Tag Archives: robert gorrie

Diwali celebrated at Woodside House

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Local Liberal Democrats attended the 14th Annual ‘I Can Care’ Diwali celebrations last Friday (9th October 2009) at Woodside House and vowed to continue their support for the charity.

Last year Labour-run Haringey Council planned to force ‘I Can Care’, a charity that gives welfare advice and provides computer, yoga and English classes for elderly Asian residents, to relocate in a £12million project to build a new Council chamber.

After a sustained campaign by local residents and Liberal Democrats, Haringey Council was forced to shelve plans and postpone the project.

Cllr Robert Gorrie, Leader of Haringey Liberal Democrats, comments:

“I am so glad that we are able to be here, joining ‘I Can Care’ in their fourteenth Diwali celebration, twelve months on from Haringey Council’s welcome u-turn.

“Thank you to Raj and all who continue to provide this invaluable community lead service for elderly Asian women in the local area.”

Cllr John Oakes, Bounds Green, adds:

“It is about time that Haringey Council made up its mind on the future of Woodside House and ‘I Can Care’. It is unfair that, at a time of the Festival of Lights, we are still kept in the dark on the future of ‘I Can Care’.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“We will continue to fight to ensure this marvellous community group has the right support and facilities, so it continues to be a success for its members.”

Labour propose to cut transport funding for old and vulnerable

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Following the recent secret announcement that the Labour Government is proposing to cut funding for the popular freedom pass, Lynne Featherstone MP has now written to the Transport Minister to demand a re-think. Local Liberal Democrats are also encouraging residents to sign an online petition, demanding the proposal be halted.

Labour plan to take £1.8 million from the concession Haringey Council receives to finance the freedom pass for the elderly and disabled, and give it to other parts of England to plug the gaps in the cost of the scheme that they have rolled out nationally.

Outside London, most concessionary fare schemes are fully funded by Government grant, but in Haringey the scheme is only 66% funded by the concession.

Residents who want to sign the petition should go to http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/freedompass

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Other parts of the country already get 100% of the costs of the free travel scheme covered. Here local residents pay a third. The Labour Government cuts would reduce that support to 50%. It is a sly and unfair move.

“This is not acceptable and I urge all local residents to sign the online petition calling for this ridiculous idea to be dropped.”

Robert Gorrie, leader of Haringey Liberal Democrats adds:

“Haringey Labour are already responsible for residents having to pay one of the highest Council Tax rates in London. Now the Labour government wants to make a change that could add almost £20 to those bills.

“I hope the government will think twice before burdening local residents with even higher charges when so many are suffering from the recession. This idea couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

Haringey hid the truth!

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I don’t know where Andrew Gilligan got the information from about the fact that Haringey had placed a child to be fostered with the family where Abdulla Achmed Ali was living – but he must have phenomenal sources. Not a peep, not a dicky-bird had been said by the Council about this latest incident.

At this point whilst we are asking the questions that need to be asked of Haringey – we don’t know how badly or otherwise Haringey has performed in its duties to safeguard children it places in foster care – but unfortunately with Haringey’s track record we can only think the worst. And as there still has been no public inquiry into Child Protection in Haringey – we all suspect that there is much more of this under the radar as this revelation today has demonstrated.

However, what we do know now, is that Haringey Council has known about this for three years and not brought it forward as something that needs to be examined. Again we see Haringey cloak the whole incident in secrecy. Hide it away and hope that no one will find out. It is secrecy that has bread the breathtaking failures in child protection and elsewhere.

Robert Gorrie, Liberal Democrat leader on Haringey Council said of this latest shocking story:

‘Haringey Council vowed during the Baby Peter tragedy that they would end the silence and cover up in Children’s Services yet this shows a Council still committed to a culture of secrecy.

‘How many more cases of Council failures do we not yet know about? Who knew about this fiasco and was keeping it a secret and how many more cases of Haringey Labour failure do we not yet know about?’

Opposition demands urgent investigation after new Haringey Children's Services revelations

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Opposition councillors have demanded an urgent review of Haringey Council’s foster care services after it was revealed today that a child was placed in the care of the family of bomb-plotter Abdulla Ahmed Ali in 2006.

