Tag Archives: ken livingstone

Concrecte factory – planning verdict

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Parliament started sitting again today. It felt just like it did on the first day of term, going back to school!

Much of this week will be preparation for the Violent Crime Reduction Bill which goes into Committee on Thursday morning and on which I am leading for the Lib Dems. This means that I have (and more accurately my researcher has even more) been pouring over the bill and working out the amendments which we tabled last Friday. We will be probing the Government’s proposals line by line. And boy does this bill need close scrutiny. The general idea is right – to tackle the twin evils of weapons and alcohol abuse – but the devil is definitely in the detail.

At lunchtime I meet with an activist from Camden who wants to talk to me about why the party does not work the way he thinks it should work. He is an interesting guy, but for all of us in the party the way to get an idea through the hierarchy into being is to demonstrate that it works.

My own success in winning Hornsey & Wood Green from 26,000 votes behind in 1997 is now a training model in the party. But I had (with my magnificent team) to prove the case – not simply have the idea. And quite frankly much of it is common sense and already the bread and butter of our campaign techniques – no miracles. But there are a few specialities – and now hopefully best practise will be spread to the 104 seats where we are second to Labour for the next general election. So hopefully, I sent him off to prove his points to the party.

Then into the chamber for Home Office Questions – terror, terror, terror. It is quite clear that this Parliamentary session up to Christmas will be totally dominated by the terror proposals and other home affairs bills. Great for me as a shadow home affairs minister – but one heck of a schedule.

Rush to Haringey Civic Centre in the evening for the Planning Committee which tonight hears the application to build a Concrete Factory in Hornsey. For those not following this story – there is an application from London Concrete to put a factory right in the heart of a residential area with narrow streets and kids schools etc. Supported (wrongly) by Livingstone on the basis that the aggregates can come in by rail (three trains per week), what seems to have passed the Mayor by is that it then goes out through the community in 56 giant HGVs that have no chance of turning out of the industrial site into the residential streets without chocking up the traffic, delaying buses and causing huge amounts of pollution, noise and so on.

As I arrive there are hundreds and hundreds of local residents with lots of children come to protest. Hurrah for people power! T-shirts and placards – we shout and chant. Ironically, we all know that the Planning Committee is going to refuse the application tonight as that is the recommendation of the officers. And whilst I put in to speak along with scores of others – there is no need to call anyone as the committee unanimously votes to reject the application on a number of planning grounds.

The real test will now come as we move towards the appeal – already lodged. The fight goes on – until we bury this one – in concrete.

Getting ready for party conference

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Off to constituency HQ for an interview with Radio 4 who are doing profiles on six new MPs – two from each party. Don’t know how much longer I will be a ‘new’ girl – but it obviously has its advantages!

It’s a very long interview but all very enjoyable. Then back up to office to do some work. Now set up, with computers networked and staff in place – at last feel that normal service has been resumed. It is quite a change from having done everything virtually myself for the last eight years to having a team of staff – but very necessary given all the extra work being an MP involves. They are doing a great job – but inevitably setting up two offices (constituency and in Parliament) takes some time.

My mother gave me three pieces of advice before she died: firstly from her experience running her own successful business – the customer is always right. It’s an old-fashioned concept but one I personally think still holds good. Secondly, the person in charge must know about any complaint against the company. If you don’t know what is going wrong you cannot correct it! The other piece of advice – well that was personal.

Lib Dem conference in Blackpool is zooming towards me – and finally getting hold of my diary I discover that I have around twelve speeches to write before I leave on Saturday – a smattering as examples are “Can the Liberal Democrats be part of a progressive consensus?”, “What is Britishness?” (the in debate of the moment), “Is the Lords the last bastion of freedom?”, and lots, lots more.

Topped by the party’s Head of Policy phoning me to ask if I would summate on an urgent debate in the main hall: “What future for multiculturalism post 7/7?” I am also chairing two sessions in the main hall – Graham Watson MEP and Mark Oaten MP. The fun never stops! So in between other engagements this week I am desperately trying to write these speeches.

In the evening I go to a big public meeting about the proposals for a concrete factory right in the middle of a residential area. About 2-300 people in attendance and an array of Labour (council leader, his deputy, Tottenham MP and a couple of local councillors).

