Neil Williams

Book bargain is no con

2009-07-29T19:02:00.000+01:00

I wasn't tempted, but new Conservative councillor Alan Dobbie might want to pick up this book bargain I spotted on Saturday.

It's for sale in Alan's own patch, in one of the pound shops in the High Road, Wood Green (Poundland, I think). It seems there's still work to be done to tempt the voters in Wood Green.

Labour councillor Dobbie defects to Tories

2009-07-10T19:30:00.006+01:00

It’s been a whacky old week in Haringey politics. I’m only now getting fully up to speed with it, as I’ve been moving house.

Labour councillor Alan Dobbie has defected to the Tories. Alan is a mid-ranking and very long-serving councillor who has held quite a lot of posts in the Council, including Mayor (twice), and Labour chief whip only a couple of years ago. Though he’s not been ‘Cabinet’ material (and in the current crop of Haringey Labour councillors, we’re talking IKEA self-assembly, rather than Chippendale, here), Alan is something of a player.

At first I was surprised, as the move looks extrordinarily dotty, but if you look at Alan’s blog, there has been a sprinkling of complementary references of the ‘you-know-where-you-are-with-the-Tories’ kind. It's easy to see why he didn't try to switch to the Lib Dems, as he's certainly no Liberal. In political terms, I’d say Alan has a reactionary and paternalistic view of the world that would make him equally at home in either Labour or the Tories. I can recall him speaking up strongly in the council chamber - in favour of the invasion of Iraq, and more recently, the introduction of ID cards.

However, I quite like Alan, he’s cheerful and friendly, and was one of the very few Labour mayors that could chair a council meeting. I hope he'll support Lib Dem proposals in the council chamber.

He's a Noel Park councillor, the ward that covers the heart of Wood Green. There’s no prospect of a Tory recovery here (see bar chart). Noel Park is a crucial Liberal Democrat/Labour marginal, and last time out, the Tories scored less than ten per cent of the vote.

Time of their lives film

2009-06-29T07:46:00.001+01:00

Highgate resident Hetty Bower (101), who lives at the Mary Fielding Guild on North Hill, is due to star, along with other residents, in a Film about their lives on BBC4, 13^th July At 9pm.

I mentioned Hetty in an earlier post, but more on the film can be found here.

Charles Adje and the register of councillors' interests

2009-06-28T07:02:00.002+01:00

Labour’s Charles Adje has now placed his declaration of interests on the boroughs’ on-line system. Until now, the former council leader hadn't done so. The register can be viewed here.

During the height of the controversy surrounding the publication of a Standards Board report into activities around the sale of the Welbourne Centre site in Tottenham, I went to look at his entry at the council offices.

Apart from his membership of the Rosicrucian Order (which I think is some sort of freemasonry outfit) nothing leaped to my attention. But the newly published register has some entries for some companies of which he is a director. One them is called Empowerment (NW) Ltd. I've no idea what NW stands for - but not 'Neil Williams'.

On another note, having been removed from the council cabinet in April, Charles has re-emerged as a member of the Scrutiny committee, Haringey’s top ’watchdog’ body.

Having Charles scrutinise any of the recent fiascos in which he played a part would not be a good idea. It’s like sacking Dracula as director of the blood bank, and sending him straight out onto the wards disguised as a nurse.

In their wisdom, most Labour councillors don't seem bothered.

Where were you when the Iron Curtain was torn?

2009-06-27T21:12:00.008+01:00

As it's the 20th anniversary of the first hole in the iron curtain, I've been thinking about what I was doing at the time.

I was working in Italy for the food giant, Parmalat. This was several years before the company famously imploded due to massive accounting irregularities. I was only doing a bit of market research, honest.

I had just graduated, and spent the summer with other stagieres from all over Europe. We were out of touch with political developments in our home countries. We must have discussed lots of issues, but I can only recall two. One was the collapse of Princess Anne's first marriage, which seemed to have solid transcontinental news appeal, and other other was the opening of the Hungarian border, and the crisis it was causing in East Germany.

The West Germans in our group were very sceptical that the events would have any lasting impact, as the entire East German leadership was hard line. The upcoming junior Ministers, who might conceivably take over, were all hard line too.

By the time I moved to London later that year virtually every east European dictatorship had collapsed, with Romania the last to go by Christmas. Princess Anne's marriage went the same way.

Pic: me with colleagues at the office in Collechio, Parma.

Have your say over directly elected Mayor

2009-06-27T07:06:00.002+01:00

Haringey is pressing on with efforts to whip up a frenzy of apathy among local residents, via a dubious consultation on whether or not the borough should have a directly elected mayor.

The Council is being forced to do this by the Government, but the process has been promoted with a whimper, and in the Council’s on-line survey, which you can complete here, they ask around 17 questions, only one of which is about whether or not you’d like this change.

A constituent has written to us with the following confession:

The online survey is not validated in any way at all - I have now completed it twice, once in my own name and once as "Bill", a 50 year Old Kurdish transsexual whose email address is x@x.x. I have no idea whether neither or both submissions have been accepted. I suggest you disregard Bill's contribution.

I’m hearing the response rates have been very low so far. If you don’t want Bill to carry the day, you have until 10th July to respond.

Labour cabinet member resigns - in Haringey

2009-06-26T07:56:00.001+01:00

Labour cabinet member Matt Cooke has resigned, it emerged on Wednesday, as he’s to become a Special Adviser in ‘Dah Biz’ – the new mega-government department for Business, Innovation & Skills under Peter Mandelson (DBIS).

As he was only in the job a few weeks, I’d hesitate to say Matt was irreplaceable. Yet it must be true, as I'm told there’s unlikely to be a new Cabinet Member for Regeneration. This is good in one sense - Lib Dem Leader Robert Gorrie has been arguing that there are far too many councillors in the Labour Cabinet, and it needs slimming down. I'm not sure this should have been the first post to go.

Highgate's 'Fair in the Square'

2009-06-13T19:19:00.009+01:00

Some pictures of today's marvellous 'Fair in the Square' in Highgate, which was better than ever, I thought.

Lynne Featherstone was judging the dog show - centre pic is the winner of the dog and owner 'lookey-likey' category. Bottom right is the runner up, though rumour has it that victory may have been squandered with a recent shearing of that labradoodle.

The chickens (top centre) were a new one on me. 'Chicken roulette' is a lottery in which you have to guess in which square the chicken will next do a poo. I was number eight, but I still don't know if I won, as the chickens were holding on gamely when I was there.

Huge thanks are due to the Fair Committee, who organise the whole day in Pond Square with the support of the Highgate Society.

Tory post-election Euro-spin in Haringey

2009-06-12T18:51:00.004+01:00

My colleague Mark Pack over at Lib Dem Voice has his favourite piece of post election spin – from the Tory candidate for Hornsey & Wood Green, who described the Euro election result as disappointing for the Lib Dems. The Tory vote fell, as they slipped into fourth place.

Richard is a recent arrival whose pronouncements show signs of being helpful - from a Liberal Democrat perspective, that is. He blogs here.

The verdict of yesterday’s local newspapers on the European elections in Haringey was very different, needless to say:

"The battle for the control of Haringey is now closer than ever, with the borough's Liberal Democrats closing the gap on Labour to just 2,500 votes in the European elections. The result on Sunday has given an extra boost to the Lib-Dems…"
Hornsey Journal

"… the worst election result suffered by the Haringey Labour party, with a 4.5 per cent swing to the Liberal Democrats"
Ham & High

Haringey Euro-election - great result and Tories pushed into 4th

2009-06-07T22:36:00.007+01:00

I'm just back from Haringey's Euro election count at the Ally Pally. We did very well - vote up around four points, and not far behind Labour, who must have had their worst vote share in history in Haringey. The Tories were pushed into fourth by the greens. BNP and UKIP, making no headway here.

Results: Lab 14,093; Lib Dem 11,550; Greens 8,528; Cons 7,396; UKIP 2,164

The mother of all potholes in N6

2009-05-31T19:42:00.006+01:00

I encountered this preposterous pothole in Kenwood Road N6, today. I could have got my arm in further, but thought I might never see it again.

Extending the Highgate station CPZ - Haringey consults

2009-05-31T08:25:00.010+01:00

Haringey is consulting on an extension to the Highgate station controlled parking zone (CPZ) into the Kenwood area. If you live in any of the streets affected, you should receive a consultation form through the door, but it's on the council's website here.

Some streets immediately to the west of the current zone have experienced parking misery since the scheme was extended a couple of years ago. Here's our recent press release on the issue.

Highgate residents to have their say on parking controls – Liberal Democrats welcome consultation.

Highgate’s Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed long awaited moves to consult local residents on an extension of parking controls in the area – but have asked Haringey Council to ensure that residents’ views are heeded on the details of the scheme.

