Lynne Featherstone

Haringey Council should take swift and firm action to halt the surge in betting shops in the Wood Green area to limit crime and anti-social behaviour, local Liberal Democrats have said .

Speaking out against applications to Haringey Council for three new betting shops in Wood Green High Road and Green Lanes, Cllr Ron Aitken, Liberal Democrat Crime spokesperson, has said that Haringey Council needs to urgently lobby the Government to change the law to enable councils to limit the number amount of betting shops in an area.

Recent statistics revealed by the Liberal Democrats show that 735 incidents of criminal damage occurred in Haringey’s betting shops in the past two years as well drug related and public order offences.

Cllr Ron Aitken, Liberal Democrat Crime Spokesperson, comments:

“Statistics indicate that Haringey’s betting shops are a source of significant crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as being a nuisance to local residents.

“We are not against people having a flutter but enough is enough. Haringey Council needs the power to declare that no more betting shops should be allowed in Wood Green or Green Lanes.

“Labour need to lobby their own Government to give local communities the power to curb the ever increasing numbers of betting shops.”

Cllr Fiyaz Mughal (Noel Park) adds:

“The explosion of gambling and gaming venues blight Wood Green’s main shopping street and they do little to support the local economy

“It is time to call a time out and say that enough is enough. Such venues cannot be allowed to grow exponentially whilst the local authority is virtually powerless to stop them. I would be delighted to hear from any Noel Park residents who would like to help us take this campaign forward.”

Lynne Featherstone MP adds:

“I will be contacting the Government Minister responsible for the planning laws that leave Haringey Council and local residents powerless to stop betting shops taking over our high streets.”

I was invited to give out some of the certificates yesterday and make a short speech at the celebration of 5E being awarded Beacon Status by the Learning and Skills Council. 5E is a local provider of education and training to employment for those groups in the community who struggle against various barriers. The litany of who those groups are is familiar: black and ethnic minorities, refugees and asylum seekers, women, those with disabilities or health or mental health problems, lone parents, long-term unemployed, older people, ex-offenders and others –  who so often find they are not even in the running for getting jobs that others take for granted. And there are so many people who for one reason or another – don’t start anywhere near a level playing field.

For me, the recipe for a better and happier world is a fairer society. And what I really mean by that is a more equal society.  But Britain has steadily become a less equal and a less fair society, rates of social mobility have actually fallen.  And your educational chances are strongly correlated to your social class – setting the prospects for children even before they reach school. And that affects everything in life – because inequality begets inequality.

In fact, a whole host of studies across different countries have consistently shown that not just in terms of education and health, but also in terms of crime, social respect, trust and participation – the outcomes are linked to the degrees of inequality in wealth and income. So narrowing that gap benefits everyone.  

So the work that Raj Doshi (the head of 5E) and his committed, energetic and enthusiastic team do and their brilliant track record with of achievement with 5E having been awarded Grade 1 (outstanding provision) three times by OFSTED – who are the inspection authority for this – is vital.

With support, training and skills – everyone can and should have the opportunities that others take for granted. Congratulations to all who have taken the courses and all those who have made them so successful.

That’s the point of receiving Beacon Status – so they can shine a light for others to follow.

If I ruled the world I would ………….. that’s the challenge I have set local children in Hornsey & Wood Green schools to tell me in 200 words for Local Democracy Week.

I launched my mini-writing competition today at Alexandra Park School – where the amazing Jo (Citizenship teacher extraordinaire) had agreed to set up to undertake this project with the Citizenship and the English classes working together. So today I was attending the Citizenship class where Jo was brainstorming with the children to get them involved and engaged in beginning to think what sort of things might need changing or what worried them – and then – how that might be changed.

The first round of ideas were just brilliant – from the young girl who wanted to make life better for young carers, to world peace and beyond. I’m not going to go through the list – but suffice to say – that it is completely fascinating to to listen to the ideas they had about what worried them – and recognise where the input came from. Some clearly came from school work, much from television and newscasts  – but Jo was really clever – and as well as those sort of universal issues tried to move them onto a more personal level of what worried or concerned them in their own lives.

So I am greatly looking forward to reading all the submissions when they come in. I always feel very uplifted when I come out of a school visit like that.

It is quite something when we go out en mass – us Liberal Democrats. In recent months, we have adopted a new style for canvassing where we all get together in one particular area every couple of weeks. It makes it fun. The response is very warm on the doorsteps too. Cllr Lyn Weber (who organises these events) is doing a fantastic job – and may I say – it is the best organised anything I have ever been involved in – so huge thanks to Lyn.

There has been a flutter of speculation about the future of Wood Green police station. I have asked our local commander – Dave Grant – to give a horse’s mouth briefing of what he understands to be the case. Rumours have included the police station not being rebuilt; the front counter moving down the road; no police station there, etc etc.

This is what Dave Grant says is the case following enquiries he has made. He has asked the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) about what steps are being taken. The only activity at the moment is between Local Authority officers and MPS staff from Property Services Department about the format of the plans. Commander Grant says he knows that nothing has been agreed and that there are meetings scheduled to discuss the content of the plan.

The MPS uses a company to undertake the formal public consultation process and Mr Grant knows that they are drawing up a list of individuals and groups, with the help of his staff, who must be consulted. This would include me and councillors amongst others. He says he is more than happy to share that list with me when it is complete – and of course I will be checking to see that local people are the key consultees.

