Lynne's Parliament and Haringey diary

A few days ago I wrote about the huge financial headache left when tube maintenance company Metronet collapsed. Labour has now had to bail out the mess - a mess caused by their part-privatisation of our tube network in the first place.

It again shines a light on one of the real problems with these sorts of PPP deals: there were sold as shifting the risk to the private sector (who also got the chance to make profits). Instead, we've seen firms making profits - but in the end the risk still stays with us taxpayers. As Norman Baker (Lib Dem MP and general scourge of all things wrong) put it: "Just like Northern Rock, the private sector takes the profit when they can, and the public sector bails them out when matters go pear-shaped."

The one small piece of good news in all this? The bailout bill looks to be coming in at £1.7 billion rather than £1.9 billion.

Labels: gordon brown, norman baker, tfl

As if the £50 billion plus pumped into saving Northern Rock wasn't enough, this week brought more bad news for Gordon Brown's record of prudence.

The Commons Transport Committee published a report into the collapse of Metronet (and good to see Brian Paddick getting into that story too - read more here). Metronet was one of the private contractors foisted on London's tube at the insistence of Gordon Brown and his inner circle, who were determined to part-privatise the tube network come what may.

The result? A badly thought out, badly implemented and hugely expensive scheme. Just setting up the deal cost huge amounts of money - putting together mindbogglingly complicated contracts and running up extra borrowing costs. In 2004 the National Audit Office put the cost put introducing part-privatisation at approaching £1 billion - yes billion: £455 million in legal etc costs in drawing up the scheme and £450 million in extra borrowing costs.

So - Metronet collapsed,upgrade and maintenance work in doubt and a huge bill floating around that someone will have to pick up. Not exactly a proud track-record for Labour when it comes to London's public services!

Labels: brian paddick, gordon brown, tfl

Transport for London's Peter Hendy has agreed to a TfL making a site visit to discuss the vexed question of the location of Highgate Village's main bus stand.

The solution I'm after is an extension of the vital 271 to East Finchley - so it connects better with other local services and East Finchley tube station. This would not only create more joined-up bus services, but would also allow the removal of the bus stand - greatly improving Pond Square. Better bus services and a better space for the community - it'd be a matter of win, win.

You can read more details of the story here and you can read the Hornsey Journal's coverage of the story here.

Labels: peter hendy, tfl

Excellent news has just come through about the 210 bus route - it's going double-decker. That means more space on the buses, hurrah!

This will kick off on 16th February. It's a shame that it has taken Transport for London so long to respond to the issue - but credit where credit is due, they have now.

Labels: tfl

Haringey PCT presented their update on Hornsey Hospital to a meeting yesterday. The good news (potentially) is that they have financial closure and the building will be built. The battle now is over what services get provided, which GPs will be based there, how local pharmacies will be impacted as they want a bit of a pharmacy on site, whether extra public transport can be provided (it is served only by one bus currently) and how all of this will be decided. Will consultation be wide and reach all users and stakeholders? And will we and our GPs be listened to?

It was an extremely robust meeting. The Better Local Healthcare Campaign group are extremely concerned that this is a privatisation of our health care. They raised the issue of the building actually being used for residential or commercial purposes. Richard Sumray, the Chair of Haringey PCT, denied this categorically and said whilst it had been in early proposals as alternatives - it had fallen as they had managed to find funding without the need for either of those proposals.

There is no doubt that there will be some private provision. That is Labour's avowed proposition - that 15% of our health provision will come from the private sector. However, from what I could tell at the meeting, there is a fundamental commitment to this being and remaining an NHS service. I guess that we all have so little faith in what the Labour government tells us - especially because there have been so many varied incarnations of promises on Hornsey Hospital - that we are all concerned that what we are told may not be what happens.

My key issue is GP practices. The Trust is quite clear that some current GPs will have to move into the new, super-centre - otherwise it would not be viable. They deny absolutely that they are looking for a 50,000 patient list - but that they will commence with 15,000 rising to 25,000 years hence. Moreover - all practices will be able to use the new facilities - and thus a network of better health services will be provided locally.

My concern, which I raised pretty strongly, was that all the GPs and practices are really brought into the planning of this new facility. I have had reports from GPs of feeling pressured, being concerned that if they don't move in or do what the Trust wants they will be punished financially and so on. So I asked the Chair about coercion, punishment, engagement etc with GPs and they absolutely promised that this (engagement, not punishment!) starts now. If they do work together - then this could be a real step forward. If the Trust steamrollers its way through and doesn't listen to local people and GPs - it will be the opposite.

In terms of the concerns around local pharmacies in Crouch End being adversely affected - the Trust seems to be talking to them about them forming a collective to run the new pharmacy themselves. If this could come to fruition that would be a good way forward and an inclusive one. I haven't heard recently from the local pharmacies - so I hope that it is as we were told at the meeting.

Lastly - transport. You couldn't choose a worse placed site for lack of public transport. Only one bus now runs there. I have twice met with Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport in London on this issue - as the last thing we should be creating is more car journeys or poor access to such a facility for local people. On each occasion Peter has said - when it is a live project - let me know.

