Most people here will not identify with being part of ‘Hornsey’ and if the Council had asked residents they would have realised this. Muswell Hill has a distinct identity that we would like to keep, once lost it would be gone forever. I am very proud to live in Muswell Hill – it has a history that means something, and not just to people who live in London.”

Richard Muir, a Fortis Green resident, says, “Bringing back the old Hornsey name will only make sense if the Council really do begin to take full account of the needs of each part of the Borough and as a first step explain what the change will mean in day to day practical terms to residents.”

Under the proposals, each street in the Borough will have a ‘locality’ added, which will be Tottenham, Wood Green or Hornsey – e.g. ‘Muswell Hill Broadway, Hornsey’.

Four stations in Haringey should be looking distinctly cleaner after Jarvis Rail confirmed that litter from the embankments and surrounding areas had been removed following months of pressure from Lib Dem councillor and GLA member Lynne Featherstone.

The reported clean up of Hornsey, Harringay, Bowes Park and Alexandra Palace stations follows on from Ms Featherstone’s success in securing assurances over fencing repairs last month for Alexandra Palace and Bowes Park stations.

Ms Featherstone, who met with a representative from Network Rail to highlight the problems back in July, will be checking the site herself following the letter. Together with Mick Murphy, Network Rails’ litter buster, she will be personally inspecting all the sites to see exactly how well the work has been done.

Ms Featherstone comments:

“I am encouraged by the written reassurances I am getting from Network Rail and Jarvis about the work we agreed having been carried out – and am optimistic that the station environs are really being cleaned up properly, re-fenced and made secure. However, seeing is believing – and I want to check with my own eyes.”

Liberal Democrat Social Services Spokesperson Cllr Ron Aitken has revealed a catalogue of failures by Haringey Council’s Social Services Department to answer questions raised by him about frontline services and the Management of the Social Services Department.

In contrast, Cllr Aitken has also revealed that the Lead Member and Senior Managers attended 34 meetings with the Social Services Inspectorate in the last year – almost one every week.

Cllr Aitken comments:

“It is clear where Cllr Sulaiman’s and the Department’s priorities are – lobbying Government inspectors to reconsider the zero-star status which the Department was given last year, rather than being accountable to elected councillors and providing care to vulnerable people. This is a disgrace.”

Cllr Aitken has written to the Council listing a lack of response to several issues raised by him, these include:

* A year after raising homecare issues no proper response.

* Lack of clarity regarding police/sex offender checks.

* The plight of residents in care homes facing eviction because Haringey pays less fees than other local authorities.

* The future of disabled adults attending a day centre.

Commenting on the Roger Sylvester case, Lynne Featherstone, Member of the Metropolitan Police Authority and Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson for Hornsey & Wood Green said:

“This tragic case highlights the failure of police and mental health services to provide a place of safety for Roger Sylvester. Lessons have still not been learned from the murder of Jonathan Zito by Christopher Clunis at Finsbury Park Station in 1992.

“The inquiry by Sir William Staveley heard evidence from the police that there were often no mental health beds in NHS units and that having taken someone there they would not be admitted – yet the police are reluctant to charge mentally ill people with a criminal offence. They often have to hold them in cells to await social workers or psychiatrists for sectioning.

“The situation has changed little and only three months ago the Commission for Health Improvement criticised the continuing use of police cells to hold mentally ill patients due to a 130% bed occupancy rate at St Ann’s.

“This damning verdict sadly illustrates the urgent need for change. No more families should have to go through what Roger’s family have had to go through to get proper and decent treatment for others who find themselves in his situation.”

Lib Dem Cllr Lynne Featherstone has welcomed the commitment being shown by local police commander Stephen Bloomfield in the long running campaign to reopen the Muswell Hill police station’s front counter.

Ms Featherstone’s comments follow a meeting with the borough commander on Friday 3 October. Stephen Bloomfield told Ms Featherstone that he is still very committed to the use of volunteers to reopen the station’s front counter. He has prepared detailed plans and costings for revamping the front counter whilst ensuring that the borough’s new Police Community Support Officers still have room for their work. These plans have been submitted along with a business case and Stephen Bloomfield is now waiting for funding to be found and the plans to be approved before they can go ahead.

Stephen Bloomfield said:

“The project is still progressing and detailed plans and costings are now being developed. Funding is still to be identified. It is still my desire to see the police front counter opened through volunteers.”

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson for Hornsey & Wood Green and member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said:

“I am delighted to see that Haringey’s Police commander is so genuinely committed to achieving what local people want – an open police station front counter. It’s slow progress and it’s one step at a time – but when the front counter opens we can be sure it will have the full backing of both the police and the community. That has to be good for everyone.”