The Council is about to consult on the extension of the Highgate station controlled parking zone (CPZ) into the Kenwood area. Liberal Democrats say that residents in streets such as Denewood Road and Stormont Road, have endured parking misery since the introduction of controls in the adjacent parks of Highgate, and say that action is long overdue.

Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Williams says that following recent parking problems in Crouch End, the consultation needs to make absolutely clear the impact of displacement parking on the streets concerned, if the CPZ gets the go-ahead. However, areas should not be included if that is still their wish.

The Liberal Democrats also want the private roads, View Road, and part of Denewood Road, to be kept fully informed on how the plans are unfolding.

Highgate Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Williams comments: “Putting these plans before local residents is long overdue. Highgate residents in Stormont Road and Denewood Road in particular, have been experiencing parking misery in the past year. It’s important that as many people as possible respond to the consultation, so the Council can get the exact details right for local residents.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, adds: “We do not want a repeat of the parking chaos we have seen in Crouch End. We need a consultation that listens to local residents views.”

Streets to be consulted are: Bishopswood Road, Denewood Road (Between Broadlands Road and Stormont Road), Gaskell Road, Hampstead Lane (Between the eastern arm of Bishopswood Road and Compton Avenue), Kenwood Road, Sheldon Avenue, Storey Road, Stormont Road, Yeatman Road.

Nick Clegg's Take Back Power campaign

2009-05-29T07:47:00.011+01:00

Yesterday, Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg launched his own radical proposals for reform of our political system.

Miles ahead of the 'I will seriously consider doing something' approach of the Tory Leader.

You can sign up for Nick Clegg's 'Take Back Power' campaign here.

These problems aren't just national. When it comes to the electoral system, the Ham & High newspaper made some similar points yesterday about how politics is being damaged in our councils:

"Camden was in the hands of Labour for 40 years until the 2007 elections. Haringey has been in Labour's grip for just as long ... How can that be healthy for local communities, or for local democracy on the wider front?"

A community toilet for the Woodman

2009-05-28T18:21:00.006+01:00

I snapped Lynne Featherstone and Cllr Rachel Allison at the Woodman pub on the Archway Road, where we met the licensee, Tom Helliwell, to talk about how the pub would benefit through being part of a 'community toilet scheme'.

Paying pubs and restaurants to provide a public loo has been pioneered by Liberal Democrat councils like Richmond-upon-Thames. The Woodman pub is the nearest point of relief for those caught short when leaving nearby Highgate station. As Tom says:

“The community toilet scheme would be beneficial for local traders like me as we don't want to turn people away, but we can't continue to provide this service for free. We're right by the tube station and get hundreds of people using our facilities every day. We need support from the Council yet we've heard nothing.”

Pics on the Euro-election campaign trail

2009-05-25T20:29:00.005+01:00

Three shots. My colleague Cllr Rachel Allison grappling with overgrown planters on the Archway Road. A rather good rhododendron on Gaskell Road N6, and cat Jack getting to grips with this postal voting business. And doing it correctly, it seems.

The rising bill for councillor allowances

2009-05-25T08:57:00.008+01:00

My wonderful colleague Mark Pack of Lib Dem Voice explains here how the bill for council allowances in Haringey has just shot up, by over £44,000, this year.

To make this work, they have structured the system so that almost all Labour councillors receive these extra payments.

Harringey's bill for allowances is one of the highest in London. Council's that fork out more tend to be either bigger, or needless to say, better performing.

Lynne on baby Peter sentencing today

2009-05-22T22:18:00.004+01:00

With today’s sentencing in the baby P trial, Lynne Featherstone has said the initial serious case review has been shown to be incompetent or at worst a cover up. More here.

She has also been on Channel 4 News, which you can see here.

On the news, she sad:

“There is a culture in Haringey of closing ranks, secrecy, not letting the light of day shine in. They would rather defend the indefensible than examine the problem.”

Rightly, she has continued to call for a full public inquiry, because as soon as the media spotlight is off, Haringey Labour will return to bad habits on access to information and scrutiny - and there is new secrecy on child protection in the Council, with a new body called the Quality Outcomes Board, with Liberal Democrat councillors prevented from knowing what is going on. Crumbs of heavily filtered information is emerging on what this body does. in the form of 'key messages'.

According to the new leader of the council, this body will be a key part of the process of putting things right in child protection, yet the Lib Dems, who could well be running the council in 11 months, shouldn't be permitted to know what is going on.

Scandalous, really. You'd think that depoliticising the process, and maximising the number of councillors fully briefed on keeping children safe, from all parties, would be the top priority for Haringey's Labour councillors - but it doesn't seem to be. Party politics and self preservation comes first.

We're not a theme park for 'The Flintstones'

2009-05-14T19:44:00.007+01:00

Highgate is not, unless I'm mistaken, a theme park for 'The Flintstones' - though you wouldn't always know it, from what Haringey has done to these two lime trees on Muswell Hill Road (see previous post).

I think local MP Lynne Featherstone and my fellow councillor Rachel Allison were laughing at this sort of remark, and not the tree works in question. I snapped them at weekend, though they make this concrete calamity look more uplifting than it really is.

A dog's life in N6

2009-05-06T20:17:00.004+01:00

Is there anything nicer than a puppy (apart from any sort of kitten)?

This is me with cocker spaniel Rusty, a very recent addition to fellow Highgate councillor Rachel Allison's family. I met him for the first time this morning.

Bluebell woods in Hertfordshire

2009-05-06T07:31:00.005+01:00

As pics of bluebell woods seem to be the order of the day in the newspapers, my fellow councillor Martin Newton (Fortis Green) has sent me one - it's somewhere in Hertfordshire last weekend. Lovely.

Spies, Lies and the War on Terror - my fellow councillor has written another book

2009-05-04T19:05:00.007+01:00

My colleague Jonthan Bloch (councillor in Muswell Hill) has co-written another book on the secret services - 'Spies Lies, and War on Terror.'

Jonathan has written several books on espionage over the years, including 'British Intelligence and Covert Action', which was not a popular work with Maggie Thatcher, PM at the time.

This latest work focuses on how the war on terror is eroding civil liberties and dangerously increasing the power of intelligence agencies.

The book is being launched on 14th May, 6.30pm. at Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Various views of Docklands

2009-05-04T06:45:00.001+01:00

Went to Excel in Docklands yesterday, and endured the Grand Designs Live exhibition. These are views from the Victoria Dock, the lovely Thames barrier Park, and also some shots of the Canary Wharf centre.

Ally Pally - The answer is 'no'. Now what was the question?

2009-05-03T07:17:00.006+01:00

Writing solely in my capacity as a local councillor:

Another aside in relation to the recently published Walklate report into the disastrous licence granted to Firoka at Ally Pally that cost local taxpayers at least £1.5 million.

Labour councillors then on the board (and no Liberal Democrats) were asked a series of questions regarding their own recollections about how the situation unfolded.

When it comes to one of the responses to the specific questions, that of Labour councillor Sheila Peacock, Mr Walkate observes: “Cllr Peacock has responded by answering ‘no’ to all the questions posed.”

That would have rendered Sheila’s answers to the following questions thus:

Martin Walklate: A what stage can you recall being made aware of the need for a licence or similar mechanism?

Sheila Peacock: No.

Martin Walklate: Who made you aware and how?

Sheila Peacock: No.

Martin Walklate: What were the reasons given to you for the need for such a mechanism?

Sheila Peacock: No.

Politicians are often criticised for not giving a ‘yes-no’ answer to a question. Maybe we should rethink that one.

Defectors: I'm not an enthusiast

2009-05-02T07:59:00.004+01:00

The news this morning has suggestions that some senior Labour MPs have a plan afoot to defect to the Liberal Democrats, if Labour loses and moves to the left after the next election.

Based on my own experience, I'm not keen. Genuine political conversions do of course happen, but they’re not common.

When I was Lib Dem leader in Haringey, we had to deal with two Labour councillors who made overtures about defecting, just before the 2006 local elections.

We said that we wanted to see evidence of their commitment to the party and its values, and there certainly would be no safe berths for anyone coming over. As I expected, we didn’t hear from them again.

Both approaches were plainly opportunistic and self-serving, from people who had no real interest in, or commitment to the Liberal Democrats, in Haringey or anywhere else. If the Lib Dems win control of the Council next year, I’d expect other such offers of ‘help’.

More than ever, why we need a public inquiry

2009-05-01T20:34:00.005+01:00

Haringey's Lib Dem Leader Robert Gorrie has been on Channel 4 News tonight to say that more than ever, we need a public inquiry on Children's services in Haringey.

In the garden at the start of May

2009-05-01T08:29:00.006+01:00

These were all taken this time last last year, according to my camera. All are in the garden, except the poppies (top right), which were in the beautifully manicured Welwyn Garden City centre.

