Lynne Featherstone MP delighted with Hornsey and Wood Green reselection

Posted on 5th Jul 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

A delighted Lynne Featherstone MP was last night reselected as Hornsey and Wood Green’s Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for the 2015 election.

Lynne Featherstone moved into the constituency with her family at age 5, and went to primary school in Highgate. She has represented Hornsey and Wood Green as the Liberal Democrat MP since 2005.

Since then, Lynne Featherstone has increased her majority by fighting and campaigning on key local issues, such as saving the Whittington’s A&E and stopping the Pinkham Way waste plant. Her successful campaign for fairer education funding secured an extra £7.3million a year for Haringey’s schools.

The local MP was called one of the ‘saints’ by the Telegraph following the expenses scandal, and was recently awarded the ‘politician of the year’ award by Attitude magazine.

The MP’s office consistently completes around 400 pieces of casework per week on behalf of local residents, and also regularly exposes the blunders of Labour-run Haringey Council – such as their failure to build any new council homes in the last 25 years.

Lynne Featherstone MP has also made her impact in Government. Roles in both the Home Office and Department for International Development have seen her introduce Equal Marriage and lead the fight to eradicate FGM.

Following the reselection Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“I am simply delighted by the confidence the local Liberal Democrat members have shown in me. It was a fantastic evening, and I’d like to thank the members, the local party, and fellow Lib Dem MP Ed Davey for making such a great speech.

“It was also so special to have my political heroine, Baroness Shirley Williams, in attendance supporting me.

“Hornsey and Wood Green is a wonderful, diverse and vibrant area. It is such an honour to represent and fight for all of the residents here. I want to continue fighting for better services for local people, working together on successful campaigns like fairer funding – which secured a massive £7.3million for our local schools.

“The road to 2015 and beyond starts here!”

Haringey Liberal Democrat Local Party Chair Cara Jenkinson said:

“Lynne Featherstone is a fantastic constituency MP and a formidable campaigner. She works really hard for the people of Hornsey and Wood Green – everyone knows someone who’s been helped by Lynne. It was great that so many people came to the reselection meeting last night to support her.”

Calls for 30 minutes free parking on High Streets continue

Posted on 29th May 2013 by Lynne Featherstone

Local MP Lynne Featherstone and the Haringey Liberal Democrats are continuing to call for 30 minutes of free parking on the Borough’s High Streets, as a way to help local independent shops.

The long running Liberal Democrat campaign highlights the problems faced by independent shops, as a result of the Council’s decision to raise High Street parking charges to £3 an hour. This has had a negative effect on trade, as shoppers are put off by the high rates.

The Liberal Democrats argue that 30 minutes free parking would encourage people to ‘pop in’ to local independent retailers, rather than driving to superstores with free or cheap car parks.

To keep the issue on the agenda, pictures and quotes of local residents and retailers are being put together and shared via social media, particularly on the facebook campaign page.

Haringey Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Richard Wilson, said:

“There is clearly a demand from the public to lower parking charges, over 5,000 people signed the Muswell Hill Traders petition calling for lower parking charges and many people have joined our campaign for 30 minutes of free parking on local high streets.

“What traders need now is support from the Labour council, they can make life easier for traders and boost local high streets in the borough but so far they have chosen not to do this. We need as many local people and shoppers as possible to join our campaign and put even more pressure on the council to introduce 30 minutes of free parking on our high streets.”

Commenting, Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone said:

“During these tough economic times, local retailers need help, not hindrance. It is just outrageous that Haringey Council has raised the parking charge to £3 an hour, driving trade away from our high streets.

“Despite presenting our petitions, requesting that they lower the charges, and asking them to implement 30 minutes free parking, the Labour Administration will not listen.

“But, we won’t give up. I encourage as many residents as possible to join our campaign and share our photos and quotes. The bigger the campaign, the more pressure on the Council!”

Older people’s services “should not be the first target” says Liberal Democrats

Posted on 11th Jan 2011 by Lynne Featherstone

Liberal Democrats have today demanded that the Council rethinks its proposed cuts to older people’s drop-in centres, luncheon clubs and day centres. The Labour Council announced in December 2010 that the Haven and Grange Day Centres, Abyssina Court, Willoughby Road, Woodside House and Irish Centre Drop-in centres and Jackson’s Lane Luncheon club would be cut to save £425,000.

Liberal Democrats have said that services for older people should not be the first target for the Council to cut and have highlighted that the Council should prioritise back-office savings before cuts to vital services. The cuts to drop-in centres, luncheon clubs and day centres represent just 0.2% of the £182 million in central government funding the Council will receive next year.

The £425,000 cut proposed to drop-in centres, day centres and luncheon clubs is less than the annual cost to residents for the write off of the residents money that the Labour Council lost in the Icelandic bank collapse.

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green comments:

“Local government has to make savings, but it is up to the local authority where those savings rest. Haringey Labour are going for soft targets, but I believe this drastic cut to services for older people is a very poor decision. We should protect our most vulnerable not close services they cherish.

“Labour’s financial mismanagement nationally got the country into this mess and locally Labour has made it worse.”

Cllr David Winskill, Liberal Democrat Health and Adult Social Services spokesperson adds:

“It is often said that the mark of a civilised society is how we look after our older residents. The Labour Council is not prioritising its use of the £182 million of government funding towards the services that many older people rely on. These services should not be the first target of Labour’s cuts.

“The cuts at day centres, luncheon clubs and drop-in centres represent 0.2% of the Council’s central government funding yet the Council are suggesting that, in the remaining 99.8% of the funding, there is nothing else they could cut instead of these services.”

So it begins………..

Posted on 4th Jan 2010 by Lynne Featherstone

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It’s off to an election we go – and can’t you just tell from the first salvos from Labour against Cameron and Tories against Brown that it’s going to be an edifying few months.

No doubt we LibDems will be above such things – judging from Nick’s pronouncement this morning (continuing a theme from Conference) that we are different to the other two parties. We are. We definitely are. So – let’s hope we remain different. The last thing this country needs is the same bankrupt politics that has held sway for so long. New hope with each new Government – only to find out within a few years that they fall from grace and were just the same in the end as the one before.

Would we be as good as I believe we would be in Government?