Lynne Featherstone

Haringey Council did not consult local people on a fundamental change to the way in which rubbish will be collected in the borough, it has emerged. Last week senior officers addressing the Muswell Hill Area Forum admitted that residents were not asked during a borough-wide consultation on the Council’s waste contract whether they wanted the Council to move to fortnightly non-recyclable waste collections.

Liberal Democrats who, at the Committee section of meeting, voiced their current opposition to the change to fortnightly collections, say that the lack of consultation shows that Labour have failed to get the buy-in of local residents on a change to a basic Council service.

In another development, that Liberal Democrats believe shows the Labour-run Council’s lack of consideration for residents, local people will not have a say on the size of the new wheelie bin for recyclable waste. Instead the Council will provide the largest 240 litre bin to all designated households in the new scheme.

Cllr Jim Jenks, Haringey Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, comments:

“The Council have finally admitted that residents in Haringey were not given the opportunity to have a say on this fundamental change to rubbish collection.

“Liberal Democrats are 100% committed to increasing recycling but a change on this scale without consultation is unacceptable.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds:

“Not only are the Labour Council ignoring the views of local residents on the service but they are also failing to give local people any say on what size of bin they can have. Some households do not need a large 240 litre bin yet Labour are giving them no choice.”

Local Liberal Democrats have branded the re-run of a consultation on a Council strategy a sham after a report published last week showed that the Council has disregarded the responses of many local residents. Despite voicing their strong opposition to the changes which pave the way for the waste plant at Pinkham Way sixty responses from local residents were rejected.

The Council was made to repeat the consultation on the re-designation of land in its Core Strategy, which included the site that is proposed to be a new waste facility at Pinkham Way, due to concerns raised by the Planning Inspector that the Council failed to consult widely enough first time.

Liberal Democrats say that the council’s rejection of 60 responses shows Labour’s contempt for public opinion and reveals that the consultation was a ‘tick-box’ exercise rather than a chance for the Council to listen to the community. Liberal Democrats have written to the Chief Executive of Haringey Council and the Planning Inspector to voice their concern of the way in which residents’ views have been disregarded.

Despite the large number of consultation responses from residents raising concerns the Council has decided to make almost no changes to its plans in advance of the Examination in Public in February.

Residents will have a further say on the proposals for Pinkham Way after the North London Waste Authority said recently that it will consider further representations in the summer when its North London Waste Plan is consulted upon.

Cllr Juliet Solomon (Alexandra Ward) comments:

“It is clear from how the Council has replied to local residents who have taken the time and effort to submit responses to the consultation that the Council had already made up their mind. This consultation was a mere tick box exercise for the ruling group who seem adamant to push through proposals and steamroller public opinion to ensure the Pinkham Way plans get through to the next stage.

“Let’s hope the delay in further consultation gives the Council an opportunity to start to really listen to local people. Residents do not want the waste plant and it is time the Council started to sit up and take note.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“It’s really worrying that local residents’ views have been utterly ignored by the Labour Council in this way. They had to re-run this consultation because it was so poorly handled last time, and now they are more or less doing the same thing again.

“This shows utter contempt for local residents’ views’ and local democracy. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I will continue to fight the waste plant at Pinkham Way every step of the way, and do our best to make sure local people’s concerns are heard and heeded. The fight is not over.”

Information uncovered by local Liberal Democrats shows that last year Haringey Council had to cancel 277 parking tickets, at an estimated cost of £36,000, after it failed to respond to residents’ parking appeals in time.

Liberal Democrats have said that the information is evidence that the Council has handed out so many parking fines that it can not cope with the amount of appeals that are subsequently lodged. The Council has a duty to respond to an appeal contesting a parking fine within 56 days or the fine is written off.

Cllr Richard Wilson (Stroud Green) who unearthed the information, comments:

“It’s quite worrying that the Council is so keen to ticket residents that they can’t keep up with the appeals workload and enforce parking restrictions properly.

“Not only does this waste local residents’ time, energy and provide undue worry, local taxpayers may have lost out too due to the Council’s failure to respond in time.

“Some of the tickets that were automatically cancelled after 56 days may well have been legitimate, losing the council much-needed funds.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“This is another example of the fact that this Labour-run council is not on top of its finances, adding to an already long list with botched Ally Pally deals, and expensive new computers equipment, costing Haringey tax payers millions of pounds.