To Mayor or not to Mayor - that is the question

2009-04-30T20:30:00.008+01:00

I’m back from an obscure council body called the Constitution Working Group, on which I’ve been sitting for a couple of years (along with colleagues Monica and Ron).

The meetings of this body are often rather tetchy, and they certainly were tonight. At stake this time is the fundamental structure of the Council as the (Labour) government tries to push councils (like Labour Haringey) towards a Mayoral system.

Essentially, the Council is being forced to consult on the issue in the coming months, in time for the local elections in 2010, so that (at least in theory) we could have a Mayoral system by then.

It became rather heated, as it was clear that the Council hadn’t allowed for the possibility of a referendum on the issue, which the new legislation permits, and local people may demand. Also, they wouldn’t commit to abiding by the outcome of the consultation, even though the only question that can reasonably be posed is: “do you want this new system or do you want to keep the old system”.

Of course I’m not surprised, as Haringey Labour will always try to do what any self-perpetuating oligarchy always does - whatever suits them. Whether they get away with it remains to be seen. We even had a rather farcical interlude when they claimed they had allowed for a referendum all along.

It’s clear to me that we need three things right away; the widest possible public consultation, a commitment to abide by the outcome, and to embrace the concept of a referendum if that's what local people want – especially if Labour tries to pull a fast one on the consultation results. If we have a consultation where Labour ignores the result, then I would predict that all hell will break loose.

In the midst of it, all, I have to say the new council leader Claire Kober, was very, very difficult. I can pay Claire the compliment of saying that when she was elected, I thought she wouldn’t be too bad in this regard - but she is very, very bad. Claire doesn’t take kindly to the mildest debate or questioning about the Council’s proposals.

This is an important issue, and Haringey residents are going to decide it as far as I’m concerned.

Matt completes his third London Marathon

2009-04-29T18:13:00.004+01:00

I'm very late with this news, but my colleague Cllr Matt Davies (Fortis Green) completed the London marathon on Sunday, in 5 hours 57 minutes.

As you can see on the right, Matt has smashed his fundraising target in the last couple of days, possibly on a tidal wave of sympathy over his ordeal.

There's still time to donate to his chosen charity, Refuge, via the Just Giving widget on the right.

London Lib Dem campaign for a 'one hour' bus ticket'

2009-04-27T07:07:00.006+01:00

Lib Dem London Assembly member, Caroline Pigeon, has launched a great campaign for a 'one hour' bus ticket.

Caroline, who is transport spokesperson on the assembly, rightly says it's a bit ridiculous that you can change Tube trains with the same single ticket, but not buses. A one hour ticket would largely solve this problem.

There's a petition you can sign here.

Tulips in Waterlow Park

2009-04-26T06:40:00.003+01:00

These tulips were in full bloom in Waterlow park beside Lauderdale House last Saturday - but I'm sure they will still be on-the-go this weekend.

Waterlow park is on the Camden side of Highgate hill, so strictly speaking, it's not in my patch. Sydney Waterlow built it as a "garden for the gardenless" in 1889, and it's one of the most beautiful parks I know.

At the moment, it provides a 'tulip for the tulipless' as the squirrels have always got mine.

Walklate 1 & 2 - why Charles Adje's evidence doesn't stack up

2009-04-25T13:02:00.014+01:00

Writing solely in my capacity as a councillor:

As already mentioned, another thing troubling me about Cllr Adje is whether or not he had any private meetings or dealings with Firoka, the Ally Pally developer, during the crucial period when the disastrous licence agreement with the company was reached. It's important as we need to know whether, or how, the negotiations regarding the Firoka licence may have proceeded at such private meetings.

Martin Walkate, who investigated, has issued two reports on the issue. In 'Walklate 1', published last year, he says the following (para 64):

“Councillor Adje, although also certain of the potential for withdrawal, is clear that his contact with Firoka was limited to meeting when Keith Holder [Ally Pally manager] was present”

In the 'Walklate 2' report, published a couple of weeks ago, Mr W gives a different account of this point:

[Keith Holder alleges] "A meeting took place between Firoka, Cllr Adje, and Keith Holder on 11th April [2007] with further telephone discussion between Cllr Adje and Kassam over the following weekend."

This was then put to Charles Adje in a whole series of detailed questions, most of which he refuses to answer properly. But under pressure the second time round, he declines to refute that he had private dealings with Firoka, saying simply that he “seldom received calls from Kassam" [the CEO of Firoka].

I've asked the Council to look into this point further, but what actually happened, we may never know, as there are of course no records of these conversations or encounters.

What we do know is that Cllr Adje's initial account of his dealings with Firoka was, as Mr Walklate might himself put it, 'at best economical'.

It's goodbye to councillor Adje

2009-04-25T08:25:00.015+01:00

It's as official as it can be at this stage. Cllr Charles Adje is going to resign as lead member for resources, following a series of scandals, for which his colleagues have (totally inexcusably) failed to take action themselves to remove him from his post. Yet very big questions remain about his conduct during his period in office.

The Ham and High has the story here. In an editorial titled "Charles Adje: where did it all go wrong", the paper says that "Some would say he got too big for his boots in believing he could become the saviour of Alexandra Palace.

So did he jump or was he pushed? My guess is that with group elections coming up, he could see the writing on the wall, and that someone would have successfully challenged him. This has come far later than it should have done.

"Labour's grip on Haringey council has become increasingly perilous"

Ham and High, 23 April, editorial on the Adje resignation

Where did the pressure come from? The questions I have been asking about councillor Adje on another controversial issue, the planned disposal of the Welbourne centre site in Tottenham Hale, have played a part. Local newspapers will have helped, but apart from the Ham & High, they should have done more to help push him out. But probably most influential, have been the writings of his Labour council colleague Alan Stanton over on his Flikr site, which Alan uses as a highly innovative blog.

Despite the announcement of Adje's resignation, revelations continue on Alan Stanton's site, which raise more serious questions. On his latest page are some very disturbing revelations surrounding the Welbourne Centre, which you can read here.

I couldn't agree more with Alan's comment to the Ham and High: "He should have stepped down yesterday, and stepped down from the Council altogether." Reading Alan's site, I think the Labour Chief Whip, Harry Lister, also has some serious questions to answer - yet Harry Lister has apparently told Alan Stanton he is 'under investigation'.

This looks like a nasty case of 'poacher turned game keeper' to me. It looks like a good time for Harry Lister to step down as Labour Chief Whip.

Highgate's Christmas lights are no more

2009-04-24T18:04:00.003+01:00

The Christmas lights in Highgate village are no longer with us. They were removed last week, according to the latest email from the Council.

A bit of a mystery still surrounds why they were left up so long, and what were the other two events at which it was hoped they might be usefully deployed.

The first was identified clearly enough - as "Easter." The other was "an event in the Autumn."

My birthday, possibly.

Charles Adje finally stepping down?

2009-04-20T18:15:00.000+01:00

I'm hearing suggestions this afternoon that former council Leader and current Lead Member for Resources, Charles Adje, is stepping down from his Labour cabinet post.

This follows a string of disasters - and what I would certainly call scandals - like the revelations last week, that he had private discussions with Firoka, when he was chair of the Ally Pally Board. His version of the events that led to a disastrous licence agreement (that cost local taxpayers at least £1.5 million) had no credibility.

If true, this is not before time. But in or out of office, there is definitely more to come on Cllr Adje's style of operating.

Where Christmas is for life, not just for Christmas

2009-04-13T07:12:00.006+01:00

As the sun sets on Easter, the Christmas lights are still up in Highgate village.

I asked Haringey Council when they would be removed from the High Street a couple of weeks ago. The Council's position is the lights were left up on request for some other events, which is a bit puzzling.

Despite this, they have agreed to take them down. We were told they would be gone within two weeks - so that means this week.

Church Road crossing - Lynne Featherstone speaks!

2009-04-11T06:18:00.001+01:00

My wonderful colleague (and our local MP) Lynne Featherstone has broken her hand, so is finding her keyboard a challenge.

She has therefore taken to Youtube to highlight current campaigns - including our campaign in Highgate on the Church Road Crossing, as you can see here:

Karen is doing the Race for Life

2009-04-10T09:50:00.006+01:00

My council colleague Karen Alexander (Harringay, see pic) is doing another charity fundraiser run with her daughter Nicole, for Cancer Research UK.

They are running in Dorchester on Sunday 31st May covering a distance of 5k, and can be sponsored here:

And its only two weeks to go until Cllr Matt Davies (Fortis Green) runs the London marathon (see box on right).

A Happy Easter

2009-04-10T07:44:00.006+01:00

Can I make clear that my cat Jack is not given chocolate, nor is he given a supply of Easter treats for any other reason.

He just can't seem to keep away from the action.

More on Charles Adje from fellow Labour councillor

2009-04-09T17:26:00.004+01:00

There’s more on Charles Adje from his fellow Labour councillor Alan Stanton, who is continuing to write about the controversies surrounding the Labour cabinet member for finance on his Flikr site. Read more here.

