Lynne Featherstone MP slams Haringey Council over Lightfoot Road scandal

Posted on 18th Mar 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone wrote an urgent email to Haringey Council on Friday, after a local resident alerted her to a dangerous pothole on Lightfoot Road – the same road on which a man previously tripped on a pothole and suffered brain damage.

Last week, Haringey Council were ordered to pay £1 million in compensation to Kyle Bullock, who tripped on a three inch deep, fifteen inch wide pothole on Lightfoot Road in 2007. He spent four months in hospital and suffered a severe brain injury.

After the court judgement, the Council issued a statement saying it had: ‘introduced a comprehensive maintenance programme to prevent such accidents happening again.’

Despite these assurances, however, another local resident later tweeted a picture of a current large and dangerous pothole on Lightfoot Road.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone said:

“This is an absolute disgrace. A man was seriously injured and Haringey Council were forced to pay out £1million in compensation, yet they still leave gaping potholes unaddressed on the same road.

“It is insulting to tell residents that their maintenance programme will prevent accidents happening again, whilst the danger still remains.

“Haringey residents pay one of the highest Council Tax rates in London. The least we deserve in return is safe roads and pavements.

“In Haringey, we are unfortunately used to being let down by the Labour-run Council. Local residents deserve better.”

Lib Dems slam response to unlawful Haringey Council investigation

Posted on 14th Mar 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

The judgement of a Judicial Review into Labour-run Haringey’s Children and Young Persons Service department was today handed down by a High Court judge. The Judge held that the Council acted indefensibly and unlawfully on an anonymous complaint against two parents.

The Review was granted in relation to a complaint by a parent about an aborted investigation into alleged abuse of their child. The Judge determined that Haringey acted unlawfully in that:

They did not launch relevant investigation at the right time
They made intrusive enquiries of their child’s GP and school before speaking with the family, contrary to regulations
Their belated attempt to launch Section 47 inquiry into allegation was flawed and was quashed

The Judge also ordered Haringey Council to pay £2,000 compensation to the parent under the Human Rights Act (Article 8 – right to family life.)

Cllr David Schmitz – Liberal Democrat, Harringay ward – commented:

“Section 47 enquiries are very serious. The Judge himself observed that they can easily damage the life, career and family relationships of anyone caught up in them. If Haringey had got its way on this case, it would have got away with threatening to use their powers against innocent parents, who had done nothing more than make entirely justified complaints about the way that council officers were ignoring safeguards which are in place to protect all of us.

“During the case, Haringey argued that the statutory guidance was getting in the way of child protection. That guidance was written for the purpose of teaching social workers everywhere the lessons that needed to be learnt from Haringey’s failures in the Baby P case. It is outrageous that the guidance should not be followed by Haringey itself.”

Cllr Katherine Reece – Haringey Liberal Democrat spokesperson for children – commented:

“It is such a shame that Haringey has been found to have failed yet again. In this case they have been found to have acted overzealously resulting in a breach of parents’ rights.

“This comes on top of the recent case of the Haringey baby left on a bus by a foster carer, they can’t get the balance right.

“These two cases confirm that despite recent progress Haringey Council’s children services still have a long way to go and still require improvement.

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green commented:

“Not only did Haringey Council act unlawfully throughout the investigation, they have also breached the Human Rights Act and will have to pay compensation accordingly. Compensation following a Judicial Review is very rare, and indicates that the judge feels a real abuse of power has occurred.

“This is a damning verdict. Yet again, Haringey children’s services have failed. Even after Baby P, they still have not managed to get the department in order. Haringey Children, parents and residents deserve better.”

Haringey Lib Dems set out budget plans to build more council homes, introduce free parking and increase recycling

Posted on 26th Feb 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

The Haringey Liberal Democrats have set out ambitious budget plans to build 100 more council homes, introduce 30 minutes of free parking in town centres and increase recycling.

The opposition politicians have submitted amendments to the Labour run council’s budget, which is due to be decided at a council meeting tomorrow evening (27th) at the Civic Centre in Wood Green.