Myself and Laura Edge (Lib Dem councillor for Stroud Green) and several other Lib Dems also there. Labour have called this meeting at short notice, and not told anyone much it was happening. So I had to try and let people know about it at short notice. Laura and her colleagues were great at helping me let as many people know as possible. Plus the glories of email for sending information round quickly! (If you live in my constituency and would like to get similar emails in future, just let email with your name and postcode – lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org).

Am much amused that Labour have suddenly taken enough fright – possible because they fear losing the local elections next May and have realised that we Lib Dems have been campaigning and working with local residents and their campaign group, Green N8, for the last year.

Consultants representing London Concrete (who want to build the plant) are there – but no show from any of the directors etc from the actual company. Bad form! They give pretty feeble answers to the many, many questions raised by the audience who are worried sick about the level of noise, pollution and congestion that will be caused by this application.

We (elected reps) from both east and west of the borough unite to fight off the application. Political pressure is a wonderful thing – but lets hope it is reflected in the rejection of the new proposals going to Planning Committee on October 10.

I exhort everyone to write individually to the planning department and to the Planning Inspector (there is a coterminous appeal on a first application that was rejected). I also suggest they write to Ken Livingston who is misguidedly supporting the application because of the factory being able to bring aggregates in by rail. Firstly – there are no guarantees of capacity on the line. Secondly – the couple of trains a day benefit does not stand against the disadvantage caused by the articulated lorry movements etc.

Twin Towers development in Wood Green

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Hurrah! A day of paperwork to catch up and tidy up loose ends before I go on my hols at the weekend. One of the issues to catch up on is the “Twin Towers” site – where an awful development is proposed.

I write a stinker to Livingstone for condoning the original tower plan. He is so keen on his (huge) housing targets that all his fine words and ideas about sustainable development and good design are forgotten and steamrollered out of existence. I will send the letter either at the weekend – or save it for beginning of September, as August is not a great month for getting action. I tell him to get Richard Rogers and the Urban Design Unit’s backsides down here to Wood Green to understand just how much crap local residents are having to put up with in his name. We will see if he acts.

The area needs the best of design to raise aspirations and hope – not to have dumped on it dreadful designs with poor materials.

A varied Monday

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Open London Region Conference on the Ethiopian Community Centre in the UK’s Regional Development Project – a mouthful I know, but really some much needed support for this community struggling through the maze of health, benefit, housing and other hurdles to life in this country.

I stay for the morning to listen to the distinguished panel of speakers – all deeply involved in immigration and asylum and all of whom know much more than a nine-week old MP! Given that something like 75% of people coming to see me in person have issues to do with asylum and immigration, I am keen to understand as much as I can as soon as I can.

What I do know from nine weeks of holding surgeries is that the Home Office is a mess. Initial decision making is extremely poor quality and vast numbers of appeals succeed because of this. There is a random nature as to who stays and who goes – which leads to upset when what seems like a precedent – isn’t. Far too often it takes years before decisions are made, leaving people living in limbo. The misery caused by the protracted system is appalling to see.

My afternoon is filled with a series of meetings in the pub – as our new office upstairs is not ready and flat pack furniture is being assembled. First in line is Groundwork – a federation of trusts who go into an area and support a range of sustainable projects. I try to persuade them to focus on Hornsey – both the council estates and the High Street which are in need of loving care.

Followed by a woman who is writing a report for Haringey Police on issues such as where road works are, where trouble spots are, where youths have nowhere to go but on the streets – presumably so that the police can then plan their work better.

Then an interview with N8 magazine, after which off to a meeting in N8 (coincidentally) with residents against the concrete factory proposed to be dumped in the middle of a residential area. There is a train track – so theoretically aggregates can come in by rail but they would still go out by HGV lorry – not at all suitable for the area, and would get stuck as they try and do the turn from Church Lane back on themselves into Tottenham Lane. Outside of the increased vehicle movements, the pollution, the noise and the general unsuitability of the location – jamming up the roads is probably the best hope for refusal of the planning application (there are quite strict rules on what issues can or can’t be considered when deciding on a planning application) – as this area comes to a standstill with traffic snarl-ups on a daily basis already. I undertake to write a variety of letters to Mayor Livingstone, Peter Hendy and Haringey Council’s Planning Department.

Second hustings

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Weighed myself again this morning. Lost another 4lb. Lucky I put on a stone since the last election – clearly knowing that I would need blubber to see me through.