“In these tough times, when the Council is closing valued services like older people’s drop-in clubs and children centres, they need to take extra care with every penny, not waste it on mistakes like this.”

Local residents face a new year with the staggering prospect of Council Tax bills in Haringey topping £1,500 after Labour councillors refused to support a Council Tax freeze despite funding being available from government to halt any tax rises.

Liberal Democrats have renewed their call on Labour-run Haringey Council to freeze Council Tax in 2012/13 after the Council’s latest financial reports show Labour is considering a tax rise of 2.5% meaning the average Band D bills would top £1500 a year.

Liberal Democrats have said that, at a time when many families across the borough are struggling to make ends meet, an increase in Council Tax will hit the worst-off hardest. Haringey’s Council Tax is already one of the highest in London with only four other boroughs charging more.

Haringey Liberal Democrats understand that it is a tough time for many and have vowed to continue to put pressure on Labour to do the right thing to freeze Council Tax.

Councillor Paul Strang, Haringey Liberal Democrats Finance Spokesperson comments:

“It is shocking that the Council is even considering a Council Tax increase when the government has said that it will provide the funds to freeze it.

“Council Tax is the only direct tax that the Council has control over and Labour wants to increase it despite it hitting poorer residents, struggling to make ends meet, hardest.

“Liberal Democrats understand that, with family budgets under pressure, small measures like a freeze in Council Tax can make a big difference and we will fight Labour’s Council Tax increase.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, adds:

“The Council should be helping residents and not as Labour seem to want to do, increase an unfair tax which will hit the poorest more.”

Local Liberal Democrats have expressed their frustration and disappointment after Labour reconfirmed yesterday their commitment to the closure of Haringey’s older people’s drop-in centres and luncheon clubs despite overwhelming opposition to the proposals from service users and local residents. 

A special meeting of the Council’s cabinet was convened after Liberal Democrats forced a review of the decision to close older people’s drop-in centres and luncheon clubs which was heard by the Council’s ‘watchdog’ committee earlier in the week.

The Overview and Scrutiny committee agreed with Liberal Democrats that the drop-in centres and luncheon clubs provided a vital preventative service for older residents that the Council should protect.

However, the Labour cabinet ignored the recommendations of the committee and have now forced through the closures. Liberal Democrats, who have spearheaded the campaign against Labour’s cuts, have said that Labour’s decision is short-sighted and will result in older people becoming socially isolated.

Cllr David Winskill, Liberal Democrat Adult Social Services spokesperson, comments:

“Local residents and people who use the drop-in centres and luncheon clubs will be bitterly disappointed that, despite showing the Labour Council how much these services are used and depended upon, they have been ignored. 

“We asked Labour to give more time to the voluntary sector to make arrangements to take over these centres and they refused even to do that.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, added:

“Labour has used the veil of cuts in central government funding to hide their closure programme. They have tried to close these centres before and were forced to backtrack.

“This time they have forced through the closures without giving thought to the long-term costs to local older people who will become socially excluded and vulnerable as a result of this decision.”

At a packed Overview and Scrutiny on Monday, the decision to close drop-in centres for the elderly in the borough was sent back to the Labour Cabinet for review, after Liberal Democrats successfully highlighted the issue.

The decision was made after both Liberal Democrat and Labour members asked Adult Services lead member Dilek Dogus to reconsider the Council’s decision to cut funding to all drop-in centres and to ask the Council Cabinet for more time to allow charities and the voluntary sector to find ways to take over their running.

Over one hundred users and organisers of the services showed their anger at the closure decision as Cllr David Winskill, LibDem lead member for Adult Services, made the case that Haringey had not properly assessed the financial impact of the proposal on other Council services and local Health services.

He also said that there had been inadequate time for the voluntary sector to find the money, training and to make arrangements to take these much valued and essential facilities over.  The Scrutiny heard impassioned representations from Haringey Age Concern, HAVCO, I Can Care, Jackson’s Lane, Abyssinia Court, Woodside House and many other campaigners.

One 99 year old gentleman from Abyssinia Court stood up and said, “If these closures were to go ahead, it would be the worst decision Haringey has ever made”.

Commenting on the Referral Back to Cabinet, Cllr Winskill said:

“The meeting was a fantastic demonstration of just how important these centres are.  Haringey must listen and try to ensure they are kept open or at the very least, give the Voluntary Sector a breathing space so that they can plan to take them over before they disappear.”

