Lynne Featherstone

Residents in Highgate will have more access to car club vehicles, after Haringey Council agreed to adopt Liberal Democrat councillors’ proposals to provide more car club bays for local people.

Haringey Council has taken up Liberal Democrat Councillor Neil WiIliams’ calls for improvements to the initial scheme, set up last year, which failed to include the densely populated Miltons area of Highgate, east of Archway Road, and the north of Highgate, near the Kenwood Estate.

Haringey Council is now proposing that four more car club bays will be installed - two near the Kenwood Estate and two in the Miltons area. The new bays in Highgate are part of an expansion of the car club scheme, which will provide an additional 39 spaces.

Cllr Neil Williams (Highgate ward) comments:

“I am glad that Haringey Council has recognised our calls to make it easier for local Highgate residents to use the car club scheme.

“It hasn’t been long since my colleague Cllr Rachel Allison led the campaign, successfully, for the introduction of a car club scheme in Highgate. Now we have a scheme that is thriving and expanding.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“Car clubs are vital in the continuing fight to reduce our carbon footprints. Well done to Highgate councillors, for helping to get better access for local residents.”

Locations of the new Car Club bays:

1. Sheldon Avenue N6 4NJ: two car club parking bays near Kenwood Estate.
2. Tudor Close N6 5PR: two car club parking bays in Homes for Haringey car park.

Well - I always knew Labour Haringey were in a hole - and clearly they just keep on digging!

It's Highgate councillor Neil Williams who is putting his arm to dramatic use:

A quick reminder / round-up of my Lib Dem colleagues on Haringey Council who are online themselves:

Matt Davies (Fortis Green ward councillor) blogs at mattdaviesharingey.blogspot.com
Karen Alexander (Harringay ward councillor) is on Twitter as @karenjalexander
Neil Williams (Highgate ward councillor) blogs at neilwilliamslibdems.blogspot.com
Fiyaz Mughal (Noel Park councillor) has a website at fiyazmughal.org.uk
Richard Wilson (Stroud Green councillor) blogs at www.richardwilson.me.uk

Here's my latest mini-video, this time about Alexandra Palace, and the huge sums of money wasted by Haringey Labour's bungling:

This film is hosted on YouTube.

For more about the Alexandra Palace issue, see Neil Williams's recent blog post.

I've made a little film explaining why I'm campaigning with the Highgate councillors (Rachel Allison, Bob Hare and Neil Williams) for a pedestrian phase on the traffic lights at the North Hill / Church Road junction:

This film is hosted on YouTube.

You can sign the petition here.

Highgate's three councilors (Rachel Allison, Bob Hare and Neil Williams) are campaigning to improve safety for pedestrians wanting to cross North Hill near Church Road.

Pensioners from the Mary Fielding Guild joined them and myself for a photo op to highlight the problems and launch the campaign a few days back and we've now got an online petition too - I hope you'll sign it to help the campaign.

As Rachel put it, "At present there is little time for pedestrians to cross safely. This is a route to school and directly opposite a popular doctor’s surgery. It’s clear we need a proper pedestrian crossing."

Hurrah! Good news for Jacksons Lane Arts Centre.

It has been under threat of closure since last year when Cllr Neil Williams and I went personally to beg the Arts Council to carry on with its grant - and got a one year reprieve. The year is up - and on Wednesday the Arts Council will decide its future. Haringey Council has been the absolute sticking point - unwilling to commit any extra money at all - which is the price the Arts Council has been demanding as they want to see council commitment if they are going to put in their money too.

We (myself and the Highgate councillors) sent out an email asking people to email Matt Cooke (Labour Exec Member in charge of this) to give more money and save the centre. Cllr Cooke by the looks of it is not happy to have had pressure applied and is trying to say Haringey was always going to find some money. And pigs might have flown. People power has really made the difference. Thanks to all those who responded.

Here's Neil's email update on the issue:

In a letter sent from Haringey to the Arts Council on Friday - after your huge response - Haringey has now relented, and finally upped its offer of funding! This is very encouraging, and the ball is now back in the court of the Arts Council.

Claims from Haringey Council that it was always prepared to meet the Arts Council's demands are totally untrue.

The Arts Council has long since insisted that Haringey take more responsibility for the funding of the centre – something that Haringey Council has persistently refused to do. Over the past year, Haringey has refused to up the centre's core grant of £55,000, as the Arts Council has urged. In their own report to their decision-making body due next week, the Arts Council states:

Haringey has consistently stated that it is not in a position to offer additional capital and revenue funding to Jacksons Lane.

When we asked again for the the extra £50,000 on 22 December, the lead councillor didn't even reply. As recently as last week, Haringey Council was refusing to help, offering only to provide half a day in officer time – nowhere near enough to help Jacksons Lane.

It really is your pressure that has made the difference – so many may thanks! We will keep you updated on progress.

Highgate councillor Neil William has the story, about the closure threat facing Jacksons Lane Community Centre - and what you can do about it.

UPDATE: More news here.

It's every politician's nightmare - leaving information that should be for your eyes only in the copying machine. Well it just happened - to Labour in Haringey. As the Haringey Independent, who have seen the document, reports Labour predicts it will lose the next Haringey Council elections - due in 2010 - and that the Lib Dems will win by 33 seats to Labour's 24 (with no councillors for Conservatives, Greens or others). Way to go!

Highate councillor Neil Williams was the lucky man to find the document on the photocopier, as he recounts on his blog.

Highgate councillor Neil Williams has blogged about the belated but very welcome moves to introduce streetcars to the borough, whilst Martin Belam has a great write-up / photo collection from a recent Alexandra Palace open day.