Well - with financial closure this is very live! And as my Lib Dem colleague Cllr Gail Engert (Muswell Hill) pointed out - it takes Transport for London a couple of years generally to get going on a new route (let alone the decade it took for the 603). So after the meeting I suggested to Richard that now is the moment to really push the transport aspect forward.

More generally - Richard Sumray has promised that over the coming weeks and months we will be given specifics and be consulted on this. I have over the recent weeks put out a health survey door to door (cos not everyone goes to these meetings or even hears about them) and part of the health survey is about what local people want at Hornsey Hospital. When they all come back - I will be feeding in the views to the Health Trust too.

Labels: gail engert, hornsey central hospital, nhs, peter hendy, richard sumray, tfl

Once more the long fought for, hard won - but still inadequate - 603 Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage bus route is in the frame! Having met with Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport a couple of weeks ago - and harangued him over having more operating hours for the 603 (as I always do) - post meeting it transpired that a review is in train (or in bus to be more accurate).

So I have written to Peter Hendy as below - and would encourage everyone who agrees that the 603 should firstly be retained, and secondly have its hours of operations expanded to either write to me at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA or email me at featherstonel@parliament.uk and I will pass on all responses to Peter Hendy.

They consult with stakeholders (local authority etc) but if you ask me - it's the people who use or need this route who are the real stakeholders - so make sure you have your say too!


Dear Peter

At our recent meeting when I raised the issue extending the hours of operation of the 603 (as I always do!) you said that the route would be coming up for review and that you would let me know more about it. So I thank you for following up on that discussion – but – the information subsequently passed to me by your office alarmed me.

Far from ‘coming up for review’ it would seem that the 603 is actually under review at the moment. The message I received says that views of stakeholders have been sought already.

Views of stakeholders like the Local Authority and other organizations (which I assume are the sort of stakeholders referred to) are undoubtedly important – but surely in this case – where the route is a response to local peoples’ need (only met to a small extent by a school hours bus) – Transport for London would want to know from those local people what demand is there for both the existing hours and extensions to those hours.

I would like your assurance that no decisions will be taken before I have had the chance to inform my constituents of the review – and given them the opportunity to feed in their views. And I would like an assurance from you that you will take their views on board.

As you know, I believe that this service is highly valuable and personally believe it should be extended through the day and evening.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Lynne Featherstone MP
Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green

Labels: 603 bus, peter hendy, tfl

Wednesday evening met with Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London. My three asks were: extending the 603 bus route to run all day and evening (as always); the transport issues around the new London Health Trust plans including the polyclinics (we need to ensure there are good public transport links for any such); and whether he would think about encouraging car clubs (where people share cars) via a congestion charge incentive.

So - number 1 - the 603 bus from Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage. Well - the possibly good news is that it comes up for review next year. So our job is to make sure we feed into that review with thousands of requests to extend the operating hours from its current school run times only. People keep asking me about this - so we will have to ramp up our campaign again.

On number 2 - well it was interesting - because there are huge transport implications in the proposals to restructure health services. Firstly - the need to access in emergency for stroke, heart attack and major trauma the proposed super-specialist hospitals. Surely travel time trials from every part of London need to be done to establish the worst scenario time taken when traffic is bad and no air ambulance available? If we can't get the victims to the right place in time - then this plan won't work.

Secondly, the establishment of polyclinics - which are to serve up to 50,000 residents - may raise big transport issues. Will people be able to get to the polyclinics in reasonable time and at reasonable cost?

Peter was saying that this could be an issue and was going to arrange to meet with the Government to talk over the transport implications. Hurrah!

On number 3 - yes - Peter is considering how best to encourage the expansion of car clubs - so he agreed to look at the congestion charge in that regard - but I think any discount will be along the lines of discounts to people within the zone but not outside. Anyway - it is in and on his mind.

Update: you can read my article subsequent article about polyclinics here.

Labels: 603 bus, nhs, peter hendy, polyclinics, tfl

Mosey along to the 'consultation' on the plans for Parkland Walk. It would seem from the number of times that officers told me that the priority for the walk was its role as a nature reserve followed by a walk for pedestrians - that the message has got through from we local people.

The fear was that Haringey Council - in order to get the dosh from Transport for London (from their cycling department) - were going to turn Parkland Walk into a commuter cycle track. I had, subsequent to hearing local peoples' concerns, got with a Freedom of Information request documentary evidence that indeed that was what the Parkland Walk money was for.

Having put this in the public domain and got loads and loads of people to give me their views on the then proposals (which I forwarded to the Council consultation), it would now seem from looking at today's plans that the Council has taken note. Mainly the grant now seems to be being proposed to be used for improving access, patching paths, putting in drainage and introducing better signing.

It was still quite hard to tell what surface material they were proposing for the patching of the paths - as they displayed a range of about four - with no indiction of their favourites.

If the work goes ahead as displayed - outside of a bit of concern about the steps that will be replaced by ramps for cycles, wheelchairs and buggies - it looks OK.

So - fingers crossed!