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green added:

“The Scrutiny Committee really showed its mettle on Monday.  People are rightly angry that when times get tough, in Haringey, Labour always seems to hit the vulnerable first.  There must be time for a rethink so that changes can be made without abandoning our old people’s services.”

As a result of action by the Liberal Democrats, Haringey Council has been forced to rethink controversial plans to re-structure and close local children’s centres.  The Labour Cabinet member for Children and Young People on Thursday announced the Council had relented in the face of pressure from head teachers, governors and councillors and decided to do more to help Children’s Centres stay open.
 
Liberal Democrats forced the Council to address the concerns of parents and education experts by calling a special cross-party Overview & Scrutiny committee meeting.  The revised proposals take on board a number of the Liberal Democrats’ demands, but have been criticised for still leaving several Children’s Centres at risk of closure.
 
The restructuring model originally proposed by the Labour Council has been put on hold and Cllr Reith has promised to look at alternative proposals to be developed by Haringey Children’s Centre Alliance. 
 
Cllr Reith also agreed to provide small amounts of money to keep health services in Highgate, North Bank and Rokesly centres, and help for those centres to develop business plans to stay open.  But the plans to withdraw the rest of the council funding from these centres by August will continue, along with the closure of the Tower Gardens centre.
 
Cllr Katherine Reece, Liberal Democrat Children’s spokesperson, comments:

“While I am pleased that we have made the Council rethink its approach to closing Children’s Centres, I am disappointed that once again, vulnerable families in the west of the borough are being ignored.  Labour don’t seem to understand that not all families in Highgate, Muswell Hill, Fortis Green, Crouch End and Hornsey are wealthy.
 
“I hope the Council is serious about trying to help Highgate, Rokesly and North Bank children’s centres stay open with paid-for services.  But there is still no detail on how much support will be provided, despite the fact that the Council are adamant that funding cuts should start in just two months.
 
“Although the Council seems to have listened to some of the Liberal Democrats concerns, the consultation with children’s centres staff about redundancy continues unabated, which makes me question how serious they are about listening to different ideas.”
 
Highgate Primary School Head Teacher William Dean adds:

“I am delighted that the Council has taken on board our proposal to cover accommodation costs for health services and to provide funding that will enable the centre to remain open. We look forward to continuing to provide excellent and essential services for our community from Highgate Primary School”.

A recent Guardian report has highlighted how Haringey Council has admitted that action to cut wasteful spending could have been taken years ago. Local taxpayers, faced with the closure of older people’s day centres and cuts to children’s centres, youth services and parks, will be outraged to learn that these cuts could been avoided, Liberal Democrat have said.  
 
The article revealed that the Council was spending £12million a year more than necessary on goods and services like printing, IT, consultants and bottled water.  Opposition councillors say these are yet more examples of Labour’s “out of control” spending.
 
The Council had 14 different bottled water suppliers, spent £5million more than needed on printing, used 60 different consultants and thousands of temp workers. In total, savings of £12million were made on procuring goods and services at cheaper prices. 
 
Liberal Democrats, who have been arguing that Council has been wasting millions due to poor management and procurement for years, have said this is an admission of failure by the Council and have called for further scrutiny of the Council’s finances.
 
Cllr Richard Wilson, Haringey Liberal Democrat Leader, comments:
 
“If Labour had listened to outside criticism this waste could have been identified earlier and millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money could have been saved.
 
“Hard-pressed local taxpayers will be outraged to hear that, instead of closing older people day centres cutting funding for parks and youth services, Labour could have been sticking to their promises to protect front-line services. But this is another example of their out-of-control spending.
 
“Whilst belatedly the Council have acted to reduce costs they should see this as a wake up call and start embracing scrutiny. We need a beefed up watchdog body which can get its teeth into the Council’s finances and ensure local people get value for money.”
 
Lynne Featherstone MP adds:
 
“It is widely known that Labour nationally overspent and contributed to the financial troubles the country is now in. The Council has now admitted that they too failed to act to reduce costs that could and should have protected front-line services.
 
“It is unfair that the most vulnerable residents are losing vital services because of Labour’s inability to keep Council spending under control”.

