Tag Archives: crouch-end

A year of local delivery!

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Here’s my latest Ham and High column, following a great year of working with local residents to protect our services

2013 was a year of people power in Haringey – with thousands of local residents and Liberal Democrats joining forces to protect local services.

At the beginning of the year, the proposed sell off of land at the Whittington Hospital was successfully halted, following a campaign by over 4,500 local residents and the Haringey Liberal Democrats.

Later in the year thousands of Lib Dem petition signers also prevented Royal Mail’s planned closure of Hornsey Sorting Office, and also stopped the threatened loss of local rail services at Hornsey and Harringay stations.

Local High Street traders also made their voices heard, calling for lower High Street parking charges. The Haringey Lib Dems and I backed them, by running a campaign for thirty minutes free parking and holding the Independent Shops Competition to give our best local stores some much deserved publicity.

The North London Waste Authority also finally backtracked on their idea to build a waste plant on the Pinkham Way site, thanks to a great campaign effort by the Pinkham Way Alliance, local residents and the Lib Dems. The NLWA still own the land, though – so we remain vigilant.

Last year was also great for jobs and apprenticeships – with more and more Haringey residents finding work. Since 2010, unemployment is at its lowest level in my constituency (over 1000 less JSA claimants), and youth unemployment has fallen by a third.

The apprenticeship event I ran this year was very popular and successful. I was so impressed with the ambition and drive of the young people who attended – and so were the employers. One Haringey young person was snapped up by an employer just a day after the event!

Looking forward to next year, I hope for more hard work and successes for the Lib Dems and people power. And one date in particular springs to mind – May 22nd, the next round of local elections.

Last year, Haringey Council (which is currently run by Labour) failed to deliver on many key local services. Our roads are in a state, two thirds of residents are dissatisfied with their rubbish collections, and Childrens Services has been tarnished with more child protection scandals.

And at the same time, the Labour-run Council continues to waste money. £3.7 million in shockingly large bonuses were dished out to repairs staff – while essential repair work to local homes was cancelled. It’s no wonder Haringey Council is the fourth most complained about in the country.

That’s why I want to see a change in how our local services are run and how our Council Tax money is spent.

And after this great year of local delivery and working with residents, I hope it’s the Haringey Liberal Democrats that take control of Haringey Council, so they can work with residents to fix Haringey for good.

Now, that really would be a happy new year!

Nick Clegg visits Hornsey and Wood Green!

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On Friday, it was an honour to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to Highgate Wood – a fantastic school in my constituency.

The head teacher Patrick Cozier and I greeted Nick at the gates, and then had a meeting to discuss how the school is using its Pupil Premium money.

The Pupil Premium is a Liberal Democrat flagship policy that is being delivered by the Coalition Government. It targets extra money to schools depending on the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds they have.

Schools will receive £900 per eligible pupil. For Highgate Wood, this means a whopping £413,100 in extra funding for 2013/14.

Already, the school is doing great things with the extra money – for instance taking on new staff to support children with troubled backgrounds and subsidising school trip fees for poorer pupils. I can’t wait to see what they do with this year’s increased allocation.

After the meeting, Nick and I were shown around the school and popped into some lessons – history, English and food tech. It certainly brought back memories! We ended the visit by looking around a fantastic art and photography exhibition, put together by 6th form students.

After the visit, the head teacher commented – “It’s a complete honour to have someone as significant as Nick Clegg to come to the school and to see what we’re doing.  The Pupil Premium is great for the school. It allows students from disadvantaged backgrounds to engage in activities and get individual support to make progress.”

Nick said: “It is great feeling for a politician to come to school and actually see how ideas like the Pupil Premium – which I have fought for as a politician – are working out in reality. Highgate Wood is a great school, and I’ve been hugely impressed by what I have seen today.”

A great day all round!

Lib Dem success as Hornsey Sorting Office closure is put on hold again

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Lynne Featherstone MP, Cllr Richard Wilson and Cllr David Schmitz outside Hornsey Sorting Office with petition slips.Lynne Featherstone MP has today expressed her happiness, as Royal Mail confirmed that the proposed closure of Hornsey sorting office has once again been put on hold.