The Lib Dems have criticised the Labour leadership and said the budget put forward for the council by Labour lacks ambition and innovation. They have also criticised the Labour council for spending massive amounts of taxpayer’s money on agency staff, compensation claims and glossy publicity.

The Lib Dems are proposing to spend more money on recycling and replace old street lighting with new energy efficient street lights that will reduce the council’s energy bill and save carbon.

They also want to reverse some proposals put forward by Labour, including their planned cuts to mobile library services and their proposal to increase the number of big commercial concerts in Finsbury Park.

The Lib Dems also plan to introduce a hardship fund to help local residents who are struggling financially and particularly those who have been hit by the changes to council tax benefit.

The Lib Dem proposals will be paid for in full by:

Cutting the communications budget
Reducing the number of council managers
Sharing services with other councils or other public bodies like the NHS
Reducing the amount spent on agency staff
End the automatic re-filling of council job vacancies

Cllr Richard Wilson, Lib Dem Leader, comments:

“Times are tough, but Labour is failing to use what they have been given properly. Our budget proposals show that it is possible to protect some of the most vulnerable people in Haringey even in these difficult times.

“Because the Labour leadership have failed to go out there and learn from other councils, because they have failed to cut waste and reduce unnecessary spending, they have proposed cuts to services like the mobile library that actually don’t need to be made.

“Labour can’t be trusted to run council services properly and they can’t be trusted with the councils’ finances. Time and time again we have seen them caught out because they haven’t done things properly, like the last minute filing of the council’s accounts which cost taxpayers £30,000.

“In contrast we would cut the wastefully spending on agency staff and communications whilst providing a new hardship fund, protecting the environment, supporting our local high streets and building new council homes.”

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

“The Haringey Liberal Democrats have set out their alternate vision for how money should be spent and saved in the borough, and it puts the Labour-run council’s plans to shame.

“Despite the tough economic times, Haringey Labour has continued to waste taxpayers’ money on publicity and on covering their own incompetence. We need to protect our key services, to build more homes and to support our retailers – and the Lib Dems have worked out a way to do this without passing the cost on to residents.

“I wish the Haringey Liberal Democrats the best of luck in securing these crucial amendments to this year’s council budget.”

Lynne Featherstone MP concerned as allotment fees set to double

Posted on 29th Jan 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone has today expressed concern over Haringey Council’s proposal to increase allotment fees in the Borough.

The Hornsey and Wood Green MP recently contacted Haringey Council on the matter on behalf of a number of constituents. In a response dated 9^th January, a Council official confirmed that a proposal to increase allotment fees by 100% from 2013/14 was being considered.

This proposed rise has been criticised by the Haringey Allotments Forum, and comes on top of a recent 40% increase in allotment fees.

The final decision on allotment fees will be made at the full Haringey Council meeting on the 25^th February.

Paul Hamilton, Haringey Allotments Forum representative, said:

“The Haringey Allotments Forum is very concerned about plans to increase allotment fees by 100%. This will generate a £60,000 annual surplus, of which only £30,000 might be reinvested in the allotment’s service in 2013/14.

“The Forum strongly opposes the proposal to increase allotments fees above the rate of inflation to make a profit out of allotments, and we have written to the Council to this effect. I am glad that Lynne Featherstone MP has stepped in and shown support for our submission.”

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“Allotments are vital community resource – preserving green space, benefiting the environment and encouraging healthy eating. Under no circumstances should they be used solely as a revenue generator.

“Haringey Council should be encouraging residents to use allotments, and making them accessible to everyone. It’s hard to see how doubling fees will achieve this.

“If the proposal is pushed through by the Labour Council, I call on them to ensure that the money is reinvested in the allotments, and that allotment holders have a say on what the money is spent on.”

Lynne Featherstone MP angered by Council’s poor response to cold weather

Posted on 25th Jan 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP has today criticised Labour-run Haringey Council for their poor response to the recent cold weather. The Liberal Democrat MP has received dozens of complaints from constituents, who have expressed concern about the lack of gritting on their roads and pavements.

The charity ‘Living Streets’ this week released figures indicating that over half of Londoners have fallen over on an icy pavement, with 21% sustaining an injury as a result.

59% of people in London thought that their Council could do more to keep pavements clear of snow and ice.

