Lynne Featherstone

Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone spoke to almost 100 students, aged 13 to 18, at the Channing School on Friday.

The girls’ school in Highgate has an active politics society and organisers Emily Mills and Naomi Lane invited their local MP to speak about life as a Member of Parliament and a minister in the coalition government.

Lynne Featherstone described how she ran her first campaign as a design student at Oxford Polytechnic and how she later rediscovered politics and decided that the way to bring about change was to run for office.

She told the students not to hold back from getting involved in politics.

“Often when I visit schools I ask the class who wants to be Prime Minister. Many of the boys will put their hands up but very few of the girls do – but that didn’t apply to the Channing School students. It was great to see so many of them there and so many keen to get involved. There are too few women active in politics and that is something that we have to change,” she said.

Local people should be consulted on plans put forward by a mobile phone operator to install a new mobile phone mast on a sheltered housing block in Muswell Hill, Liberal Democrats have demanded.

Since early February local councillors have battled with representatives acting on behalf of Vodafone and Haringey Council to get details on how they will engage with local residents on their plans to build a mobile phone base station on the top of The Priory on Priory Road.

However, this week the Council stated that the mast can be put up without the need for a planning application as it is ‘permitted development’.

Cllr Jim Jenks has written an urgent letter to the Council and Homes for Haringey urging them to say what they are doing about consultation.

Cllr Jim Jenks (Muswell Hill) comments:

“Residents living in this sheltered accommodation block not only will have no say on these plans but it seems they have no idea that a new mobile phone mast will be built. It is unacceptable.

“I have urgently written to the Council and Homes for Haringey to ask what they will do about consulting with residents”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“I have fought many long battles alongside local residents about mobile phone masts and this is another example of the Council and distant mobile phone companies riding roughshod over local people and ignoring them.”

Lynne Featherstone MP recently met with patients and staff at the Eating Disorders Unit at St Ann’s Hospital.

The eating disorder service is a highly specialised branch of mental health which is focused on treating patients suffering severe weight loss through conditions such as anorexia and bulimia. It provides services to patients from across north London and Essex and also provides specialist in-patient services from across the country.

St Ann’s is located in Lynne Featherstone’s Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

The Liberal Democrat MP discussed the service with Maria Kane, Chief Executive of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, and with Dr Eric Johnson-Sabine who is one of the UK’s leading experts on eating disorders. She also met with other staff from the service and with some of the patients.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I was truly inspired by the visit. It was fascinating to hear of the excellent and pioneering work that the team are doing at the service. I was also glad to hear directly from some of the patients about their experiences with the service.”

To celebrate the work of youth media charity Exposure, Lynne Featherstone MP today nominated the organisation for a special MPs youth award.

The Muswell Hill based organisation that produces the Exposure Magazine by and for young people, was nominated by the Liberal Democrat MP for a Kids Count Inspiration Award for their commitment to young people in Haringey. The youth award that only MPs can send in nominations for, recognises individuals and organisations that have inspired young people in their communities.

Exposure magazine is written by and for young people and cover serious issues that affect young people, like dealing with divorce and mental health issues.

This year’s Inspiration Awards winner will be announced at the House of Commons on the 8^th May.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“Exposure is a really inspirational youth charity that does fantastic work with young people from across Haringey. They work with teenagers from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, boosting their media skills, their confidence and their CVs, and helping to pave the way for a brighter future.

“Every time I’ve visited Exposure, I have been struck by what an amazing job they do. That’s why I really jumped at the opportunity to nominate them for a Kids Count Award. They do inspirational work, and really deserve this recognition, so fingers crossed for the 8^th May.”

Exposure manager Andreas Koumi adds:

“We’re honoured to be nominated for an Inspiration Award by our local MP. It’s a tremendous boost for our staff and young people during these challenging times, and a real endorsement of the hard work they all put in.”