Local Liberal Democrat MP, Lynne Featherstone, says that this is yet more evidence of a council in crisis and raises more questions over Haringey Council’s ability to look after children.

It also follows Haringey’s Ofsted report in July this year that said that Haringey Council was still failing to protect all vulnerable children adequately.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“We knew that there is an on-going problem with Haringey Council’s ability to look after our children, but now we have new questions about Haringey Council’s ability to place children in safe and secure foster homes.

“We need answers now to ensure that no other child has been, or will be, in danger when they are placed in care.

“After the awful tragedy of Baby Peter and the clear failures made by Haringey Council, these new revelations show further evidence of the need for a root and branch review of Haringey Council’s Children’s Services that only a public inquiry can provide.”

Liberal Democrat councillors have written formally to the Chief Executive of Haringey Council, Ita O’Donovan, and Children’s Service chief, Peter Lewis, to demand assurances that no further mistakes by Children’s Social Services have been covered up.

Cllr Robert Gorrie, Haringey Liberal Democrat leader, comments:

“Haringey Council vowed during the Baby Peter tragedy that they would end the silence and cover up in Children’s Services, yet this shows a council still committed to a culture of secrecy.

“Who knew about this fiasco and was keeping it a secret and how many more cases of Haringey Labour failure do we not yet know about?”

Euro election results in Haringey

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Busy day with the Equalities Bill in Parliament, so here’s our press release:

  • Lib Dems main Euro-winners, with biggest vote increase
  • Lowest ever vote share for Labour in borough election
  • Poll shock, as local Tories pushed into fourth place

The Liberal Democrats were the main winners in the European elections in Haringey last night. The party added 4.7 per cent to its tally and dramatically closed the gap on Haringey Labour, whose vote slumped to its lowest ever share in a borough-wide election.

It was also a night of disaster for the local Tories, who shocked observers by slumping into fourth place, behind the Green Party.

Lib Dem Leader Robert Gorrie comments,

“I am delighted with the result, and I would like to thank everyone in Haringey who responded to the Lib Dems’ positive message on Europe. These results show we are in a neck-and-neck battle with Labour for control of Haringey Council. For the Tories, fourth place is yet another nail in their coffin, as local people know it is only the Lib Dems that can bring an end to 40 years of Labour rule here.”

Results:

Labour – 14,093 (28.8% – down 4.1%)
Lib Dems – 11,550 (23.6% – up 4.7%)
Greens – 8,528 (17.4% – up 3.4%)
Cons – 7,396 (15.1%, down 0.5%)
Others – 7,392 (15.1% – down 3.5%)

Haringey Council finance chief quits

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So – Charles Adje is finally going. As the Ham & High reports:

CONTROVERSIAL finance chief Cllr Charles Adje has sensationally quit his cabinet position after months of fending off attacks from the public and opposition parties.

Cllr Adje, who was leader of the council in 2004 and 2005, has faced months of mud-slinging including:

o a Standards Board hearing which found him guilty of disclosing confidential information

o criticism in two official reports about his actions as chairman of the board at Alexandra Palace

o questions on how he dealt with council finances after £37million was lost in failed Icelandic banks…

Cllr Robert Gorrie, Lib Dem leader, said: “In recent years Cllr Adje has been part of a Labour administration that has cost residents millions and left Haringey with one if the highest council tax rates in London.

“It has taken the bungled sell-off of Ally Pally, £37million lost in Icelandic Banks and massively overspent IT projects for the Labour group to realise that this list of failure is too long for local residents to endure any longer.”

Labour councillor Alan Stanton, who has often criticised his colleague’s actions, said: “He should have stepped down yesterday and stepped down from the council altogether. He has proven beyond any doubt that he has no judgement and carries on making mistakes, one after the other.

Sharon Shoesmith

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A flurry of calls from the media following the not entirely unexpected news that Sharon Shoesmith is appealing against her dismissal and apparently seeking compensation – Evening Standard jounalist said up to £170,000.

