From their their failures in child protection to the financial incompetence over Alexandra Palace, it’s the same story: wasted money, high taxes and dreadful services.
I’m often asked about why I got in to politics. The answer is simple: frustration with the incompetence of Labour-run Haringey Council! In fact, Haringey is the 4th most complained about Council in the Country.
In recent times, Haringey Council has been mismanaging our money, failing our children, and even failing to operate something as basic as a reliable bin service.
Ever since the Council introduced its new fortnightly rubbish collections, I have been contacted by hundreds of constituents who have had missed or irregular collections, leaving waste strewn on our streets. The Council has repeatedly failed to listen to residents’ complaints, and the shambles still drags on.
Children have also suffered; Haringey comes third from bottom in London in terms of primary school performance. When Liberal Democrats in Government delivered over £16 million in additional funding in the form of the pupil premium and a fairer school funding settlement, the Council somehow conspired to engineer a funding formula under which many schools are set to actually lose money!
Of course, Haringey’s Labour-run Council is no stranger to financial mismanagement. Whilst cutting essential services with the one hand, last year saw Haringey spend £2.53 million on publicity and give their outbound Chief Executive a £300,000 pay-off with the other.
If they are given the chance come the next round of local elections in 2014, I have no doubt that Haringey Liberal Democrats will give Haringey residents the vastly improved service they deserve.
More news
- Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone has today called on Labour-run Haringey Council to make use of the Sustainable Communities Act. The Act, which was passed in 2007 with cross party support, gives communities and councils the right to come up with proposals and to then submit these to central government. These proposals can be for [...] read on
- The location of the first stop on the W7 and 144 bus routes from Muswell Hill is set to change on a trial basis. The change, which was officially announced last night at a local area forum, follows a four year campaign by local Liberal Democrats. The stop is located on the steep Muswell Hill. [...] read on
- Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, today launched a campaign to address the historic health funding inequality in Haringey. As a borough, Haringey receives less funding for health services than ‘inner’ London boroughs such as Camden and Islington. The Liberal Democrat MP met last Friday with the Interim Director of NHS Haringey, CCG [...] read on
- Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone has welcomed the conclusion of the North London Waste Plan (NWLP) Examination, which effectively puts a stop to the proposed Pinkham Way development. The inspector found that the submitted NLWP was not legally compliant, and therefore he could not continue any further with the Examination. The decision was based on [...] read on
- Lynne Featherstone MP has today stepped up the pressure on Haringey Council to address residents’ concerns about the new bins on Milton Road, Milton Avenue and Northwood Road (the Miltons). The Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, along with Councillors Rachel Allison and Bob Hare, visited the Miltons in Highgate and met with [...] read on
- The results are in: which roads people think are the worst in Haringey and which community assets people want to see given special protection under new laws. You may have seen the recent news that according to the Department for Transport, Haringey now officially has the worst roads in England – a shocking statistic, but [...] read on
- Lynne Featherstone MP today demanded answers from Haringey Council, following public reports from the Parkside Malvern Residents Association that a number of young trees had been destroyed. The Association recently informed its followers on the social networking site, Twitter, that 150 tree saplings planted by residents had been destroyed. The residents speculated that Council workers [...] read on
Lynne Featherstone MP slams Haringey Council’s response on parking charges
Lynne Featherstone MP has today expressed her frustration with the parking charges set by Haringey Council, which are having a detrimental effect on many shops and businesses in Hornsey and Wood Green. In September, local business owner Chris Oswald contacted Lynne Featherstone. He reported that independent businesses have suffered months of poor trade after the [...] read on
Government encourages councils to freeze tax
Lynne Featherstone MP today welcomed a Government announcement, which encourages local councils to freeze Council Tax next year. Local authorities who freeze their Council tax will be given an extra £450million in Government funding. Last year, Haringey Council’s financial reports revealed that Labour was considering a tax rise of 2.5%, despite being offered funding from Government [...] read on
Lynne Featherstone MP demands answers on Fairer Funding allocation
Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, has today called on Labour-run Haringey Council to ensure that the distribution of new funding for education is truly fair. After a hard fought five year campaign, Lynne Featherstone and the Haringey Liberal Democrats secured fairer funding for education in Haringey. As a result of [...] read on