Labels: parkland walk, tfl

A quick update on the saga of the Finsbury Park sign that puts Highbury & Islington on the Northern Line - Tim O'Toole from Transport for London has got back in touch with me:

Dear Lynne

I refer to your email dated 5 June and addressed to Peter Hendy. I have been asked to respond.

The sign is certainly misleading and the local Group Station Manager has arranged to have it amended.

The comment [on your blog] posted by Mr Mark Valladares, is indeed correct. The line from Finsbury Park to Moorgate was, until the 1970s, a spur ofthe Northern line. This is the type of quirk one finds on such an oldsystem and that is treasured by the cognoscenti. You are right toexpect us to eliminate such items, however.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Yours sincerely

Tim O'Toole

Now that's what I like - Tim O'Toole, hands on and dealing with it! Thanks Tim and all hail the power of the internet!

Labels: peter hendy, tfl, tim o'toole

Met with Streetcar. This is a car club. For those who don’t know - car clubs are just that. You become a member of the club and you can 'buy' access to a car, which will be stationed relatively near to you for an hourly, or 24 hour fee. It's secured with a sort of version of the Oyster Card that unlocks the door - and then you have a pin number to feed into a gismo that removes the immobiliser and releases you the key to start it up.

There was one (well two actually) parked on the special on-street spaces reserved by the council in Islington (Lib Dem run of course!) for the car club – which is being enthusiastically backed by the council. Car clubs typically remove 20 private cars for each one of their cars. It is economic to the club member (only pay for a car when you need it), great for reducing congestion and car parking stress - and research amongst members demonstrates that people drive less miles per annum than they did when they owned their own car.

So - Cllr Ed Butcher (Lib Dem, Stroud Green) and I were meeting with Streetcar to see how they were progressing with breaking into the Haringey market. Opening gambits have been made - but I am sure Ed will be seeking to help them on their way. Transport for London gives funding to boroughs to promote the introduction of car clubs - so where there is money Haringey can be directed!

Labels: tfl

You would have thought Transport for London would know where their own tube stations are ... but as this photo of one of the signs at Finsbury Park shows, they don't! (Here's a hint: Highbury and Islington isn't on the Northern Line...). Time for a quick email to TfL methinks...

Labels: tfl

Well, well, well! So when the hundred and fifty or so residents who came to the recent Area Assembly asked Haringey Council whether the fact that the funding for Parkland Walk came from Transport for London’s cycling department meant that they wanted increased cyclists and increased speeds and the Council said no - they were comprehensively mislead (and that is a polite term) - and the Labour councillors present just sat their silent.

How do I know we were misled? Well – I’ve bunged in a freedom of information request to see what (Labour-run!) Haringey Council really said in its bid submission to Transport for London and the results have just come back.

And the bid from the Council actually says that Haringey Council wants to increase cycling speeds on the Parkland Walk through "decreasing journey times for cyclists" and to "increase in the number of people cycling".

From the details of the bid, Haringey Council clearly have been given this money to turn the Parkland Walk into a cycle speedway – but they haven’t admitted this to residents. Now - I could point to a hundred roads in the borough where the cycling provision is poor to dangerous and yet Haringey went for £400,000 for a cycling speedway that’s clearly quite inappropriate for Parkland Walk. The Council should have consulted residents before (yes – before you make the decision, that’s what really consultation means) they entered into this pact with Transport for London.

This issue just runs and runs!

Note: You can still take part in my online survey on the future of Parkland Walk.

Labels: parkland walk, tfl

I've now written to Peter Hendy at Transport for London about the plans for Parkland Walk. You can read my letter here.

UPDATE: You can take part in my online survey now at http://www.libertyresearch.org.uk/take/103

Labels: parkland walk, peter hendy, tfl

Yes - stuff is happening outside of the elections across the nations but not London - and tonight it was off to the Crouch End, Hornsey & Stroud Green Neighbourhood Assembly. The big issue of the night is the proposals for improving Parkland Walk. Now - you have to realise that this linear park / nature reserve is loved and there is an army of people who fight to protect it against all harm (even when well-meaning). There are clearly areas which could do with a bit of improvement - as David Warren, Chair of the Friends of Parkland walk made clear: the drainage, signing and repairing broken steps and improving access for people with disabilities and mothers with babies.

The deep suspicion that was voiced by many in the packed meeting was that the funding for the improvements comes from Transport for London's cycling improvement budget. And what was crystal clear from the meeting, was that whilst recreational / occasional cyclists are just about welcomed (who don't speed, are polite and aren't commuters), a significant increase in cycling would be absolutely terrible. Spend the money on cycle lanes on roads - that's where it's needed to improve cycling shouted the crowd.

Whilst officers tried to reassure the public that the improvements would not 'widen' the path, the meanders would be left in and that there would be no attempt to create a 'smooth cycle way' but only patching the path where necessary - the public did not seem reassured.

And I wasn't convinced either. So I will be writing to Transport for London to ask what they believe from Haringey's bid will be provided for improvements for cycling on Parkland Walk - and to Haringey for sight of the bid itself.