Royal Mail had planned to close Hornsey sorting office and move the undelivered parcel collection point to Holloway. The move would have forced local residents to travel miles to collect their undelivered parcels, if they didn’t wish to leave parcels with a neighbour, or pay to have them redelivered.

The proposed changes prompted a quick response from the Liberal Democrat MP, who – along with the Haringey Liberal Democrats – started campaigning against the closures. The Local MP then presented a 3000 signature-strong petition to Royal Mail, demanding that the local parcel collection point remain in place.

Following this, Royal Mail put the plans on hold for 6 months to reconsider, giving the sorting office a reprieve. Today, they informed Lynne Featherstone MP that the plans had been put on hold again, for at least another 6 months.

Cllr Katherine Reece, Haringey Lib Dem Deputy Leader, comments:

“This is great news for people in Hornsey. We have been campaigning hard with the local MP Lynne Featherstone to make sure that Hornsey sorting office stays open and people can collect their parcels locally.

“I hope that this 6 months delay means that Royal Mail will listen to demands by local councillors and people for a local service and that in the long term the Hornsey office will stay open.”

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“This is a great day for all local residents who use Hornsey Sorting Office to pick up their undelivered parcels and secure mail.

“Once again, the combination of people power and the Liberal Democrats in Haringey has triumphed. A valued local service has been saved for at least another six months – which will include this year’s busy Christmas period!

“Thank you to all the residents who signed the petition and supported the campaign.

“Royal Mail have promised to be back in touch in six months time with any further news – I will of course pass this on to my constituents as and when I get it.”

Lynne Featherstone MP announces winners of Independent Shops competition

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Lynne Featherstone MP with Independent Shops competition winner Owen's Food StorePicture Gallery here!

Lynne Featherstone MP took to the stage on Saturday to announce Brand New Start, Big Green Bookshop and Owen’s Food Store as the winners of the Hornsey and Wood Green Independent Shops competition!

The announcement took place at a summer fete event at Hornsey Town Hall.

Hundreds of residents joined the local MP at Crouch End Broadway, where local independent retailers exhibited and sold their products, and community groups displayed and engaged residents in their activities. There was also a local beer exhibition, games for children, hot food and a live band.

Since the local MP launched the competition in February, over 4000 votes have been cast by local residents across three separate categories: most attractive shop front, best customer service, and best overall independent shop.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“It was an absolute pleasure to organise and host this wonderful event. Our local independents are so important to Hornsey and Wood Green – keeping our high streets vibrant and diverse and giving us great choice.

“This competition aimed to give publicity and support to our most valued independents during these tough economic times. It is part of our broader campaign to help independent retailers and save our diverse high streets. For instance, The Haringey Lib Dems and I are also running a petition for 30 minutes free parking on our local high streets, to help our local retailers.

“I’d like to thank all of the shops, community groups, volunteers and the band, who participated and exhibited at the event and made it such a great success. And particular congratulations, of course, to the winners: Brand New Start, Big Green Bookshop and Owen’s Food Store!”

Winners and Runners up list:

Most attractive shop front:

1)    Brand New Start (Hornsey)

2)    Dunns (Crouch End)

3)    W. Martyn (Muswell Hill)

Best customer service:

1)    Big Green Bookshop (Wood Green)

2)    T Jewellery (Crouch End)

3)    The Garden Shop (Hornsey)

Best all round independent shop:

1)    Owens Food Store (Muswell Hill)

2)    Tomfoolery (Fortis Green)

3)    Sally Bourne Interiors (Muswell Hill)

Lynne Featherstone MP announces Independent Shops Finale

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Lynne Featherstone MP with nomination forms in an independent shopLocal MP Lynne Featherstone has this week announced a ‘Summer Fete’ style event, to mark the end of her independent shops competition.

Over the past four months, thousands of votes have been cast by local residents across three different categories: Best shop front, best customer service, and best all round shop.

The winners will be announced at the event on Saturday 29th June at Hornsey Town Hall square. It will be open to the public from 11am.

Over 100 local retailers have been invited to attend the event, and a number of them will be exhibiting their products on site. There will also be community group stalls, a bake off, a live band, food stalls, and games.

