Lynne Featherstone

Liberal Democrats in Tottenham have expressed dismay that the end of the financial year on 31st March will also see the end of funding to the Ladder Community Safety Partnership (LCSP), an award-winning residents' association.

Lib Dems say the news is all the more surprising, given that in the spring of 2006, Haringey Council, through "the Better Haringey Building Safer Communities Together" awards, named the it as Haringey's "Most Proactive Residents' Association."

Yet by December, Haringey Council, through the Safer Communities Partnership under the Chief Executive's Department, confirmed that it was cutting the 2006 grant in half, and that there would be no funding at all from 2007.

The LCSP, which co-ordinates the work of several neighbourhood watches and residents' associations in the Harringay Ladder, between Finsbury Park and Turnpike Lane, has for many years brought local residents, Council officers and the police together to benefit the community.

"The LCSP has acted as the eyes and ears of the Council and the police," says local councillor Karen Alexander (Lib Dem, Harringay ward). "It has identified pockets of anti-social behaviour, helped to improve Harringay Passage, a mile-long passageway through which children walk to school, and has acted as a whistle blower against unlawful developments and late-night openings."

David Schmitz, Chair of Tottenham Liberal Democrats, adds: "The grant they received was tiny, as most of their work has been done by volunteers. However, the money paid for a part-time co-ordinator who really made things happen. It's hard to imagine a falser economy than the cutting of this grant.

"The Council seem to be thinking that the new Ward Panel can take the place of the LCSP, but that's nonsense. Welcome as it is, membership is by invitation only and it emphasises police-related matters, not other things like planning control and the local environment. The panel just cannot include as many people and cover as many issues as the LCSP does."