I hope her appeal fails because she signally failed in her child protection responsibilities – that was the damning conclusion of the Ed Balls ordered investigation. This concurs with my own experiences of trying to get her to deal with cases where there was a complaint against something in her department. The answer I often got was ‘children’s services are working fine’. She seems to be more interested in defending her department than dealing with the issues I brought to her.

If she were now to get paid for failure it would send out a message to those in these incredible responsible and vital positions that they can fail with impunity – and get paid for their trouble.

UPDATE: Daily Express has more, including the reaction from my colleague Robert Gorrie:

Robert Gorrie, leader of Haringey’s Liberal Democrat opposition, said: “We have said from the outset that those responsible for this tragedy should be held to account and that there should be no rewards for failure.

“Sharon Shoesmith was responsible for the council service that failed Baby P. I hope the original council decision to terminate employment without payment of notice is upheld.”

Scrutiny-phobia at Haringey Council

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My comments about Haringey Council’s habit of trying to turn its back on proper scrutiny of its actions seem to have caught a bit of media attention, as with The London Paper:

HARINGEY Council needs to shake up the way it scrutinises its own work in the wake of the Baby P tragedy, an MP has said.

Liberal Democrat Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, accused ruling Labour councillors of “scrutiny-phobia” after they refused to hand over the chair of a key watchdog committee to the opposition.

She said: “Scrutiny-phobia in Haringey has led to a culture where it was impossible for whistleblowers to raise the alarm. I am saddened that Haringey Labour has missed an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and to put its watchdog committee on a better footing to do what it is supposed to.”…

Opposition leader Robert Gorrie said the decision “does not bode well for the future of Children’s Services in Haringey.

“More rigorous and more independent scrutiny might have uncovered the severe failings in children’s services before it was too late.

“Haringey Council needs a watchdog committee with teeth to prevent inadequacies in services being missed again.”

"Pressure builds on Baby P care chief" – The Observer

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From today’s paper:

The senior council officer at the centre of the Baby P tragedy will come under intense pressure to resign from her £110,000-a-year job tomorrow, when a report by national inspectors into the failings of Haringey council is presented to the children’s secretary Ed Balls.

Westminster sources said they believed that Sharon Shoesmith, the council’s director of children’s services, would either quit ‘quietly’ of her own accord, or be put under such pressure to leave by government and opposition politicians that she would have no option but to go…

The Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone, who was a Haringey councillor at the time of the Climbié case, and whose Hornsey and Wood Green constituency covers part of the borough, said that Shoesmith had to stand down or be ousted. ‘She has to go. We cannot have a new start and restore faith in our social services when those who were responsible remain in charge.’

Robert Gorrie, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Haringey Council, says Shoesmith should not receive a ‘cosy deal’. ‘This needs to be done in a way inwhich we are not seeing payment for failure,’ he said. ‘If people are found to have failed in this crisis, we should not be negotiating deals under which they go quietly with a large pay-off.’

Haringey Council debates Baby P's death

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Haringey Labour can no longer distinguish between right and wrong. I watched some of Haringey Full Council’s meeting last night on their webcast and spoke to one of the councillors afterwards.

The first thing I saw was them misleading the Council by suggesting that the Lib Dem Group couldn’t ask questions as their Leader Robert Gorrie and Gail Engert (Schools and Children’s spokesperson for the opposition) had had sight of the full serious case review. They hadn’t – and stood up to say so – correct the record. Then the Council said that the MP had been given a copy. No I haven’t. That I had seen it. No I hadn’t. And no – I wasn’t there but one of the councillors stood up to correct that record. The MP had not received a copy nor had she seen it. I will see it later today under Privy Council terms. That was before they even got started.

What was most clear that Haringey Labour are still in the business of self-preservation before anything else. The Lib Dem Group did a fantastic job of holding Haringey’s feet to the fire – but whilst Labour didn’t use the tricks I thought they would use to block debate and to get out of their culpability they used a different one to block the vote of no confidence. They wouldn’t allow the vote – and so when I hear on the news today that Labour leaders etc survived a vote of no confidence. No they didn’t – they didn’t allow it to the vote.