Living streets have a website where people can remind their Council to keep pavements safe. The MP for Hornsey and Wood Green has been contacting the Council – on behalf of numerous constituents – to report hazardous areas.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“The cold spell was forecasted, so there is simply no excuse for Haringey Council not to have been ready. Instead of doing a proper job, the Council left many pavements in an incredibly hazardous state – endangering pedestrians and trapping many elderly and vulnerable people indoors.

“I sent an email to my constituents informing them of the location of their grit bins. Unfortunately, many of these were empty.

“This incompetence is what we have come to expect from the Labour Council. Residents really do deserve better.

“Although the cold spell is coming to an end, I hope the Council will look into what went wrong and do better next time.”

Living Streets’ Director of Policy and Communications, Phillipa Hunt, commented:

“Londoners clearly feel their local councils aren’t doing enough to keep pedestrians safe. This is a reminder to councils that keeping pavements ice free and safe is every bit as important as gritting roads. People, especially those who are older and vulnerable, need to access their local shops and services and local authorities have a duty to ensure footpaths are as safe as possible.

“We urge councils to sign up to our winter plan for ice-free pavements including giving key walking routes the same priority as roads, supplying grit and encouraging the public to help clear pavements and redeploying council staff that are unable to do their usual jobs in the icy weather.”

Botched finances back to haunt Haringey Labour

Posted on 23rd Jan 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

Last year, the Haringey Lib Dems and I were appalled to hear that Labour-run Haringey Council hurriedly filed their accounts just hours before the legal deadline.

Unsurprisingly, the accounts were in a total mess. The auditors will have to charge the Council an extra £32,000 (!) in fees for the additional work required to correct all the mistakes.

The issue is so severe that the new Chief Executive of Haringey Council has now ordered an independent inquiry into the Council’s finances – in a move which will be a huge embarrassment for the Labour finance chief Cllr Joe Goldberg, who said several times that filing accounts just before the legal deadline was not a problem!

Time will tell just how many errors there were – and how they happened. What we can be sure of for now is that, with blunders like this occurring, it is really no wonder that Haringey Labour gives us high taxes and poor services.

It is my view – now more than ever – that the people of Haringey deserve better. We need a council that is capable of managing its money and services properly. That’s why I will be fully backing the Haringey Lib Dems to take control of Haringey Council in 2014, and end 40 years of Labour mismanagement.

The Haringey Independent have reported on this issue here.

Lynne Featherstone MP slams Haringey Council’s response on parking charges

Posted on 15th Oct 2012 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP has today expressed her frustration with the parking charges set by Haringey Council, which are having a detrimental effect on many shops and businesses in Hornsey and Wood Green.

In September, local business owner Chris Oswald contacted Lynne Featherstone. He reported that independent businesses have suffered months of poor trade after the parking prices were increased from £1.40 to £3 per hour last year.

The Liberal Democrat MP contacted the Council ask asked them to examine the parking charges around Muswell Hill and consider reducing them to a more realistic level so that shoppers can be encouraged to stop and shop in the area instead of going elsewhere.

The Council last week confirmed that, following a review completed this year, a decision was taken to make no further changes to the charge of £3 per hour.

Chris Ostwold, manager of Crocodile Antiques in Muswell Hill Broadway, said:

“I am very disappointed with the Council’s response. We traders have told the Council that the charges are having a negative effect on our businesses – but they just won’t listen. I simply don’t understand how they have supposedly reviewed the impact, yet not realised how damaging this extortionate charge is.

“I will continue to collect signatures for my petition, which calls for a reduction in parking charges.”

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“This is just typical of Labour-run Haringey Council. They should be supporting local businesses, not discouraging residents from shopping on our high streets.

“I am fully behind the Haringey Liberal Democrat campaign for 30 minutes of free parking on Haringey’s high streets. I am also supportive of Mr Oswald’s petition to lower the parking charges.”

Government encourages councils to freeze tax

Posted on 15th Oct 2012 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone MP today welcomed a Government announcement, which encourages local councils to freeze Council Tax next year. Local authorities who freeze their Council tax will be given an extra £450million in Government funding.