The Liberal Democrat MP will announce the winners of the competition at around 2pm, and also pick the name of one lucky voter out of a hat. They will receive £100 to spend in a shop of their choice.

Local residents can vote for their favourite shops until the 31st May, when the competition closes.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“The response to the competition has been overwhelming. It is clear how much residents appreciate their local independent shops and retailers.

“During these tough times, it’s vital that we support and promote our independent shops and retailers. That is what this competition and event is all about.

“Time is running out for local residents to vote for their favourite shops – so please vote as soon as possible if you haven’t already!

“I can’t wait to get everyone together and announce the winners. It looks set to be great event, and I look forward to seeing as many local residents and retailers there as possible.”

Lynne Featherstone visits local Co-operative store for Fair-trade Fortnight

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Lynne Featherstone MP with Adnan Naqvi and co-operative staff in the Cooperative store on Tottenham LaneLynne Featherstone MP last week visited a local Co-operative store on Tottenham Lane as part of their preparations for Fair-trade fortnight.

The Liberal Democrat MP met with staff and operations manager Adnan Naqvi, and was shown the numerous fair-trade products in store. The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green was told about the Co-operative’s pledge. The pledge states that, if products can be labelled fair-trade, they will be, and that the business aims to have achieved 90% of this by the end of the year.

Fair-trade Fortnight is the annual celebration of the fair-trade movement that helps producers in developing countries by guaranteeing fair prices and providing an additional social premium to fund vital community projects.

Adnan Naqvi, Operations Manager for the store said:

“Fair-trade Fortnight is a great opportunity to highlight the importance of this vital global movement, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming Lynne to our store.

“We’re really proud of our fair-trade range here in Tottenham Lane, it’s fantastic to think that people can pop into the store for some fruit for the children, some coffee for the office or even a cheeky bottle of wine for that evening and, at the same time, be helping communities thousands of miles away.”

Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“It was great to visit the cooperative store in my constituency and discuss the fair-trade products on offer.

“It is crucial that we give producers around the world a fair deal and I applaud The Co-operative for their efforts in this regard.  I am always happy to support Fair-trade Fortnight – making the switch to fair-trade products can make a massive difference to others!”

Lynne Featherstone MP visits boutique boxing club

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Lynne Featherstone MP at Total Boxer, with owner Matt Garcia and customersLynne Featherstone MP yesterday visited ‘Total Boxer,’ a boutique boxing club in Crouch End, which specialises in non-contact boxing exercise classes.

The club was established by founder Matt Garcia with the purpose of making boxing training safe and accessible to everyone, in a welcoming, community-spirited environment, with excellent coaches and training options.

The club also hold unique ‘Boxing Yoga’ classes, which have proven popular with the club’s clients – including some famous names!

The Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green spoke to the owner, before donning some gloves and testing her technique on a punch bag.

Following the visit, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“It was a pleasure to visit Total Boxer and speak with Matt about the classes on offer. The club is doing really well, and it was great to see customers enjoying the fun exercise.

“I wish Matt and the club all the best for the future!”

Last chance to support Lib Dem petition on parcel services that has already been signed by thousands of people

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Lynne Featherstone MP at Archway Road Post OfficeMP Lynne Featherstone and Haringey Liberal Democrats are calling on even more residents to support a petition to keep parcel collection services local.

Currently, residents can collect undelivered parcels at local office and collection points in Hornsey, Highgate and at the Arena on Green Lanes. As part of their reorganisation, however, Royal Mail plans to close these offices and move the collection points to Holloway and Tufnell Park.

The move will force local residents to travel miles to collect their undelivered parcels if they don’t wish to leave parcels with a neighbour, or pay to have them redelivered.

Following a massive campaign effort by the local Liberal Democrats, the petitions to save the under threat services in Hornsey, Highgate and at the Arena in Tottenham have already been signed by nearly three thousand people.

In total, 25,293 addresses will be affected by the changes Royal Mail wants to make.

Cllr Richard Wilson, Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader, comments:

“Nobody should have to travel so far just to pick up an undelivered parcel. Going all the way to Tufnell Park or Holloway will be inconvenient for most people and will be particularly difficult for the elderly and people with mobility problems.