At some stage in the autumn a formal planning application will be made, which will then trigger the consultation process. As soon as the process begins, Commander Grant will be personally involved and intends to help with the key briefings.

So – as ever – it is down to whether this will be a real consultation – i.e. whether our responses to the consultation can affect outcome. I will post any news I get as this proceeds.

A dumped fridge in Arcadian Gardens (Woodside ward) shows the extent of the continuing problem of fly-tipping in the area, local Liberal Democrats have said. The fridge, ironically left next to a Haringey Council ‘Strictly No Dumping’ sign, was found last week by Cllr Ed Butcher.

Cllr Ed Butcher comments:

“The dumped fridge is a prime example of the ongoing problem that local residents face every time they walk down their street – dumped rubbish, dangerous pavements, litter and broken signs.

“Our regular campaigning in Woodside found many instances of fly-tipping that Haringey Council seems to have turned a blind eye to.”

Liberal Democrats have condemned Haringey Council’s last-ditch attempt to stop Asian Older women’s user-group ‘I Can Care’ addressing the Full Council on Monday night by saying its £12 million plan to develop Woodside House is now “on hold”.

Council officials, backed up by Labour members at the meeting, tried to dissuade members’ of ‘I Can Care’ from presenting their deputation saying that it was no longer needed. Around 50 elderly members and 60 residents attended the deputation. However questions remain over how long the £12 million decision to move the Civic Centre will stay “on hold”. This uncertainty puts into further doubt the future of community groups and the luncheon club users who have been delivering services for over 20 years at Woodside House.

Liberal Democrats criticised Haringey Council for failing to notify ‘I Can Care’ chairman Raj Doshi of the delay in the Woodside house project until yesterday – although a press statement was issued by the Council last Friday. Haringey Council also failed to clarify many of the points raised by the deputation.

I Can Care’s 400 members, who currently meet in Woodside House, are worried about their future accommodation, and say Haringey Council has failed to offer a viable and safe alternative.

To date Haringey Council has spent £250,000 using external contractors on the Woodside House development but failed to consult local stakeholders fully.

Cllr John Oakes, Liberal Democrat spokesman for Community Involvement, commented:

“I think Haringey’s last-minute trick shows that it will go to any lengths to silence the community groups it says it supports if they start sticking up for themselves, or happen to mention an awkward truth. This little episode underlines Haringey’s real dislike of consultation and discussion.”

Haringey’s Labour Council has been forced to postpone its £12 million plan to move the borough’s Civic Centre.

On Friday last week Haringey Council announced that due to the economic crisis enveloping the Council it would be postponing the move to Woodside House. Liberal Democrats have welcomed the decision but continue to call for the plan to be scrapped rather than just delayed.

In July Liberal Democrats formally challenged the Labour Cabinet plan to move the Civic Centre for various reasons including the financial and property market downturns. Again in August the Liberal Democrats challenged the proposals at a special scrutiny meeting, but Labour confirmed their plans to spend the £12m. Now after spending more than £250,000 on external consultants Labour have decided to agree with the Liberal Democrat concerns and postpone the project.

Last week it emerged that Haringey Council had invested £37million in failed Icelandic banks.

Cllr Robert Gorrie, Liberal Democrat leader, commented:

“This was always a £12m project that would be under-used, expensive and a waste of taxpayers’ money. It is a shame that it has taken an economic crisis that was already clearly visible in July for Labour to realise its folly.

“What is needed now is for Haringey Council to recognise that this project needs to be scrapped rather than put on hold.

“It is welcome that Labour has come to its senses but this is a small number next to the £37 million at risk in the Icelandic banks. Hopefully it is not the start of a long list of spending cuts.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, added:

“This will come as a huge relief to the organisations that were being evicted from Woodside House. It is disappointing that it takes a global financial crisis for Labour to listen to what we have been telling them for some time – now is not the time to sell off property and embark on major building projects.”

Days after Labour confirmed their decision to spend £12 million on a new Civic Centre, new signs have appeared outside the old Civic Centre. Liberal Democrats have criticised the waste of the replacement signs, showing designated parking bays for councillors, and have pointed out an additional embarrassment to Haringey Council – the signs include spelling mistakes.

Cllr Robert Gorrie, the Haringey Liberal Democrat Leader who spotted the error, commented:

“Firstly, replacing these signs at all was unnecessary and a waste of residents’ money and, secondly, the lack of attention to detail is so poor they will have to be done again – wasting yet more money.

“If Haringey Labour cannot even organise replacement signs correctly at the old Civic Centre just think of the size of the mistakes they can make spending £12 million on a new Civic Centre.”

I’ve blogged before about Labour’s plans to sell off the Civic Centre and move to Woodside House, so just to highlight the new story over on my website about how Labour decided to go ahead with the plan:

Labour members of Haringey Council’s ‘watchdog’ committee have voted to ignore residents’ views and rejected wider democratic discussion on controversial plans to spend £12 million on a new Haringey Civic Centre…

Liberal Democrats, who forced the special Overview and Scrutiny meeting, pointed out that this was the largest discretionary capital expenditure since the Council’s ill fated Tech Refresh IT fiasco where a £10m budget became a £22m cost to residents. They criticised the decision for committing taxpayers’ money in the current uncertain economic climate and the lack of consultation of residents and current users of Woodside House.

You can read the full story on my website.