Last year, Haringey Council’s financial reports revealed that Labour was considering a tax rise of 2.5%, despite being offered funding from Government to halt a rise. Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone and the Haringey Liberal Democrats called on Labour-run Haringey to freeze Council Tax, and were successful in preventing a rise.

This is the third year in a row that the Coalition Government has enabled councils to freeze their Council Tax by offering them enough money to cover the cost.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“All Liberal Democrat-run councils decided to freeze or reduce council tax this year, helping families keep bills low in difficult times. Neither Labour nor the Conservatives can say the same.

“Following the Government announcement, I am taking the opportunity to renew my call for a Council Tax freeze in Haringey.”

Lynne Featherstone MP demands answers on Fairer Funding allocation

Posted on 1st Oct 2012 by Lynne Featherstone

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, has today called on Labour-run Haringey Council to ensure that the distribution of new funding for education is truly fair.

After a hard fought five year campaign, Lynne Featherstone and the Haringey Liberal Democrats secured fairer funding for education in Haringey. As a result of this, an extra £7.3 million has been allocated for Haringey’s schools.

The additional funds from the fairer funding settlement have gone a long way to ending the long-standing funding anomaly – which saw local schools receiving outer London funding but paying inner London costs. Haringey Council will shortly be able to allocate the extra money directly to schools in the borough.

The £7.3million in fairer funding money is in addition to the £8.8million allocated to Haringey schools through pupil premium. The pupil premium is a separate amount based on a Liberal Democrat Government policy to give more money to schools in accordance with the number of disadvantaged children.

Katherine Reece, Haringey Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children said:

“It’s fantastic news that Haringey will now finally receive fairer funding for education.

“We now want to ensure that the money will be distributed fairly and proportionally throughout the borough’s primary and secondary schools.”

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“Poverty and disadvantage are present all over the borough. All of Haringey schools already pay Inner London pay scales, so they should all get a share of the money to assist them.

“I have written to the Interim Chief Executive and called on the Labour-run Council to ensure that the money reaches every school in Hornsey and Wood Green, as well as those in Tottenham.”

Lynne Featherstone MP calls on Haringey Council to help local community

Posted on 18th Sep 2012 by Lynne Featherstone

Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone has today called on Labour-run Haringey Council to make use of the Sustainable Communities Act.

The Act, which was passed in 2007 with cross party support, gives communities and councils the right to come up with proposals and to then submit these to central government. These proposals can be for any government action or assistance that would reverse community decline and protect community assets.

In 2009, a Liberal Democrat motion calling for Haringey Council to ‘opt in’ and use the powers given in the Sustainable Communities Act was passed unanimously. Since then, however, the Labour-run Council have not submitted any proposals

Councils that have used the Act have achieved positive results. In Sheffield, for instance, the then Lib Dem-led Council made a proposal to Central Government, suggesting that the Council be given power to run and plan the post office network on a trial basis. The proposal was adopted. As a result, a post office was saved from closure and a 5% growth in local Post Office revenue and significant savings to the council’s budget was achieved.

In June of this year, the Government made new regulations, which improved the Act’s process and re-established the rights of citizens and councils that use it. Localworks, the organisation promoting the Act, are calling on councils to pass a new motion resolving to use the strengthened Act.

Steve Shaw, National Co-ordinator for Localworks, said:

“The Act could make a huge difference to boroughs such as Haringey. It provides a mechanism through which local residents can have their ideas – about their local communities – passed to central Government. Government then has a duty not merely to consult but to negotiate and try to reach agreement on those ideas, so this process has real teeth.

“If local councils want more power to improve their communities and save money, then this is their chance.

“I thank Lynne Featherstone for calling on Haringey Council to make use of the Act.”

Lynne Featherstone commented:

“It is just typical of Labour-run Haringey to opt in to the Act and then do nothing. They have so far failed to take the opportunity to use the Act and make proposals to central Government.

“I have now written to the Interim Chief Executive to the Council to alert him to this and ask what steps will be taken from now on in this regard.

“I want Haringey residents to be able to have their say and express their ideas about our community. I am, therefore, very happy to call on the Council to use this Act. I hope, for the sake of our community, that they listen!”