“The Royal Mail must listen to demands from residents for a local collection service for undelivered parcels. If you haven’t already signed the petition please show your support for our campaign and sign the petition.”

Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, Lynne Featherstone comments:

“I am delighted that so many local people have given their support to our campaign to keep local parcel services. I have arranged a further meeting with Royal Mail to present the petition to them. The more signatures we have, the more chance there is of changing their minds.

“Please sign the petition – and encourage your friends and family to do the same – so we can show Royal Mail the strength of feeling on this issue.”

 

Hundreds sign Lib Dem petition for free parking on Haringey’s high streets

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Lynne Featherstone MP at a ticket machine on Muswell Hill Broadway.The Haringey Liberal Democrats and Lynne Featherstone MP last week launched a petition for 30 minutes of free parking on Haringey’s High Streets. The petition has already been signed by 399 people with another 105 people liking the campaign on Facebook.

The campaign has also attracted the support of traders in Muswell Hill who recently gathered a petition with over 5,000 signatures, calling for lower parking charges.

The campaign for 30 minutes of free parking was sparked by the Labour-run Council’s decision to double parking charges in Muswell Hill, Crouch End and Green Lanes from £1.40 to £3 per hour.

So far the Council has refused to bow to pressure from traders, residents and Haringey Lib Dems on the issue.

The Lib Dems believe that 30 minutes of free parking would boost trade on local high streets and support the independent shops that make Haringey’s high streets unique.

Lynne Featherstone MP and Haringey Lib Dems are calling on local shoppers to add their support to the campaign and sign the petition here.

Jim Jenks, Muswell Hill councillor and Lib Dem spokesperson on parking comments:

“The council must do more to support local businesses. Independent traders are struggling and 30 minutes of free parking would encourage more people to shop on our high streets and boost local trade.”

“I encourage anyone who lives in Haringey or shops locally to sign our petition and put pressure on the council to introduce 30 minutes of free parking on high streets.”

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green comments:

“I’m delighted that our petition has already got the support of hundreds of people!

“Haringey Lib Dems and I will continue to campaign to get the Labour Council to make the change and introduce 30 minutes of free parking.

“It will benefit local residents and help to keep small independent shops on our local high streets.”

Peter Drummond, local resident and President of the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC), comments:

“I support the campaign to lower parking charges on high streets. In my view, it is absolutely critical that high streets are not put under even greater pressure, and that local councils do not simply see parking charges as a revenue earner. If they do, retailers will fail, rents and rates will reduce and in the long run the council will be worse off.”

Lib Dems call for 30 minutes free High Street parking in Haringey

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Lynne Featherstone MP at a ticket machine on Muswell Hill Broadway.Lynne Featherstone MP and the Haringey Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign for 30 minutes of free parking on Haringey’s High Streets.

Last year, retailers on Muswell Hill Broadway reported months of poor trade after the parking charges were increased from £1.40 to £3 per hour.

The traders started a petition to lower the charges – which attracted over 5,200 signatures – and presented it to Haringey Council. Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone also wrote to the Labour-run Council and requested that the charges be lowered.  Despite this, the Council refused to reduce the charges.

Lynne Featherstone MP and the Haringey Liberal Democrats are now calling for 30 minutes of free parking on Haringey’s High Streets, to encourage people to stop and ‘drop in’ to the Borough’s independent shops, and boost their trade.

Jim Jenks, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Muswell Hill said:

“Haringey retailers need our support. But the Haringey Labour Council has, as usual, a ‘one size fits all’ approach with high parking charges throughout the Borough. We need local parking solutions that help get more people into our shops.

“We need as many people as possible to support our campaign, so we’re encouraging our supporters and residents to sign our petition and let their friends and families know about it, too.”

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green commented:

“In my constituency, the high streets in places like Muswell Hill and Crouch End are packed with independent retailers. It sets us apart from other places which are full of bland chain stores.

“I’m afraid this refusal to listen to trader’s concerns is typical of the Labour-run Council – more interested in making a quick buck on parking fees than preserving our community assets.

“I urge anyone who wants to support independent shops – and would like to enjoy 30 minutes free parking – to sign our petition.”

Sign the petition here.