It refers to answers Cllr Adje gave me in the Council in January in relation to the Welbourne Centre, which appear to have been ‘economical with the truth’.

Alan, who has repeatedly called on Charles to resign, promises a whole series of new posts on the issue.

Plants on the Archway Road

2009-04-09T07:07:00.008+01:00

We discussed the grim state of the Council's planters on the Archway Road at a meeting with council officers last night.

I was reminded I had taken these pics in March. It's not a varied flora. All are planted up with easy-to-maintain New Zealand flax, with many either derelict of blocking parts of the pavement.

The Council has agreed to get the Parks department to come up with an alternative to sort out these eyesores.

Church Road crossing petition on line

2009-04-07T21:36:00.007+01:00

I've written before about safety concerns on the pedestrian crossing (or lack thereof) at the junction of Church Road and North Hill N6. The story was in several local papers last week.

As well as door-to-door, we've set up an on line petition where you can share your concern here.

Here's Lynne Featherstone, and my colleagues Rachel Allison, Bob Hare and friends, crossing the road.

Ally Pally - surely it's time Charles Adje finally got the chop

2009-04-07T20:02:00.021+01:00

Writing solely in my capacity as a councillor:

Another dreadful report on Ally Pally has been published. It's known as 'Walklate 2' and is a follow up to a report commissioned into what went wrong at the Ally Pally in 2007, with the granting of a licence to Firoka (the firm that was trying to develop Ally Pally) that has cost Haringey taxpayers a staggering £1.5 million - at least.

You can read the report on the Council's website here. The councillor in charge was none other than Charles Adje, of previous post fame.

In terms of deciding what went wrong, at the centre of the new evidence in the report is a problem - the wildly conflicting accounts of Cllr Adje, and the then consultant manager, Keith Holder, as to who was driving the disastrous process forward.

Reading the evidence today, you have to conclude that one of them is so economical with the truth that he is in danger of creating their very own banking collapse.

What the report clearly shows (as if we didn't really know) is that the Ally Pally Board has always operated, not as a charity, but on a party political basis, with Labour councillors operating as a party cabal, and officials foolishly bending to their will.

We also know from today's report that Adje had separate, and quite possibly repeated, private dealings with Firoka. We'll probably never know what was decided or discussed at these meetings, but the Council, and other Labour councillors, probably knew about it - and did nothing to get it in hand.

The individual responsible for both the loss in Alexandra Palace and the Icelandic Bank investments is Councillor Adje. He is still in charge of the Borough's finances. That is simply not acceptable and in the face of this latest damning report he needs to resign.

Cllr Robert Gorrie

I'm glad Lib Dem Leader Robert Gorrie has today put the new Labour council leader on the spot about it, because it's time this catastrophe of a councillor was removed immediately from office.

What I find weird is that his Labour colleagues still put him in charge of the purse strings, and of the disposal of assets in the borough. He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near these responsibilities.

Pic: Fog at Ally Pally Park

Blame, accountability, and Sharon Shoesmith

2009-04-04T17:58:00.007+01:00

There's a short, but very arresting article tucked away in Professional Social Work magazine on the baby P tragedy this week. It' an opinion piece written by Sue Ross, who has a top social services job for East Lothian Council in Scotland.

It's a bit fiddly to find on line, but if you follow this link and flip to page 8, it's there in the 1st of April edition, headed up "The can Sharon Shoesmith had to carry."

Sue Ross says that she "listened very hard, and with increasing discomfort" to Sharon Shoesmith's recent interview with Radio 4, where fundamentally, she absolved herself of any responsibility. Sue concludes that Sharon Shoesmith was responsible for a system designed to protect children, she failed, and she should have resigned.

Sue continues: "Please don't be drawn into the indefensible by blaming the politics"

As Sue very frankly says, this is about being able to distinguish between 'blame' and 'accountability'. Sharon Shoesmith might well have felt she wasn't personally to blame for the tragedy. Yet it's pretty clear she also felt she was not accountable for it. If that were the case, the system of accountability, weak at the best of times in local government or anywhere else, would cease to function at all.

I think the Labour council leaders who stepped down pretty much felt the same immunity at first, and were forced into resignation by their own Government Minister, who got the point.

I was Liberal Democrat group leader at the time of the death of Baby P, and from my own dealings with everyone involved at Haringey, there's no doubt that the notion of accountability for such a failing will have come as a huge revelation.

But most of all, it's good to see a peer of Sharon Shoesmith state so clearly that public opinion, the media, and the Government got this point right.

Lib Dems win again in Camden

2009-04-04T09:42:00.004+01:00

I've only just caught up with the news that my Lib Dem colleagues in Camden have comfortably held Belsize ward in a by-election on Thursday. Another in a string of great results.

Belsize used to be the ward of the Tory leader in Camden, and was gained by the Lib Dems at the last local elections.

I know the area well, as one of my best friends lived there for years. Natural Lib Dem territory I'd say, and the result bodes well for the general election.

Archway Road - hideous housing plans stalled

2009-04-04T07:11:00.004+01:00

I found out this week that whacky plans by Haringey to flog some council land on the Archway Road for housing are on hold for now, as the deal to sell the site has fallen through.

The plans for the sale of 505 Archway Road are the responsibility of Finance Labour cabinet member Charles Adje, of multiple calamity fame (see earlier posts).

The site, in the middle of the Wellington gyratory at the top of the Archway Road, is currently home to the car wash next to the petrol station. Charles Adje, in what was no doubt another piece of aggravated bungling, wanted to sell it off for housing.

I turned up at the Cabinet meeting last year, when the decision was being taken, to say that shoving a block of flats into the middle of the roundabout was a crackpot idea. There was some slight shuffling in seats from Labour cabinet members, who until then hadn’t grasped this, but they voted it through.

As a sideshow, I also protested that Haringey had made this entire plan ‘exempt’. Otherwise known as ‘secret.’ They backed down, and the report was subsequently published, with some bits ‘redacted’. Otherwise known as ‘blanked out’.

Primroses in Waterlow Park

2009-04-01T23:50:00.003+01:00

I'm not sure if these primroses in Waterlow park, Highate, are the real thing, or cultivated.

Either way, they're looking good, and something you don't see that often. They always take me back to my childhood, because when I was young, there were thousands of primroses where we lived, by the seaside north of Belfast.

I used to pick them for my mum, quite rightly, no longer the done thing.

Haringey Labour councillors up their pay

2009-03-31T18:21:00.003+01:00

In the past few months, Haringey has become a by-word for failure in local government. Yet last night, Labour councillors voted themselves a pay rise.

The Labour Lead member responsible said that they all worked terribly hard. As nearly all Labour councillors also receive extra ‘special’ allowances which boost their payments by two or three times, as a collective they must wilting with exhaustion.

Haringey’s ratings have sunk through the floor in the past few months. It is now scored as one of the worst councils in Britain by the Audit Commission. Council tax is also one of the highest in London - and the current cost of members’ allowances, at £1.2 million, is already near the top of the London league. Footballers in the Vauxhall Conference aren't getting premiership salaries. And in turbulent times like these, there shouldn’t be another penny for such abject failures.

When voting it through, Haringey's Labour councillors were quieter than last year, when they loudly justified the extra dosh. Yet they still didn't seem to realise they were doing something totally unjustifiable as well as daft, from their own point of view. It really is sticking two fingers up at local people.

Anger over Highgate planning decision

2009-03-28T07:13:00.006Z

There is anger in Highgate over the Council's refusal to allow a controversial planning application to come before the planning committee.

The plans involve adding a floor to a block of flats called Kempton House, which lies between two listed buildings overlooking the Highgate bowl, Furnival House, and Cholmeley Lodge (see pic).

The very controversial Planning Committee Chair, Labour’s Sheila Peacock*, is refusing to allow this decision to come before the boroughs’ planning committee. This is despite a large body of objectors, who are entitled to ‘their day in court’ at the Planning Committee. They pay for it, after all.

How Sheila Peacock has been put in this responsible position by her colleagues is a mystery to me. I suspect is depends on presenting herself as injecting efficiency into the planning process by speeding up decision-making, and cutting down the number of appeals that the Council has to endure from applicants.

Councillors are often told that if they challenge council decisions, the Council (and thus the taxpayer) could have to foot the bills for costly appeals. This is very dubious. The Council hadly ever has to pay the costs, as the answer to a written question I tabled at the last Full Council shows.

It has only happened four times since 2004, despite over 550 cases referred to the inspectors.

*Sheila Peacock has been found in the past to have breached the Members' Code of Conduct by failing to declare an interest over a planning application.