To turn it into a cycle path or encourage more or faster cyclists would be completely wrong. Yes - we want more cycling in London - but we want proper cycle lanes on roads for commuters - not bunging them off road to spoil the idyll of this woodland nature reserve and the rights of pedestrians to enjoy it without fear of being hit!

UPDATE: You can take part in my online survey now at http://www.libertyresearch.org.uk/take/103

Labels: parkland walk, tfl

Off to the launch this morning of a new bus safety initiative which will see eighteen Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) on duty in and around transport hubs - kicked off this morning at Turnpike Lane Bus Station.

It is an extension of the partnership between Transport for London (TfL) and the Met Police brokered by the Greater London Authority (GLA). The reason for it? Well, if you map crime - you would quickly find that the hot spots are transport corridors and transport hubs – particularly around the time schools come out and at night (especially Friday and Saturday nights I believe). So this scheme puts more people in uniform on site to deter and tackle crime.

Very welcome, especially as when I have been knocking on doors in Wood Green, the absolute most common issue raised with me is that of crime and fear of crime. We should all be able to go out and onto transport without fear. This move is a real step forward – hurrah!

Labels: crime, tfl

You might know that changes are planned to the timetable of the W3 bus, which goes from Finsbury Park past Alexandra Palace through Wood Green to Northumberland Park.

Transport for London would like to make it a 24 hour service, with buses running in both directions, every half hour, throughout the night.

Obviously this will benefit many people, as it will help night-shift workers to get home without having to drive, which should bring down the amount of night-time car noise and pollution. It will also help party-goers get home safely and should discourage people from drink driving.

However, the buses themselves could also cause more night-time noise and vibrations and some people on the route might be worried that their sleep could be disturbed.

Transport for London are currently consulting on the plans and I really think that local people’s concerns should be part of that. I believe that decisions are always best made at a local level, by the people who will be most closely affected.

So if you have any opinions on the scheme, positive or negative, please let me and I will pass them on to TfL. Their consultation finishes on 27 April 2007, so please get back to me before then - either by commenting below or by contacting me direct.

Labels: tfl

Briefing for the London MPs by Transport for London (TfL). Felt like my old stomping ground as five years on the GLA’s Transport Committee stands you in good stead for knowing just what they are talking about.

What glared at me was the lack of planning for capacity increases to cope with the increased transport demands coming from Mayor Ken's housing program for London.

We get the houses (much needed) but not the infrastructure to go with it - in this case the extra public transport.

The other glaring issue is the set of glitches (polite term) for the PPP tube contracts. I've asked for the performance statistics - as it might very well appear that the failure rate is once more increasing. One wonders whether we are even getting the bangs for bucks that were contracted for - let alone what we might have been aspiring to.We'll see when the stats come through.

Other than that it was really TfL's projections and planning up to 2025. Yes - it's all the right words - but in the end it’s the dosh that will make the real difference.

Labels: tfl

Hurrah! Transport for London is finally proposing to extend the 102 bus route by giving it a half-hourly service at night.

My Lib Dem colleague Cllr Gail Engert (Muswell Hill, my old ward!) has been campaigning for this - so congrats to Gail.

You can read more in the story on my website - including crucially how you can have your say on these plans.

Labels: gail engert, tfl

Main event of the day was a public meeting organised by Save Hornsey Hospital Campaign titled 'Save Local Health Services under Threat' - which they most certainly are.

I was chairing the meeting and there were a number of speakers, including a really impressive doctor Jacky Davis who told it how it is. She laid out quite clearly the scenarios which are leading to the privatisation of the NHS and demonstrated the harmful effect that so called 'patient choice' has had in letting the private sector cherry pick - whilst the NHS (our NHS) is left with less funds and all the difficult cases.

We also had Maria Duggan - a local health expert and local resident - who spoke passionately about the death of services for older people in the west of Haringey. We have very high numbers of older people in the wards in the west of the borough - more than in the east - and yet no council facilities grace the west.

The long-promised all singing all dancing replacement facility for older people that was meant to be delivered in exchange for stopping the campaign to save Hornsey Central Hospital has never materialised.

In fact, the only bit of the proposals to supply beds for older people on the site has collapsed - a mix between Haringey Council withdrawing their sponsorship of that bit and the Primary Care Trust (PCT) taking so long and changing tack so many times that the Council gave up trying to work with them.

The Lib Dems have been campaigning for 'Action Now' on Hornsey Central Hospital after the six years of broken promises. Our fight is to make sure that health services are finally delivered – and that the development is about what is needed and wanted locally.

Shirley Murgraff - a long-standing community campaigner - tried to get across the urgency and extent of what was happening in the NHS and to get people signed up to the National Campaign to Keep the NHS. Richard Stein laid out the legal possibilities of challenging what is happening.

Sue Secher, Sue Hessel and Janet Shapiro all gave rousing speeches and more people are needed to sign up to the campaign. There are a number of fronts to be fought on – from pressurising Haringey Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee to making sure everyone local to Fortis Green clinic is aware that they can now put in their two pennies worth on its proposed closure.