The evening brings the Friends of the Earth hustings. We cover a whole range of issues – including mobile phone masts, the WTO, climate change and supermarkets. The evening goes well for me – which I am relieved about as some of these ‘specialist’ hustings can become extremely detailed.

However, four years on from the last Friends of the Earth hustings, I realise that I know a lot more than I did then. And it’s not just the text book policy stuff – it’s living, breathing issues in Hornsey & Wood Green.

Issue such as the mobile phone mast applications which pop up virtually weekly – and where only legislation to give local authorities to refuse planning permission on grounds of the ‘precautionary principle’ will actually help keep masts away from schools and vulnerable adults. (The Lib Dems put down a motion in the Commons on this – but Labour and Tories took up the debating time so it didn’t progress.)

It’s about the supermarkets – not just the big ones – but the little ones appearing now on local high streets and putting the old corner shops out of business. It’s about the need for traffic to be sucked back where it should be – onto the North Circular – where the Mayor’s failure to grasp the nettle and put paid to the bottleneck has meant misery in the residential streets of Muswell Hill, Alexandra and Bounds Green. Real issues!

After the hustings – I go out to dinner with Duncan (who is helping me with some of my paperwork during the election and is the world’s expert on illegal logging – which sadly, but not surprisingly, didn’t come up).

He is writing a biography of Charles K and has spent the previous day on the LibDem battle bus. Says it was interesting and hectic dashing around the country with our leader. Duncan says Charles is in good form and that he has been invited back for another day on the bus – which he has declined in favour of coming to help me. Mucho flattered!

Friday on the campaign trail

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This blog is turning into Bridget Jones’s diary for the duration in as much as I have lost 3lb. Again yesterday two hours delivering leaflets. Normal paperwork, email and phone to race through and wrote one speech.

I get a phone message from a colleague that Ken (Livingstone) has been attacking me in the Tribune. I knew he had had a go in the Socialist Worker. It would seem that Tariq Ali’s support has angered Ken. Of course, Ken’s old seat of Brent East fell to the LibDems in a by-election with a 29% swing – so – being Ken – he’s lashing out.

The ironic thing here is that prior to his readmission to the Labour party we were fighting together on many policy issues. It’s not me who’s changed but him (sounds like a line from a song).

Brat Camp for Ken Livingstone?

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I tell Ken my daughter’s suggestion – that he be sent to brat camp. We are in Mayor’s Question Time at City Hall having a jolly good spat over CrossRail funding. Ken is going on about how fab it is that the hybrid bill for CrossRail is at last going through.

I merely point out to him that having first worked on CrossRail feasibility about 27 or so years ago I won’t get excited until the government puts its money where its mouth is. Ken, the way only Ken can, says that I must have been still at school when I did that work. I wish! Much hilarity in chamber.

I ask him if he knows how much the government is going to pay up for CrossRail and does he have it in writing?

Once again he tries to joke – so I say to him, “Do you know what my daughter suggested last night? That you should be sent to brat camp.” More hilarity.

But more seriously – it still looks as if the government has not firmly committed itself to funding CrossRail. Ken wasn’t able to point to any firm promise.

Ken doesn't apologise

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Ken’s press conference at City Hall. Trailed as being likely to see the expression of ‘regret’ by him for the comment he made to an Evening Standard journalist.

He arrives and in best nasal tone states that having considered everything and read everything about the ‘incident’ – he has decided there is nothing to apologise for.

Anyone in that position who gives offence – even if inadvertently – should be able to say sorry for any offence caused.

Not Kenneth. He turned it around. It wasn’t what he had said, it was:

– the journalist’s fault
– the Mail Group’s fault
– the Evening Standard’s fault
– Brian Coleman (Chair of the Assembly’s) fault
– the Tories’ fault
– the Standard Board of Great Britain’s fault

… and you can guess whose fault it wasn’t … our ‘I’m a loveable rogue and can say what I like’ august Mayor of London.

Talking about this with my oldest daughter that evening, she came up with what I think is the best idea so far. ‘Send him to brat camp’. She suggested I tell Ken this the next day at Mayor’s Question Time.

Congestion charge increase?

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Fun time at City Hall. Mayor Livingstone was in front of me giving evidence to the Transport Committee (which I chair) yesterday on his desire to raise the Congestion Charge by over half to £8.