Ally Pally Board wants to ditch the 'debt'

2009-03-20T19:02:00.002Z

Last night’s Ally Pally Board, on which I sit, was a Kafkaesque affair towards the end. But it did result in something of a leap forward, in that we voted to ask the Council to discharge us from our multi-million pound disputed ‘debt’ to Haringey.

It is important for the Palace to get rid of this notional 'debt'. It’s now up to the Council to say yes or no to our request.

You might think that as Trustees, it wouldn’t trouble us to ask someone to drop such a whopping claim against us (ask nicely, of course), but it went to a vote. The Labour trustees weren’t sure, and there were reminders that we were there to act solely in the interests of the charity.

In the final moments of the meeting, the Chair changed his declared voting intention twice, before voting in favour. But a step forward.
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Strategic Partnership - what's it all about?

2009-03-14T08:06:00.001Z

“Maybe I’m thick”; “What the bloody hell’s all this about?”; Haringey haven’t told us a dicky-bird about this”.

All understandable comments, from local residents at the local neighbourhood assembly on Thursday night – it was in Highgate, with the usual useful list of issues to follow up or consider. What stuck out most in my mind though, was the presentation about Haringey’s ‘Local Area Agreement’ and 'Strategic Partnership'.

This shouldn’t really be a difficult thing to explain, but left to the Council or a Labour councillor it can slip into monstrous, inexplicable jargon. So you get the idea, here’s the official explanation of a local area agreement, on the Council website:

“An LAA is a three year agreement and medium term delivery plan for the local Sustainable Community Strategy. The LAA contains a ‘Story of the Place’ and the key challenges facing the borough … The LAA focuses specifically on key issues identified by the local community through the Sustainable Community Strategy and partners where partnership working can add greater value. Haringey’s LAA is made up of 35 improvement indicators and 16 mandatory statutory educational attainment targets and early year indicators as agreed by the Council and its partners which have been selected from a list of national indicators.”

So that’ s crystal.

So what, actually, is it? Essentially, the Strategic Partnership is ‘the state’ in Haringey. The Council acts as the ringleader, but in pure cash terms, the council is only a small part of the the state in our borough – you have the police, the health service, and so on. The Local Area Agreement is the three year plan that this Strategic Partnership comes up with, to govern how these bodies work together and get things done.

So it's very important, but the way it works is indeed astoundingly opaque, and little wonder local residents are bewildered by it.

I’d like to tell what happens at meetings of this mysterious body, but Haringey's Liberal Democrat Councillors are barred from attending. Local MP Lynne Featherstone is invited - but I’m sure that’s only because the powers-that-be never envisaged a Liberal Democrat would ever get elected to Parliament in Haringey.

It is woeful that this very important body carries on in this way.

Child protection - Lord Laming's report

2009-03-12T18:11:00.004Z

I've been catching up this afternoon with Lord Laming's report into the operation of social services following the Baby P tragedy here in Haringey. Local MP Lynne Featherstone has some salient views on her blog here.

Focusing on the local, Lynne is right, that there are just far too many unanswered questions about what happened in Haringey, and we do need a public inquiry.

It's worrying, amidst more signs that the Labour council isn't really willing to open up the scrutiny process in the borough to ensure that councillors - and the public - can probe officials on child protection issues.

At the Full Council, Labour councillors voted down our proposals for a fully-fledged scrutiny Committee to monitor children's services and child protection. But there's been another development since, that shows worrying cynicism from Labour.

Just a couple of days after the debate about scrutiny of child protection, the Council announced they'd set up a 'Quality Outcomes Board' of officials from other boroughs to advise them. Whatever the merits of this idea, isn't it strange that there was no mention of it, either at the Council just days before, or the recent scrutiny review on this issue? Were Lib Dem councillors informed or invited to participate? No they weren't.

It's the same old story. Labour saying they want a cross-party approach, when what they really mean is 'we'll let you glimpse what's going on, but only when and where it suits us, politically.'

It's a poor substitute for the open scrutiny that's sorely needed.

Sensational food at the Haringey Sixth Form Centre

2009-03-12T17:08:00.009Z

Lunch in Tottenham today, at the brilliant restaurant in the Haringey Sixth Form Centre in White Hart Lane. I went with my ward colleagues Bob and Rachel (see pic), and had a fantastic lunch in a lovely setting for just £5.50.

The centre provides wonderful vocational training, and all that's required to support it is to go and enjoy a brilliant meal at the most reasonable prices in town.

The menu changes every few weeks. I had an artichoke salad, followed by sea bass with mussels in a tarragon flavoured jus, which was delicious. For desert, the poires Williams, I'm pretty sure were not named after me. The 6FC Head, June, also came over and updated us on the latest issues at the Centre.

The centre is open every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12noon. Two Courses £5.50, three courses £6.50. It's a must visit, so spread the word, book and go.

Bistro Nouveau
White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London N17 8HR
020 8376 5891 ~ reservations@haringey6.ac.uk

Jacksons Lane councillor surgeries have moved

2009-03-07T07:32:00.005Z

We've now moved our councillor surgeries at Jacksons Lane from Wednesday evenings to Saturday mornings, at 11am, every first and third Saturday of the month.

This should make it easier for more people to attend. They will now be in Room 3 at the Centre.

Come and see us. Bob Hare, Rachel Allison and I rotate surgeries. This morning, it's me.

Pic: Left to right - Bob Hare, Lynne Featherstone, Rachel Allison and me at the Centre last weekend, celebrating the council's change of heart over its funding levels.
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Highgate by-election - happy anniversary, Rachel

2009-03-06T07:01:00.000Z

It's a year to the day since my colleague Rachel Allison was elected to Haringey Council in a by-election in Highgate.

I came accross this clipping from the Haringey Advertiser, which reminded me. Rachel, who was already well-known for campaigning on local issues, had a big win.

Happy anniversary, Rachel.

Jacksons Lane - join their email list

2009-03-04T07:49:00.001Z

If you are looking for updates on what's going on at Jacksons Lane arts and community centre, there's the website, but why not also join their email list.

You can sign up on the website at http://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/ and hit the mailing list button on the left.

Another thing to note about Jacksons - the centre has wi-fi access installed. You can access the internet - while enjoying a fantastic coffee or meal from the cafe.

And as my pic hopefully conveys, Jacksons Lane is very, very near Highgate Tube...

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There's no business like snow business

2009-03-03T06:53:00.000Z

I see the Mayor was slated yesterday for letting London grind to a halt during this year's 'Big Snow'.

But I'm focusing on the snow-positive, like this pic from my ward colleague, Bob Hare, which I'm sure he wont mind me pinching.

It's Highgate's Pond Square during the deep freeze. I didn't manage to get out and photograph a lot during the snow, so thanks Bob, for this one
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High Tea of Highgate - it looks lovely!

2009-03-02T07:29:00.002Z

A relative newcomer to Highgate High Street is High Tea, which I photographed on Sunday. I was out early, and I wish I'd also captured the shop front with its gorgeous canopy down, as it looks great.

At number 50 in the High Street, I'm hearing rave reviews about this cafe, and its tea and cakes, though I haven't yet been.

It also makes me laugh, as it may raise an eyebrow or two among my Labour colleagues (see earlier post here).

And 'high tea' has always been a meal for us ordinary folk, if Labour only knew...
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North Hill - safer crossing needed

2009-03-01T18:18:00.010Z

Something you don't see very often here - it's little old me.

Behind the camera this morning was fellow Highgate councillor, Bob Hare. I'm with Hetty Bower, who lives at the Mary Fielding Guild on North Hill.

Hetty is 103. She's a lifelong political activist and campaigner and soon-to-be star of 'The Time of their Lives' documentary to be shown on BBC4 later this year.

We were discussing the state of the pedestrian crossing at the junction of North Hill and Church Road.

We are pushing for a fully-fledged crossing, as there is no 'green phase' for pedestrians here, just opposite the Highgate Group Practice doctors' surgery.
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Where is the webcast of Monday's Council?

2009-02-28T07:59:00.012Z

The week has ended, and there's still no recording of Monday’s Full Council meeting on the Haringey website.

Tuesday's Cabinet meeting is up there, but no explanation is offered for the absence of the council meeting the day before.

Three or four years ago, the Council received Government dosh for broadcasting (‘webcasting’) our golden words to an unsuspecting world.

By midweek, the lack of a tape for Monday’s meeting was beginning to look a bit fishy. And I’m hearing that the Council feels it should not be promoting the views of a particular deputation from a group of residents.

There was also a very embarrassing intervention (from Labour’s point of view) from last year's Mayor Shiek Thompson. He didn't get the chance to speak on (I suspect) the same issue, the removal of the head teacher from John Loughborough School. He was very, very cross.