There was a representative from the PCT there who tried to say that they were consulting. But as the 'discussion' (she was careful to make this distinction) will only be advertised through the newspaper or on lampposts – so there will be another job to do to make sure that people really know what is going on.

The bid to the Government for £7million towards the cost of the new proposed health facility on the Hornsey Central Hospital site will soon be decided. Together with £3.5 million from a LIFT project and the sale of two clinics and some land - this delivers the £14 million funding for the new facility. Of course - the problems are around how much will be private and what will be additional rather than shuffling deckchairs.

The Liberal Democrats have a 5-point plan for Hornsey Central if the bid comes in - which is why I have supported the bid. My pragmatic stance is: let’s get the £7 million and then fight to get what local people want out of it. To get the money we have to jump through some of the Government’s hoops – however much we might disagree with them.


The five points are:

1. More GPs and clinic sessions provided - not just the existing GPs and clinics we already have reshuffled and centralised. There needs to be a real dialogue between the PCT and local GPs to ensure what is provided is wanted by the practices. It is essential that coverage of GPs and GP practices across the area remains and that there is a net gain.

2. Real engagement and consultation with patients, residents, voluntary organisations and health workers over the development and relocation of services. As the promise was originally to replace the services for older people - their needs must be addressed and therefore full engagement with older residents is a priority.

3. Improved public transport to Hornsey Hospital, to ensure it is accessible – particularly for older people and parents with young children. The PCT needs to work with Transport for London to get existing bus routes extended to reach the site and the W2 route reinstated as a minimum.

4. Protect our community pharmacies by working with existing pharmacists and carrying out an impact assessment before opening a new pharmacy at the Hospital.

5. Ensure that the proceeds of any land or property sale go back into site.

This is not an exhaustive list and there are lots of pitfalls and dangers - but at least if we can fight for net gain and proper, and I mean proper, engagement - then just perhaps we can squeeze something out of the current disaster.

Anyway - top marks to the Save Hornsey Central Hospital campaigners who had worked so hard to get this meeting together. It can be very hard work to get people informed and out of their houses - but the hall was packed and the passions ran really high.

Labels: hornsey central hospital, nhs, tfl

Yesterday I met the Leader of Camden Council, Keith Moffat, in Highgate Village to make him see for himself how destructive Camden's proposals to stand buses outside the restaurants on South Grove would be. If Transport for London will consider the Highgate Society's plan to move the whole caboodle - this might turn into a golden opportunity to sort the village out. Fortunately, Keith saw immediately the problem and promised to look into the issue further.

It's the subject of my latest column:

The plan to start parking buses alongside the restaurants in Highgate Village is insane. The bus stands should never have been sited 30 years ago in the middle of the Village on the opposite side of the road from the restaurants anyway - but to propose parking them on the same (south) side as the restaurants ... !

You can read the full piece on my website.

Labels: tfl

Happy Birthday to me! Happy birthday - well more accurately - to my blog! Three years old today. I do sometimes wonder who reads it. I know several thousand different people do a month - but I don't know if it serves the primary purpose that I started it for. I wanted to give an account of myself and my actions as an elected public servant - particularly to my local residents so that they could see what I did with my time and the role which they had elected me.

Obviously, over time, blogs have become source of fodder for media and opponents, the wider party et al. And now are the flavour of the month. I've started doing small films too - to see if that makes 'politics' more digestible and I note this morning that Dave ‘I'm a nice guy’ Cameron is doing 'home' movies on his new blog. His children are young now and he may think they look cute and seeing him at home makes him more digestible - but he risks abdicating his right to his childrens' privacy if he uses them for political advantage. Dangerous territory.

Anyway - back to my Blog Birthday: I've had a look through some of my old entries (the very first should be in the running for an award for least interesting first blog posting I think!).

Most interestingly - lo and behold, the entry for 6th October 2003 is about travel planning - and now three years on, travel planning appears to be on our doorsteps in Hornsey & Wood Green. I had an irate email from a local resident who campaigns on various issues to ask if I thought that there was a plot to target rich car owners as everyone in western Haringey was being asked to consider their travel planning.

I got a letter myself - and actually I welcome this move, because travel planning is all about making it eaiser for people to use public transport by helping them figure out how the journeys they normally take by car would work out using public transport. It's often much easier and quicker to use public transport than people think - so you need to work with people one by one to show them how their own journeys would work on public transport. Where this has been done - e.g. in Perth, Australia - it's been very successful. Let people be free to make their own choices - but make sure they have the full information to make those choices. Very liberal!

If you read that old blog entry, you can see what my thinking was back three years ago when I was championing travel planning and nagging Transport for London to get pilots up and running.

I am writing to Peter Hendy to ascertain that this is what the letters and surveys in my constituency are about - but I'm pretty sure that's what is going on and if so - hurrah. It's a qualified 'hurrah' though - until I find out how they are doing it, what resource they are putting into it and what shift they are expecting. But basically - this is really good news - and it's only taken three years to permeate - not bad!