Lynne Featherstone MP has recently been provided with assurances from TfL that the W3 bus, which this winter has been the most complained about bus in London, will see significant improvements.

In a recent response from TfL, the Liberal Democrat MP has been given assurances that the issues that led to the vast number of complaints, to do to with an unreliable, overcrowded service, are now being resolved. The Hornsey and Wood Green MP is now planning to hold TfL to their word, by surveying bus users in a few weeks time, to see if commuters are seeing the improvements.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“With many people locally being completely reliant on the W3 bus to get to work, school or out and about, an unreliable service and overcrowded buses can mean a very bad start or end to a day, and worst case scenario leave people stranded.

“It’s essential that TfL works with the bus operators to address any reliability and overcrowding problems, and I am glad to hear that recent steps have been taken by replace old buses and resolve engineering problems.

“In a few weeks time I will launch a W3 survey to see if the service has indeed improved, so watch this space. And in the meantime, if any residents have any issues with buses, tubes or trains, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, I am here to help.”

Liberal Democrats in Government has recently announced that young people in Haringey who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), will see an investment of over £430,000 to get them earning or learning again.

As part of Nick Clegg’s Youth Contract, the Coalition Government will, for the first time, target funding through tailored support on a payment-by-results system to 16 and 17-year-olds with no GCSEs at A* – C who are at the highest risk of long-term disengagement.

Commenting, Lynne Featherstone MP said:

“We’re doing the right thing in government and supporting young people in Haringey who have had difficulty finding a job or training when they’ve left school.

“This funding will ensure they receive personal, targeted support from experts to help them develop the confidence and skills that they need to stay in education or find a job.

“Youth unemployment here in Haringey is very high, and it’s absolutely right that although money is tight, we’re prioritising investment in the Youth Contract to get young people earning or learning.”

Commenting further, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said:

“Sitting at home with nothing to do when you’re so young can knock the stuffing out of you for years. It is a tragedy for the young people involved and a ticking time bomb for the economy and our society as a whole. This problem isn’t new, but in the current economic climate we urgently need to step up efforts to ensure some of our most troubled teenagers have the skills, confidence and opportunities to succeed.

“Many of them will have complex problems: truancy, teenage pregnancy, a lack of GCSEs and health problems. So helping them onto their feet will not be without challenges and Government cannot do this alone. But we all have a duty to reach out to the young people who can be hardest to reach.”

Gene Spencer-Salmon is one of a record number of young people who are pursuing apprenticeships in Haringey this year. Lynne Featherstone MP met with the Haringey Adult Learning Services apprentice on Friday to hear about his experiences and to highlight the rise in the number of apprenticeships.

Gene, who lives in Hornsey, won a place on a scheme working with Haringey Adult Learning Service. The 18 year old apprentice had been looking for work but had not been able to find a job because of his lack of work experience. His place on the nine-month long scheme will give him experience of a wide range of tasks at the service which is based at Wood Green Library.

New figures reveal that record numbers of young people are benefitting from apprenticeships. More than 1,200 people started apprenticeships across Haringey in the year 2010/11.

The Government is providing extra help to enable small employers to hire their first apprentices. It will also continue to develop new advanced and higher-level apprenticeships to deliver the world-class skills that people need to get ahead.

Lynne Featherstone MP commented:

“Gene’s experience shows how investment in apprenticeships can provide great opportunities for young people who are looking for work. Apprenticeships equip young people with the skills needed to get jobs and build prosperous careers.

“470 apprenticeships started up in Hornsey and Wood Green alone in the Government’s first year in office. That’s compared to 160 in the year before. Early figures for the current year indicate that the numbers are continuing to grow.

“Liberal Democrats have long been fighting for more investment in apprenticeships, in opposition and in Government, and I am delighted that Business Secretary Vince Cable has been able to deliver such a big increase in schemes that will make a huge difference to young people’s lives.”

To meet the local heroes who have kept a local luncheon club open despite loss of Council funding, Lynne Featherstone MP and Councillor David Winksill this week, visited Woodside House in Wood Green.