This is the same Mayor who four years ago when he came before me on the first of my investigations into the Congestion Charge told London that it was necessary to reduce traffic by 15% in the central zone – this was the critical level at which London would work – for business, for residents, for buses and all.

And nothing has changed. The charge works fantastically well – and there is no sign of a creep back or rise in traffic in the central zone.

Now, his main argument for an increase in the charge was that he wanted to drive traffic down further – by between 17% and 21% and that an £8 charge would do it. This was blown out of the water today as buried in the Transport for London Board papers was the fact that traffic in the central charging zone is already at a 21% reduction.

So why increase the charge?

Ken’s arguments jiggle about. It’s either about reducing traffic further for business OR it’s about quality of life and reducing pollution OR it’s about reassuring credit agencies that he is macho enough to raise money when needed for his borrowing OR it is to stop traffic creep back and so on…

It looks to me more like a simple cash grab.

Parking tickets

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The moment we have all been waiting for – the first session of the Parking Enforcement scrutiny which I chair at the London Assembly.

Today’s session saw witnesses from the British Parking Association, the Chief Exec of NCP, the RAC Foundation (not to be confused with the RAC) and The Association of International Express Couriers.

It was a really interesting session with the witnesses across the board agreeing on two important points. First, that the financial imperative of the enforcement contracts meant a certain level of financial outcome had to be delivered. Second, the signs and rules across London were confusing for many people. Can there be simplification and harmonisation whilst still respecting the need for different policies to suit different areas?

Of course, my now legendary ‘unfair’ parking ticket came up. I had managed to get through half the meeting before it raised its ugly head. Thanks to the Evening Standard it would appear the whole of London knows that on Bank Holiday Monday I got a ticket.

Having been seduced into Central London with no congestion charge and no parking charges, I drove into the West End on New Year Bank Holiday Monday. I parked on the first parking bay in Luxborough Street. There was a parking sign immediately by the space where I parked with no indication of any restriction other than the normal sign indicating the direction to the pay machine, hours and dates etc. On my return about 10 minutes later – there were two wardens ticketing the cars. They confirmed it was Bank Holiday and there were no charges – but told me that the bay was suspended.

I pointed out that there was no sign on the parking instructions by the space indicating any suspension. They said the notice was by the pay machine, but of course, being Bank Holiday I had not gone to get a parking pay and display ticket from the machine which was about 60 or so metres away. They said they did not have the power to cancel the ticket and suggested I talk to a supervisor.

When the supervisor came – he looked at the situation and agreed it was a ‘travesty’. The supervisor suggested that I should write to Westminster and that he would make notes to the effect that he agreed that I should not have to pay this charge because of the circumstances.

As I said to those in the room – I bet Westminster were looking frantically through their correspondence to the parking department to find said letter!

That evening, it was the Lord Mayor’s Dinner for London Government. Mayor Ken and the 25 Assembly members are the honoured guests at this event at the Mansion House. The Corporation of London sure know how to put on a do. I love this event – pomp, circumstance, men in uniforms, pikes – all things I eschew as a republican. But the fun of seeing such another world is irresistible and so well done!

I find myself going in to the welcoming line behind Ken Livingstone who is first in line and behind me Simon Fletcher – his Chief of Staff. The Lord Mayor’s wife says ‘oh you’re the woman I wanted to see – the one with the parking ticket’. Then Ken peels off to the left (naturally) and I and Simon follow to sit for dinner.

As I am only about a metre from Ken I suggest to him that he use his after-dinner speech to raise the issue of Hampstead bathing ponds.

Health and Safety are saying that the Corporation need to have lifeguards and therefore will charge swimmers for the privilege. Outrageous in my view. People have been swimming there for decades – and a notice saying you go in at your own risk would suffice in my view. It’s not a swimming pool. Over-zealous, intrusive and nannying.

Anyway – Ken smiled and his rejoinder to me was that he would raise it if I would agree to go skinny-dipping! In the event – he didn’t raise it in his speech and North London will be spared a dreadful sight. But you know – anything to save the ponds…

After dinner – when we were taking a ‘stirrup cup’ – I had the opportunity to lobby Michael Snyder from the Corporation – but he proved deaf to my pleas. A compromise position was about to be reached where the takings are ploughed back into maintenance. I still think it’s over the top and unnecessary.