LIB DEMS DEMAND PROPER CONSULTATION OVER SPORTS DEAL AS LABOUR SPLITS ON ISSUE

11.11.02

The Lib Dems have demanded that Haringey’s Labour-run council conducts a full consultation over its controversial PPP proposals for the borough’s sports facilities and school halls, which would involve handing over council services to private companies.

The move follows severe criticism at last night’s full council meeting where a deeply split Labour group struggled to maintain a united face in public. Several Labour councillors left the room just before the vote in order to avoid having to vote for or against the Lib Dem motion.

The Liberal Democrats want a proper consultation on the issue before democratic control passes away from local people. At last night’s full council they moved a motion calling for urgent consultation with leisure centre and sports facilities users before the Labour Party railroads through the outsourcing of its leisure services.

Many local sports clubs have complained that they have been given little if any chance to contribute to the discussions and the proposed consultations in July were abandoned.

Lib Dem councillor David Winskill says that small and ill-resourced sports clubs and community groups face being cut out of the running of these facilities, or at best becoming reliant on discretionary handouts.

Councillor David Winskill comments:

“Allowing a private company to run our sports facilities and schools is sure to result in higher charges for local groups. There may be no way to hold the service to account. Haringey is not consulting local groups on this. It is a terrible way to remove a vital service from local control.”

Councillor Lynne Featherstone comments:

“Labour likes to claim that Haringey is a ‘Listening Council’. Why then are they afraid of asking the users of our sports facilities and school halls what they think of these plans? If Labour’s leaders can’t even persuade their own councillors that these plans are a good idea, why should they be forced on the people of Haringey?”

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