The visit included talking with luncheon club users about how they have managed to keep the Tuesday club going despite the complete cut in funding by the Labour Council last year. Whilst the club is now run by volunteers, it no longer provides hot meals or personal or medical help due to the lack of permanent staff. Uncertainty remains as to whether the current service will be able to keep going without more help.

Local Liberal Democrats have recently unearthed £1.5million that has been left unspent in the Council’s Older People’s Budget this year. This has raised serious questions as to why drop-in centres, day centres and luncheon clubs (like those in Woodside House) have closed if funding is still available. Only two of Hornsey and Wood Green’s four luncheon clubs have managed to stay open, leaving many older people in the borough without this essential lifeline.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“I am so impressed with these local heroes who have soldiered on to keep the Woodside luncheon club open, despite the loss of funding last year. But it’s been tough for them, they are now running a much reduced service and the future of the club is uncertain without cash to keep it going.

“Luncheon clubs are cheap to run, but give so much back, both to the individual and society at large. A little would go such a long way, and Haringey’s older people deserve to get their luncheon clubs back.”

Liberal Democrat Adult Social Services spokesperson Councillor David Winskill adds:

“It’s frankly appalling that the Labour Council has cut so fast and deep that £1.5million for older people’s services remain unspent this year. The money could have gone to keep luncheon clubs in the borough open. It’s clear from speaking to club users here today, that this service is loved and treasured, and sometimes the only opportunity some older people have to get out and meet other people.

“I am urging this Labour Council to put some money back into services that were cut last year to help support this very vulnerable group. The luncheon clubs are too important for Haringey’s older people and I hope that Labour Councillors will agree to my suggestions.”

Lynne Featherstone MP’s Christmas card competition winner Phoebe Brady on Friday joined the MP for an exclusive tour of the Olympic Park.

The Rhodes Avenue student won the prize after her drawing was chosen for the cover of the Liberal Democrat MP’s 2011 Christmas card. This winter, to mark the London 2012 games, the theme was an ‘Olympic Christmas.’

The 9 year old was joined by her parents, Lynne and some fellow classmates on a special bus tour of the Olympic Park, and saw the now near-completed Olympic venues, some of which will remain after the games this summer.  As a special prize, Phoebe also got to wear Jonathan Edward’s Olympic gold medal from the 2000 Sydney Games.

Lynne Featherstone MP comments:

“We’ve had a really memorable afternoon here at the Olympic Park. It was great to be able to offer such a special prize this year, to get us all warmed up for the summer’s games.

“All the Olympic venues have their own special design, and it was fascinating to see how the park is gradually coming together – with some work still left to be done!

“Phoebe seemed to really enjoy herself – and rightly so, she was a really worthy winner and her winning design was very beautiful. Thank you also to the Olympic organisers for a great afternoon.”

Documents revealed last week show how Labour councillors propose to spend over one million pounds next year on creating a fund which has no agreed plan or purpose and has the name of the party’s election manifesto.

Local Liberal Democrats have branded the £1.2million ‘One Borough, One Future fund’ a Labour slush fund which is aimed to promote political aims and pay for Labour pet projects.

Cllr Paul Strang, Haringey Liberal Democrat Resources Spokesperson, comments:

“I’m appalled that Labour have decided to take £1.2million of public money, that could be spent on front-line services, out of the Council’s budget to spend on their pet projects when, in their own words, public services are facing unprecedented reductions in spending.

“You don’t call a fund after the title of your political manifesto if it isn’t going to be spent on politically motivated projects. The fact Labour have no plans as to how this money can be spent shows they haven’t learnt from their years of wasteful spending.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“Labour has cut treasured front-line services, but feel its right to spend £1.2million on yet to be defined projects. That is frankly outrageous.

“The local community should have a say on how this money should be spent or it should be reinvested in the services that Labour has decided to cut.”