Labels: peter hendy, tfl

Surgery all morning at Wood Green Library. Got more information now about the death of Joyce Vincent - the woman found in a Wood Green flat having been dead for two to three years. She had been housed by the Metropolitan Housing Association. In the end it was their bailiffs who went in because of the need to repossess the flat due to rent arrears. Her rent had been party paid by benefits and, I believe, started off in credit. Anyway - seemed to me that three years was a very long time to wait to chase up money owing and neighbours reported that usually - if they owed money - Metropolitan was on to them quite quickly. Well - I had an example walk through my surgery door where Metropolitan were going for eviction after three months of a new tenant. I am trying to stop it because - as is so often the case – the problem was with their benefits not being paid properly. But the point is - if they were so quick off the mark in this instance, what happened to make them wait three years in Joyce Vincent's case? A question for the Chief Exec next week at our meeting I think.

Rush on to a meeting of Highgate Woods Committee (run by Corporation of London and local residents who are community minded). I just really wanted to show my support for the work of these dedicated souls who watch over our precious woods and care on our behalf. Highgate Woods are beautiful - they have that special atmosphere that you only get in woodlands (Queens Wood has it too). Sometimes I think we don't really know how lucky we are - or all use it to best advantage. In fact the Corporation are to do a survey around people who live near the woods. I think it will be very interesting to learn what use people who live right there make of the woods - and if they don't, why they don't. Up to now surveys have been of users. Just as with buses - my old argument with Transport for London bus surveys was that they were always preaching to the converted in their surveys. What you really want is a survey that goes to everyone who lives within 5 minutes of a bus route to discover why they are not using their local services.

Anyway - I told the committee that I had actually mentioned Highgate Woods in my maiden speech - albeit only to mention that that is where I used to play kiss chase with other kids from Highgate Primary!

Just a footnote on the rolling news re Charles Clarke and the released murderers, rapists and so on. Several have now turned up and turned out to have been reconvicted for new offences. I'm sorry but this is hardly a surprise when there is a recidivist rate of 60% within two years. This was inevitable. And as to the view that Clarke is the best person to sort this out and therefore he should stay in post - this is a ridiculous hypothesis. Firstly - he didn't tackle it effectively - even though he knew. Secondly it would seem that there is a view that there is no one better who could take his place anyway - a sad reflection if the case.

(You can sign the petition calling for him to go at www.libdems.org.uk/charles-clarke.html)

What I will say for Charles is that he has not tried to shift the blame to his Ministers. 'Cos basically it's the two Macs. McNulty and McTaggart in the Commons and Baroness Scotland in the Lords who between them have the responsibility for prisons and immigration. Clarke is right to take it on his shoulders - for that at least, I give him credit.

Labels: charles clarke, tfl

Give live interview to LBC on London Underground's move towards introducing the technology that will allow mobile phones on the tube.

I remember arguing with Tim O'Toole (MD London Underground for Transport for London) when I was still on the London Assembly - and we then came out against them as he could not reassure me about the risks involved following the Madrid bomb - which was set off by a mobile phone. And I had a sneaky suspicion that the risk might be being minimised befause of the very attractive revenue stream that accompanies mobile phones.

However, time has passed. I am more reassured than I was - and on balance the benefits of being contactable during an emergency or even if scared outweigh the fears. Also - as we now know - the Madrid bomb was set off by the timing device - and so didn't need a signal anyway.

On a personal note however, those bloody ringtones. Now - there really will be no hiding place.

Labels: tfl, tim o'toole

Digital Conference on Thursday. I am not sure how I got to be keynote speaker at this breakfast at the RSA - but here I am. The company that invited me - Panlogic - turns out to have come across me through one of their directors living in the constituency, reading my blog and visiting my website. As the research they are launching today is basically about e-marketing and demonstrates that the age group between 50 and 65 (us ex-hippies with conscience, peace and love man) are still desperately caring people who want to engage in issues and change things for the better. I think their research is spot on.

Day of two speeches really. In the evening I go to one of those wonderful old city halls as keynote speaker at the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers' Dinner. To you and me - a black cab evening. I am hand-clapped in with the 'Master' and other honoured guests in time honoured tradition. I get a quick briefing on how I will address the company. Dinner is enjoyable and I am lucky in that the guest to my right, the Master and the Master Clock Maker (a woman on the other side of the Master) are all absolutely delightful company. In fact, Diana, turns out to have been a constituent but has moved away now. She is a wonderful example of the changing face of the city in that she is the first-ever female Master Clock Maker - and that spans about four centuries.

Anyway, I am there to give a speech after dinner. I have crafted it quite carefully as the LTDA (one of the representative groups for drivers) has previously attacked me for saying there are not enough cabs around due to a driver shortage. They counter-claimed saying that you never have to wait longer than 19 seconds to hail a taxi in central London. Tell that to poor Susan Kramer who waited 25 minutes outside Parliament only this last week! It was rubbish - but there is a kind of jobs for the boys section of the trade who do not actually want to reach the targets set by Transport for London. Last year when I annoyed them evidence had gone to the Transport for London Board showing that there was a shortage of 1,200 black cabs and 4,500 private hire cabs. The concern has to be that if there are not legitimate cabs to hand - people will use the touts with all the dangers that entails.