"I'm utterly ashamed, disgusted and fed up with these people who can treat people in such a disgusting fashion."
Former Labour Mayor, Cllr Shiek Thompson

And here’s me thinking that a tape was just a true record of what was actually said, and not there to spare the blushes of the Council or Haringey Labour party.
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Update: The former Mayor Shiek Thompson has said of his colleagues to the Ham & High newspaper: "I'm utterly ashamed, disgusted and fed up with these people who can treat people in such a disgusting fashion."
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Note: Webcasts can usually be found on the council website here:
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Children's Services needs a scrutiny committee

2009-02-26T08:45:00.008Z

Full Council this week was another ‘more heat than light’ affair. Worst of all, Labour threw out our attempts to set up a fully-fledged Scrutiny Committee to look into children’s services and child protection.

The inadequacies of the Council’s scrutiny system was one of the criticisms in the Joint Area Review report commissioned by the Secretary of State that led to the removal of council bosses and Sharon Shoesmith last year.

Liz Santry, who resigned along with the council leader over Baby P, spoke about how the Labour council’s own proposals for a committee would do the job effectively. She no doubt believes this sincerely - but she’s wrong.

Councillors need real powers in order to do the best possible job. The formal scrutiny system is governed by the council constitution. While Labour has misused the system to feather their own political nests since it came in around 2001, it is a rules-based system protected to some extent at least, by local government law.

It means that if I’m not happy about something, we can say ‘look – if you don’t answer this, I can sign this piece of paper, and you’ll all have to keep coming back here until you answer.’ And it does need to be an opposition councillor who is put in to chair the new body.

Setting up a new body is not enough, You have to empower the people on it to be able to do the job. There were some encouraging signs from the Labour Chair of Scrutiny that at least he was willing to move in that direction. Given the Baby P tragedy, and the direct criticism of the council’s scrutiny procedures in the JAR report, their failure to surrender to a full scrutiny committee really would be a scandal.

But I wouldn’t put it past them.
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My council question has been banned

2009-02-16T19:07:00.014Z

There's another Full Council meeting next week, and I've had my oral question disallowed by the authorities. I also asked a number of questions to Cllr Adje at the Council's Overview & Scrutiny Committee, which were disqualified.

The latter was partly my fault - there are Overview & Scrutiny meetings on consecutive days this week, and I read the wrong date as the deadline for questions. He would have refused to answer anyway.

At Full Council, I was going to quiz the new leader of the Council, to see if she thinks Labour's resources lead member is really fit to hold his portfolio.

My question has been disqualified, on the grounds that I had already asked the previous leader, which is a bit ridiculous. It's a pity, as these questions really ought to concern her if she is serious about tackling problems in Haringey.

I think Haringey Labour is beginning to get seriously rattled by the questions surrounding councillor Adje - questions he won't answer.

For the record, my O&S questions to Cllr Adje:

With regard to Standards Board case no.SBE21513.08, how did his disclosure of confidential information regarding the Welbourne Centre result in a situation where the occupant of the site may have been unfairly advantaged?

What checks did he make to ensure that this solicitor was in a position to give him independent legal advice?

Will he withdraw his accusation that the chair of the Standards Board of Haringey council was acting in a partisan manner by pointing out inaccuracies in Cllr Adje's comments in a local newspaper?

What training has he received with regard to his understanding of the members' code of conduct subsequent to the Standards Board Inquiry?

In its final paragraph, the [summary] report implies that there is conflict of interest between the solicitor's other clients and Cllr Adje. Can he explain how that is, when he became aware of it, and what action he took when he discovered this conflict?

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How not to build a wall around a tree

2009-02-15T07:03:00.000Z

I’ve been meaning to get a pic of this for ages. This was part of council ‘improvement’ works for what’s known as the Peace Park, at the junction of Archway Road and Muswell Hill Road.

There’s no accounting for taste, but for me, it’s all gone horribly wrong. Error has piled upon error, to produce this dreadful affront to these two innocent lime trees.

We’ve asked for the stones and concrete to be removed. They will drop off anyway, as trees move.
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Jacksons Lane post script

2009-02-14T07:41:00.005Z

A little more on the reprieve for Jacksons Lane, as announced by the Arts Council on Thursday.

Haringey’s position was that the Arts Council approach to the future of funding wasn’t dependent on the Council coming up with more cash, and that it wasn't Haringey council therefore, that was putting the future of the centre in jeopardy.

Here’s what the Arts Council said on Thursday:

This was a very welcome last minute offer by Haringey, without which we would not have been able to continue our commitment to Jacksons Lane.

So that’s clear.
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Jacksons Lane wins a reprieve

2009-02-12T18:35:00.013Z

The good news we were hoping for - Jacksons Lane has today been given a one-year reprieve, in terms of its Arts Council grant, so is no longer under threat. The Haringey Independent has the story here.

Thanks to everyone who joined in our email campaign. And credit where due - the Cabinet member circulated a summary of your comments back to the Arts Council on why Jacksons Lane matters so much to Highgate and Haringey. I'm reproducing the comments of local people here:

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This centre forms a vital hub for the creative and performing arts in Haringey and is treasured by the community and all who use it.

The centre is one of only a small number of local resources available which are invaluable to nurturing community spirit and local talent. One of the reasons I moved with my family to Muswell Hill 3+ years ago was that we felt there was a greater sense of community spirit and local identity here, than we had felt in Clapham. Removing support for centres such as the one on Jacksons Lane starts to erode the core reasons why we moved to Muswell Hill, and has a bigger impact on the community than the mere bricks and mortar it is built on.

Why does everything come down to money, do the right thing and keep a very good community centre going! Make a change and start today! Shock people and do things they want instead of things they don’t want!

…we are within walking distance of the Jackson Lane theatre - a local 'gem'. We have been entertained by such a variety of music and Art, that I cannot but write and beg that you represent my interest and that of my wife, in demanding that Jackson Lane Theatre is retained.

Please reconsider your decision - it is a wonderful local asset. Shows and classes cater for all age groups and sections of the community, and the cafe is a fantastic meeting place. There are few places that offer classes and workshops in such a wide range of arts subjects. There's nowhere else like it.

It’s a wonderful community resource and there is very little in this part of the Borough. Please, please do not let it go to the wall.

I am a long-term resident of Shepherds Hill (over forty years) and I know how valuable the centre is to the area as a whole. It provides a meeting place for diverse groups and interests - everything from mother and toddler sessions to activities for pensioners. I myself have attended many events there, music, drama, and most recently Spanish classes.

This centre has played an important part in the support of LGBT Arts in the borough, I personally have benefited from the classes and performances it has provided….There are no other venues in the borough that are as supportive of community arts, and with the Drill Hall having lost it’s arts council funding, this type of provision in London is rapidly dwindling.

In these troubled times the community needs the arts to pull it through. This centre has been at the heart of the artistic community in this area, for as long as I can remember and I would hope that with your vision and commitment it can continue to provide the area and the theatrical scene with energy and drive. It needs vision and the money to support new exciting ventures that all the community can enjoy and engage in.

It is a great amenity for local people, especially for children who gain access to theatre and after-school activities which no-one else can offer.

It's all we really have in the area and it's going to leave a big hole in a lot of people's lives if it were to disappear.

I am now 75 years old, a life-long Haringey (formerly Hornsey) resident … for the past half century and more I have lived but a stone's throw from the Jackson's Lane Arts Centre as it came to be known when the Church on Jackson's Lane closed its doors. Jackson's Lane Arts Centre is an invaluable cultural, social, community, leisure and recreational resource.

As a Haringey resident for 30 years I have enjoyed the facilities of Jackson's Lane Centre as a parent, a dance enthusiast and a theatre-goer.

We would be extremely sad to see the closure of Jackson's Lane Arts and Community Centre. The children's shows were a very important part of our children's lives and the events and facilities are excellent. Our daughter had a very successful 18th birthday celebration there last year! So many classes, drama & dance - such a fantastic facility for the local community.

I know I have found the centre incredible useful and inspiring. I took my daughter to her first show there when she was two. Subsequently she went to many children's shows and courses. I have also organised and taught courses there through Birkbeck college, and of course I have attended theatre and music events.

Over the years, the wonderful dance classes have been a lifeline for me (with young children to look after, I wouldn't have been able to travel further afield in the evenings), contributing greatly to my health and fitness.

It is a tremendous asset to the borough. I used it regularly when growing up in the borough. And now that I have a family of my own, my children and I use it a great deal.

Our English Heritage would suffer greatly if our artists have no space in which to get their work seen; these outer London Centres are so important.

A disabled resident, I am mostly housebound, wanting to visit places and see things in life which my illness robs me. I am only one voice and one person who society often forgets, as needing emotional and social support. Imagine if you will, what will be taken away from local people who's needs are equal to my own, but still have a choice.

I am only too aware how precious venues such as this are to the local community. For myself, the premiere of my piece "Mercurial Sparks, Volatile Shadows" took place atJackson's Lane. The piece went on in 2006 to win the BBC Radio 3 British Composers Award - and all because this important venue in North London was able to provide the platform for my work to premiere.