On the day that marks 40 years of continuous Labour rule in Haringey it has been revealed that the borough is more deprived than at any time in the past decade. Liberal Democrats have branded new deprivation figures, which show Haringey as the 8th most deprived authority in the country, as “the legacy of Labour’s forty years in power”.
 
The figures released by the Government show that since 2000 Haringey has moved from the 28th to the 8th most deprived area in the country, with areas such as Northumberland Park and White Hart Lane continuing to be in the top ten of deprived areas in London.
 
Liberal Democrats have highlighted Labour’s failure to tackle deprivation and inequality in Haringey during their four decades in power. They say that this failure adds to the list of financial and public disasters under Labour in the last 40 years including the bungled sell-off of Alexandra Palace, £37million lost in Icelandic banks, millions of pound overspent on IT schemes, two tragedies due to failures in children’s services, and residents facing the highest Council Tax rates in London.
 
The Indices of Deprivation figures show that, since 2007, three more areas in Haringey are considered as being in the 10% most deprived wards in the country. This is contrary to many Councils in London which have seen a reduction in the amount of deprived areas and have improved their position in the deprivation scale.
 
Cllr Richard Wilson, Haringey Liberal Democrat Leader, comments:
 
“Forty years of Labour and what do local residents get in return – a more deprived borough than at any time in the last decade; a council still recovering after its second children’s services disaster; a council with a list of financial disasters longer than Greece’s and a borough still with massive health and income inequality.
 
“On top of this we now have a Labour administration hell bent on closing children’s centres, cutting youth services and closing older people’s day centres – this is the legacy of forty years of Labour mismanagement. Our residents deserve better.”
 
Lynne Featherstone MP adds:
 
“Labour squandered their chance in government and left our economy in tatters. In Haringey, the forty years of Labour has been punctuated with financial disasters, marred by tragedies and scattered with scandals. I’m just glad we have Liberal Democrat councillors holding this poorly-led Council to account.
 
“Labour in government had years of a booming economy yet failed to meet their own child poverty targets, whilst income inequality actually increased.
 
“After just one year in government Liberal Democrats have lifted 2,900 local residents out of paying any income tax at all, 25,500 of Haringey’s pensioners are being given £4.50 a week more in their pension and our schools are getting extra money through the Pupil Premium.”

Plans to reverse Labour’s closure of older people’s day centres, drop-in centres and luncheon clubs are part of the Liberal Democrat’s alternative budget proposals.
 
In the five amendments to Labour’s budget, to be proposed on Thursday (24th Feb 2011), Liberal Democrats have set out their choices for spending priorities which would protect older people’s services, invest in the youth service, support action on crime, and help to develop the voluntary sector and job creation.
 
Liberal Democrats have said that Labour are making the wrong decisions targeting front-line services for cuts and, have proposed instead, new savings in IT, management, and communications.
 
The position faced by Haringey is made worse by Labour’s home-made financial crisis. A £10 million overspend during the course of the current year, £20 million of cost increases forecast for next year, the failure to deal with waste sooner, the ongoing impact from the £37 million frozen in Icelandic Banks all add up to put Haringey in a worse situation to deal with the funding reductions.
 
Cllr Robert Gorrie, Haringey Liberal Democrat Leader and Resources Spokesperson, comments:
 
“Haringey Labour’s home-made financial crisis compounds the mess made by their Labour colleagues nationally when they were in government
 
“We believe that there is an alternative to Labour’s decision to close older people’s day centres, cut youth services by 75%, and cut funding for action on crime and job creation.
 
“More savings can be made on the £16.5 million spent on IT, the £20 million spent on senior management, the £1.5 million spent on communications, and the £3 million spent on policy and performance. Yet Labour have instead made the choice to shut day centres and cut youth services by 75%.”
 
Lynne Featherstone MP comments:
 
“If Labour had been better at managing the budget in times of prosperity, they would have been much better placed to deal with today’s cuts.
 
“Despite the difficult financial circumstances, I believe my colleagues have come up with a strong alternative budget that protects the frontline for the most vulnerable.
 
“I hope Haringey Labour will listen hard this Thursday, and make better choices that are better for Haringey’s residents.”

To sign the petition against cuts to older peoples’ services please click here: http://bit.ly/SaveOlderPeoplesServices

To read the Haringey Liberal Democrats’ alternative budget proposals please click here: http://bit.ly/libdembudget