I wafted across the need to crack down on touts, the Olympics and told my David Blunkett joke. And then home. Or so I thought. Having come by Tube, I got on the Tube home. But - hey ho - it's the Northern Line and the Barnet branch was suspended. So I got off at Camden and after half an hour waiting for my 19-second taxi I got back on the Tube and went to Golders Green. No 210 and no taxi. Dying of cold and now about quarter to one in the morning, I phoned a private hire company and eventually a mini-cab came for me.

Labels: david blunkett, olympics, susan kramer, tfl

Morning in surgery as usual. And then go to meet the temporary Chief Exec of Haringey Council about two families waiting to be re-housed. Both these families have a disabled child and both are desperate to be re-housed because - as the children have grown up (one is now 11) - carrying them up narrow stairs has become impossible. Have called this meeting because have simply been getting the run-around from Haringey Council. And I simply don't believe that no three-bedroom house has come up in the five years that family one has been waiting!

The Chief Exec is there with the officer in charge of allocations. Clearly on the defensive – but also didn’t get all their facts rights. The contents per se of the meeting has to remain confidential at this moment in time - but both families are now well and truly at the top of the agenda. Whilst they have totally different situations - at least the publicity and effort will hopefully sort this out soon.

What I was under-whelmed with was the idea that Haringey can try to so easily wash its hands of a family. It is disgusting. Furthermore, I don't believe no houses have come up in the last five years that could not, with a bit of work, have been made suitable. The policy of having to wait for an adapted house in every case is ridiculous if you are not creating adequate facilities for those with disabilities in the first place.

I have never managed to get 'evidence' as yet as to why some people get allocated what they want and others wait years in seemingly equivalent situations. If anyone can ever bring me evidence rather than rumour that some people are getting round the system, I would be very happy to take it further - but without actual evidence it is impossible to prove.

Then off I go to see the last part of a Mobility Exercise Programme in Hornsey where some of our older citizens are being taught exercises in a class which keeps them mobile and probably saves the NHS a fortune in medical bills. It is just wonderful.

I have been brought in by the teacher for two reasons. One: the funding has been cut and is running out - so a weekly class is now once every two weeks and floundering. And two: there is no transport in the whole area in and around the Campsbourne Estate - so people are having trouble getting to the class. The council officers are there - and having heard I was coming had already broached the subject with Transport for London. I feel a hopper bus coming on. Similar situations in the east of the borough I understand have hopper buses to help those on the estate get to the shops and around and about - so we want the same!

And then – it’s home - and a weekend off. I know - shock horror. I have struck through one weekend per month in my diary - otherwise there is no time off. One danger though – my younger daughter will make me go shopping with her. It's cheaper to just keep working!

Labels: nhs, tfl

I make an informal, private visit to Red Gables. Red Gables is the wonderful, wonderful, family centre in Crouch End - organically evolved over years to provide what users want. And between the Labour Government and the Labour Council they want to close it and devolve its services to elsewhere. This comes on the back of Government funding for 18 new childrens' centres across the borough. Sounds great - except the new centres can only be in 'deprived' areas - but there are lots of pockets of deprivation in the Crouch End area and it serves the whole area. 'Deprived' children come to this centre of absolute excellence. The services it provides are too many to list - but all manner of challenges are met and met well.

Given there are to be 18 'new' centres - which in reality are not new but bits of other services cobbled together - you would think the logical answer would be to make Red Gables one of them, solving at a stroke the whole business.

Anyway - I meet the staff (who are obviously desperate for the place to stay open). They clearly love their work, the place and its achievements. There is a 'consultation' going on by Haringey Council with the users as a result of the huge protest and campaign to save Red Gables. The consultation is with users, and when completed next week we are told that the officers will analyse the data and then advise the Council Executive (all Labour) what to do.

I spend a little time with the children and mums just arriving for the drop in playgroup and then off I go.

At 4pm CNN come to my house to do an interview on terrorism and the Government’s continual curbing of our civil liberties are being raided. Now you can't even say that Jack Straw is talking nonsense without being forcibly removed and then the police using Section 44 of the terrorism Act to stop you re-entering a building. Free speech - certainly not under Blair!

In the evening, there’s a Buffet, tour and presentation by the Community Partnership Board for the proposals (thus far) for the Hornsey Town Hall. It's certainly moving in the right direction and the people involved in the panel are completely committed to the project’s success - but as ever - the proof of the pudding will come when we learn where the funding will come from (i.e. how much from development and how much from public funds) and whether the Council is willing at the end of this process for the whole caboodle to be handed over to an independent community trust - which is the Lib Dem position (along with that of many other people).

Sadly and ironically, I get to talk to people for an hour and then have to leave after only seeing a short bit of the actual presentation (I have the written version to take home) as I have a meeting with Peter Hendy (Director of Surface Transport at Transport for London) at which the top item on my agenda is transport for the Hornsey Town Hall site.