I personally attended the stand-up comedy classes in the same class as Matt Lucas was 18 years old and had not yet made his name. Jack Dee attended classes just previous to that, and I know other people have also been helped by Jackson Lane classes of an exceptionally high standard.

My daughter benefited enormously from this centre in her childhood and her involvement in their activities was definitely an important part of her personal development.

I attend art classes there every Wednesday evening and the place is always packed with creative activity.

As a resident of the borough I have both made use of the very valuable activities and have been supported by the centre at the beginning of my career as a dance artist. The facilities offered to the dance community of north London are particularly good and must not be lost. I now make work internationally and teach at premiere dance institutions such as The Place and Laban but without that initial opportunity afforded by my local centre, Jackson's Lane I would not have been able to continue. Jacksons Lane is a vital part of the dance development and ecology of London and with the support of ACE and Haringey it will continue to thrive.

(Update: I see its a one year, rather htan a two year reprieve, so I have changed the above)

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Supporting our local pubs

2009-02-12T07:19:00.002Z

"Go back to Highgate, and have you high tea!"

Yes he did actually say that, I've just checked. Not a remark to rival "go back to your constituencies and prepare for government" - but it lacked accuracy in just the way that David Steel's famous line lacked foresight (sadly!).

It was the new Labour councillor for Seven Sisters, who made a maiden speech on Monday which was more entertaining than was probably intended in places.

But another remark that raised eyebrows with me was some quite sneering criticism of one of my colleagues for holding a councillor surgery in a ‘pub’.
I’ll declare an interest, as I work for the trade. But what surprised me was the derision with which he squeezed out the word ‘pub’.

This would not impress the many hundreds of people in Haringey working in the pub trade, or the licensees running wonderful community pubs, struggling to get by in what are difficult trading conditions. It’s not a helpful attitude to what are small, family-run business and the problems they face.

Pubs are often good places to meet constituents, just as they are good places to meet anyone else. Most community pubs are quiet and friendly places - and Highgate of course has many great ones where a high tea or two can be enjoyed, along with a great deal else.

When Jacksons Lane had to close for a while in 2007, we Highgate councillors moved our surgeries to two of the nearby pubs. My colleagues Bob and Justin used the Woodman, just up Jacksons Lane. I did likewise, but when the weather was good, I sometimes switched to the Boogaloo, which has an quiet, enclosed beer garden at the back.

Yes, there are people who wouldn’t set foot in a pub – just as there are others who wouldn’t be comfortable in a religious venue. But if you have a cycle of surgeries, as most groups of councillors do, then there is no reason in principle why some should not be in a pub.

Picture: The very striking inn sign at another Archway Road pub, the Highgate Inn, showing the Archway in Victorian times.
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Jacksons Lane gets a lifeline

2009-02-10T07:06:00.006Z

A lifeline for Jackson's Lane - Haringey has agreed to cough up an extra £50,000 in core funding - this puts the ball back in the court of the Arts Council, which has an imminent funding decision to make.

Haringey's handling of this development has been odd. They have persistently refused to up Jacksons' funding over the past year and a half, but appear to have made a major u-turn in a letter to the Arts Council last Friday.

However, they didn't tell us ward councillors, and despite the enormous trail that shows otherwise, the Cabinet Member responsible is trying to mislead anyone who asks that this was always the policy.

But I suppose I'd rather have an unhelpful Cabinet member that does something right, than a diligent one that just says 'no'.

Lynne Featherstone has more.

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Council tax - handing back £3 million

2009-02-08T19:26:00.006Z

It’s the council’s budget setting meeting tomorrow, where Lib Dem Leader Robert Gorrie will be presenting his plans for a freeze in Haringey's council tax, handing £3 million back to local residents struggling with high council tax bills.

We’ve worked up some innovative budget proposals – all will be revealed.

Like opposition councillors in other areas, we’re allowed to work with council officers to cost and verify any proposals, which we have done in a couple of areas. This is done confidentially - we did this last year, when I was leader and Robert was preparing our budget.

But on one issue, we found out that our plans were passed straight to Labour. Let’s hope we don’t get a repeat this year.

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Street works in Jacksons Lane

2009-02-07T06:51:00.001Z

Thames Water have come in for a bit of flack this week, about street works in the narrow part of Jacksons Lane N6. You can read about it in the Ham & High here.

I took this picture last week, and though the site is a forest of signs, pedestrians are still getting through the gap. They may have been moved by now. Better placement of the 'no pedestrian' signs may have helped.

To their credit, Thames Water have gave me a detailed explanation yesterday:

In a nutshell, there was a mains leak damaging the road, which was fixed on 12 January. Before they can repair the road, they need to repair a garden wall that is about to copllape. Like many walls in Highgate, it is subject to a preservation order. The wall therefore needs to be taken down and rebuilt brick by brick, with all the consents in place, and so on.

All the works are expected to finish by 1 March.

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Streetcars - consultation period extended

2009-02-06T07:42:00.003Z

The consultation period for the introduction of Haringey's first car club is to be extended for three more weeks, until, up until Thursday 26th February (see earlier post)

It was due to end yesterday, but something went wrong with the publication of the official notice. This is clearly good news - if you haven't responded.

pic: colleagues Lynne Feathertone, Rachel Allison and Martin Newton love car clubs!
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The future of Jacksons Lane

2009-02-05T21:09:00.009Z

My fellow Highgate councillor Rachel Allison has written to local residents to day, as once again, we are battling to safeguard the future of Jacksons Lane - a wonderful community and arts centre that serves not just Highgate, but is a popular and bustling venue across a wide area of Haringey.

Arts council funding is threatened, and we have stalemate, as the they are clearly determined to force Haringey to show a bit more committment to the future of Jacksons than it has done in recent years.

Rachel's email says it all:

I am writing to enlist your urgent help to press Haringey Council to save Jackson's Lane Arts Centre.

Campaigning with local residents we secured a twelve month reprieve from the Arts Council - this runs out next Wednesday! Supporters of the centre and local Liberal Democrats have been working behind the scenes to secure its future, but we have reached an impasse with Labour-run Haringey Council.

The Arts Council will not continue to fund it without a real financial commitment from Haringey Council. If Haringey Council committed to £50,000 to employ a fundraiser we hope that this will satisfy the Arts Council - this amounts to roughly 20p per Haringey resident per year.

Haringey Council claims it has already done its bit, but this boils down to repairing the roof and financial support while the centre was closed for the roof to be repaired. This is the bare minimum you would expect of a landlord and hardly the acts of a council committed to supporting a vibrant centre of performing arts which has been instrumental in nurturing stars such as David Walliams, Jo Brand and Eddie Izzard.

So what can you do? Please write to Labour’s Cabinet Member in charge of Jackson's Lane, Councillor Matt Cooke asking him to reconsider. His email address is matt.cooke@haringey.gov.uk Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears, but with enough support from local residents we hope he will act to preserve one of the last remaining art centres in our community.

If the Arts Council withdraws funding I have little doubt Jackson's Lane's demise will be swift. So please do not delay in expressing your support - the Arts Council will be making its decision this Wednesday. Thanks in advance for your help. Kind regards, Cllr Rachel Allison Liberal Democrat Councillor for Highgate.

Pic: Rachel Allison and Lynne Featherstone
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A picture of joy at new home

2009-02-03T07:36:00.001Z

This photo from Lynne Featherstone brought a smile to my face this week.

A picture of happiness, as it shows Lynne visiting constituent Bonnie and son Kai, just after they had moved into a new house, after a long battle fought by Lynne.

They had been living in a larvae-infested flat for three years.

They all look extremely pleased.

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Labouring over an election prediction

2009-02-02T17:13:00.005Z

A little more on that rather frank election prediction for Haringey found at the Haringey council offices (see a few posts below).

It predicts a Lib Dem council, and it turns out that the anonymous document was the work of the Labour party office at the council.

No surprise really - but a far cry from the official Labour line. Their new councillor describes the recent by-election result in Seven Sisters as a "vote of confidence" in Haringey Labour.
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Morven House - selling the family silver

2009-02-02T07:46:00.002Z

The Ham and High this week has a piece about plans by the Council to sell off Morven House in Highgate (with a comment from me) here.

There is also a comment from Charles Adje, the Labour councillor who is in charge of 'disposals' like this, which does not fill me with confidence that we will get the right outcome (see earlier posts).

Morven House is a wonderful listed building on North Hill N6. This pic was taken last Thursday. The windows have been boarded in. I said it was like selling the family silver - but it is more like selling the family silver after running a steamroller over it first.

Haringey are not being very open about the disposal of this local asset or involving local people - a shame, as many people have taken an interest in this building.