I am asking him to agree in principle to three main things. As nothing is agreed for the site as yet specifics are out of the question. However, the nagging is for: agreement in principle to supply extra public transport to serve the site; agreement in principle to a process of engagement by Transport for London with the Community Partnership Board on the transport issues for the site; and agreement in principle to look at free transport for those going to an event on the site on production of ticket to that event.

As we are also having dinner I get the business out the way at the front end. I have written out my longer list which includes bus links for Crouch End to both Highgate Tube (especially now that it has a CPZ and so more people need public transport to get there) and to the top of Highgate Village. I nag about the crossing for Archway Road opposite the tube entrance where the steps are where a woman got killed recently, the extension of the 603 Muswell Hill to Hampstead and Swiss Cottage bus route and various other issues. Peter thinks the Town Hall stuff will be fine and will respond to me in writing point by point down my list. So business over - time to eat and gossip...

Labels: 603 bus, controlled parking zones, jack straw, peter hendy, tfl

Surgery all morning. Variety of cases - but the Dukes Avenue humps are still giving cause for concern. Until such time as Lib Dems take over the council, the sort of cock-ups created by Labour are impossible to properly correct.

There was an agreed plan for the area which took three years to get the agreement for. But then when some residents objected to part of the works, the council introduced significant changes to the plans – without proper consultation - and – just to add to the fun – designed badly the some of the changes. So one road after another spoke up and said it wanted the plans for its bit changed and many of those who liked the original plans are now unhappy too! And now it seems everyone is writing or coming to see me. So - the current situation is that there has been another consultation. The results are being analysed at the moment.

Meanwhile, I will continue to fight for holistic planning. I will suggest to my councillor colleagues if/when we take control after next May’s elections, that we plan better than Labour and that when there is an agreed solution we stick to it. We also need to get Transport for London to look again at the journey times for buses on Colney Hatch Lane as so many people email me with how delightful it is when the lights don't work.

In the afternoon, just one meeting - with TNG, a skill and training group who operate nationwide but seem to do really good work in Haringey. I am particularly interested in the mentoring work they do with youngsters who have had ASBOs served on them. ASBOs are a last resolution – and don’t do anything to bring their subjects back into society - which would be my aim. They agree to send more material on this to me.

And that's nearly it. My holiday plans have changed - I was going away in August but now I am going mid-August to mid-September - so instead of blogging off for August as usual, I'll be taking a break in a couple of weeks time instead.

Labels: tfl

First meeting today is with Cllr Judy Bax who is chairing the Community Partnership Board, the group developing the plan for the Hornsey Town Hall’s future. I am still convinced that the only way this site is ever going to be a community facility is for this group to succeed and Crouch End for People, Hornsey Trust and all of us to work together to deliver that.

Having now met with both Hornsey Trust and the Community Partnership Board, there still is resistance to working together - so the Community Board must push on and succeed. If they can build a cinema to start with and retain at least a good chunk of the car park, they will at least be demonstrating to all the people who signed Town Hall petition that their intentions are honourable. My concern is that the first part of the site to be developed will be housing or whatever - and then a three year gap before we see what is really wanted - the arts, leisure and community facility part of the site.

Of course, the argument will be that you can't do the good community bits without the funding by the development bits.

Anyway - my part in this is to support the journey from council control to trust and harangue and lobby for the community bits - and to lobby at high level for transport links at an early stage.

This is followed by a long, long interview by MORI. Too long and boring to go into - but basically a number of big companies - including Transport for London (TfL) and British Nuclear Fuels to name but two - want to know what I know and think of them. TfL’s ears would be burning!

In the afternoon I go to Landrock Road to join local campaigners campaigning against another backland development site application by developers. It is unbearable what they are trying to do - cram four very expensive houses on a long, narrow, strip of land: totally inappropriate.

One hundred odd houses whose gardens back onto this strip of land will be blighted by this development. Currently there is a row of garages which the developer is letting dilapidate and won't rent out. Sometimes I just wish I had real dictatorial power to tell the developers to get lost! However, what I do is write to the Planning Department to let them know what I think.

Labels: planning issues, tfl

8am: meet key local campaigners over the Highgate Tube Control Centre. Tubelines want to improve the service on the Northern Line (good thing) but are doing this by putting a big ugly building in at the edge of Highgate Woods (bad thing).

We are meeting with Catherine McGuinness of the Corporation of London for a photo op and discussion. Tubelines has listened a bit to the campaign from residents living next to the site about their side of the site, but they have not taken, seemingly, a blind bit of notice of the damaging aspect towards the Highgate Woods side.

I assume this is because trees and squirrels can't complain? However, Cllr Bob Hare (Lib Dem, Highgate ward), the Highgate Society, the Corporation of London and me are speaking out on behalf of all those who use the woods, the trees, the squirrels and indeed the bats.

We release a joint statement for the press.

Then at 10am my last Mayor's Question Time at City Hall. I am sad to go - but as ever have a bit of a spat with Ken. Basically a skirmish over his failure since re-entering the Labour womb to deal effectively with the Tube PPP. The performance is abysmal and the private companies, in my view, u