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Lynne on staffing at train stations

2009-02-01T11:50:00.003Z

Lynne Featherstone is campaigning to protect manned hours at stations in her Hornsey & Wood Green constituency. For details and how to object to planned cutbacks, take a look at Lynne's film.
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Matt Davies is running the marathon

2009-02-01T08:08:00.006Z

My colleague and council neighour, Matt Davies (Fortis Green), is running another London marathon this April. This time in aid of Refuge.

Matt can be sponsored at www.justgiving.com/matt4refuge. You can also click the widget on the right

Here he is last time out, running for Amnesty. I'm not sure, but I think I took this one.

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Farewell to the Officers Club

2009-01-22T18:45:00.007Z

I’ve been in Bath for a couple of days, and took this picture – the stark sight of the Officers Club menswear chain closing down.

It was the same at the Bristol branch today, and there is of course a branch in Wood Green Shopping City.

It reminded me that on Monday’s Full Council meeting, the Labour member responsible for business said she’d never heard of the Officers Club.

She said this was obviously an issue for the west side of the borough (as if a shop closure in Hornsey or Wood Green was somehow not her concern) as it wasn’t a shop she was familiar with.

I kid you not.
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Seven Sisters post script

2009-01-20T08:50:00.008Z

If you'd like to see the declaration of the Seven Sisters by-election result, the Council has posted a video on the council website here.

It's the first by election win by Labour in six years.

If footage of the recent Highgate and Alexandra results (both won easily by the Liberal Democrats) takes your fancy, I wouldn't waste too much time looking for them...

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It's Liberal Democrats 33, Labour 24, or so says someone at the Council

2009-01-19T23:18:00.005Z

An interesting afternoon and evening. I went over the Council’s offices at River Park House in Wood Green to do a bit of work before tonight’s full Council.

Sitting on the photocopier, in the time honoured fashion, was an interesting analysis of the implications of the Seven Sisters election result. It confidently predicts a Liberal Democrat majority after the next council elections.

The report gives a “predicted majority” for every ward on the Council. In the narrative at the end, it mentions Woodside, which it says the “Lib Dems would take” and says “in the split wards of Noel Park, Haringey, and Bounds Green, the Lib Dems would win a clear majority, possibly costing Labour 5 seats.”

By my reckoning, that give a prediction of 33 Lib Dems and 24 Labour at the election next year. Not something you'd want to leave sitting arround!
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Highgate residents are greenest, says survey

2009-01-19T10:10:00.005Z

Highgate residents are the the greenest in London, according to this week's Hornsey Journal.

You can read the full piece here, with a comment from my collegue, the extremely environmentally friendly Bob Hare.

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Streetcars are coming to Highgate

2009-01-17T06:22:00.005Z

At last, the Council is pressing ahead with plans to introduce ‘streetcars’ at 41 locations in Haringey. This has taken eons, and neighbouring boroughs have had streetcars for some time – the pic shows Lynne Featherstone booking herself a streetcar in Islington, in 2007.

There is more info at http://www.streetcar.co.uk/. It’s a great service, though I would like to see more than one provider in the future. As the website says:

Streetcar has cars parked in a dense network of dedicated spaces across London and several other UK cities, typically within a few minutes walk of your home or work. You can use one for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 6 months.

The council is now consulting on the locations for Highgate. Those mooted:

Two car club vehicles will be located in Cromwell Avenue, N6. This will require the installation of two car club parking bays for specific use by these vehicles and will involve a change in use of two existing CPZ parking bays.

Two car club vehicles will be located in Church Road, N6. This will involve a change in use of two existing CPZ parking bays.

Two car club vehicles will be located in Hillside Gardens, N6. This will involve a change in use of two existing CPZ parking bays.

The council consultation is here. We’re looking in detail at the planned locations, and have other ideas on how to expand the service.

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Well done David, in Seven Sisters

2009-01-16T19:08:00.006Z

The by-election is over. It was yesterday, in Seven Sisters, so I hope to have more time to blog again. Labour won (just) with the Tories second and David Schmitz for the Lib Dems third -but with a big increase in our vote.

The dynamics of this election were one of the most interesting we've had in Haringey. The Tories were able to mobilise large numbers of voters in the Orthodox Jewish community to support their candidate from that area, in the south eastern part, largely through a campaign to sign up postal voters. Elsewhere in Seven Sisters, they seemed to have the impact of a ton of feathers.

Whatever you think of this sort of postal vote sign-up campaign, it undoubtedly produced a Tory vote that was a big, yet rather fixed, part of the equation. Most of the real competition for votes went on between Labour and the Lib Dems in the other 80 per cent of the ward.

Those in the know within Labour are probably worried. On the one hand. in the parts of the ward where the Tory vote wasn't much of a factor, I don't think the swing from Labour to the Tories (if there was any at all) was enough to gain the Tories a seat anywhere on Haringey council.

On the other hand, the swing from Labour to the Lib Dems in these parts of the ward was quite hefty - around 12-15 per cent, I'd guess. As far as the Council is concerned, with Labour holding six seats in Wood Green with tiny majorities last time, this would be more than enough to show them the door.

As the result came in, the Labour winner gave a bizarrely bombastic speech attacking the Lib Dems, and our wonderful candidate, David Schmitz. To any assembled journalists not familiar with the local dynamics, this must have seemed very odd, as David came third. We don't usually get this sort of thing at election counts in Haringey – especially as David had no right of reply. This new Labour councillor has a few bits of protocol to master.

But great work, David. I am bound to say it, but you would clearly have made by far the best councillor for Seven Sisters.

pic: Gladesmore Road, Seven Sisters, December 2008

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Happy New Year

2009-01-05T23:44:00.002Z

A belated one, as I have been away in a magically frost-bitten Scotland - where else? This shot was on route to Peebles.

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Those Post Office queues get longer

2008-12-23T17:42:00.000Z

I'm on holiday from tomorrow, and bracing myself for a visit to the Post Office to apply for a new passport.

It must be done. (I know this can be done without a trip to the Post Office, but it's still quicker and more secure).

I'm not encouraged by this picture of local MP Lynne Featherstone (centre) queueing in the steet outside what is now my nearest branch, in Crouch End. It's a big branch - with a big queue no doubt inside as well. I bought Christmas stamps at the Hornsey High Street branch last week, and also waited a good 20 mintutes to be served.

This is what happens when the Government shuts down the one bit of 'the state' that pretty much everyone uses - and likes.
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Jack in the bag

2008-12-15T21:26:00.004Z

Meanwhile, a certain cat in our house seems to think it's time for a bit of Christmas shopping...
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Seven Sisters - an undertone from the Tories

2008-12-15T19:12:00.003Z

In the Seven Sisters by election, news reaches me of an awful leaflet from the Tories – but with rather unpleasant ethnic undertones about the Lib Dem candidate, David Schmitz (see image).

This won’t offend David in the least. David has dual nationality. His parents, originally Austrian, fled from Nazi persecution in the Second World War.

They initially fled to England, but ended up in the States. David, who has dual citizenship, began his career in New York, but has lived in the UK for most of his working life, having left America in his twenties to become a barrister here.

You’d have to wonder why this makes David an inferior candidate in the eyes of the Tories. It can’t be because they think David is a recent blow in, or doesn’t live in Tottenham, as they will know that he has lived in the area for years.

It will be interesting to see what the voters of Seven Sisters will make of the Tory suggestion that having an overseas connection makes you rather suspect, as a Haringey council candidate.

The publisher of the leaflet is a Cllr Matthew Coggins. He is, at least according to London Councils website, the present Leader of Hackney Conservatives. I think the voters of Hackney might be interested in this issue, too.

I wonder what wording, in his leaflet, would be unacceptable to Matthew? ‘The Lib Dem candidate hails from Scotland? The Lib Dem candidate hails from Bangladesh?’ Given that we are in two very diverse boroughs, perhaps he should clarify.
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The London Mayor's Wards Corner u-turn

2008-12-12T20:02:00.006Z

Boris Johnson has done a depressing u-turn on the future of Wards Corner in Seven Sisters. The party members' site Lib Dem Voice has the story here.

Bojo’s abandonment of residents and campaigners, after saying he would help, may not go down well with local voters in the Seven Sisters by-election on 15 January.

As Lib Dem candidate David Schmitz said this week: "The Mayor cannot wash his hands of the problem simply by refusing to intervene in the planning process.

"The Mayor, through London Underground Ltd, has the power, as the owner of a large part of the site, to control what happens there. He can stop the scheme no matter what the planning position may be - and that is exactly what he must do."

Pic: Seven rooftoops in Seven Sisters. Gladesmore Road

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Full Council - another blow for accountability

2008-12-10T07:14:00.001Z

Yes, they were terrible.

I'm talking about Haringey Labour's new Leadership team, which blocked any discussion at all at the Full Council last night about the outcome of the Joint Area Review led by Ofsted into the Baby P case.

Since the last Full Council just two weeks ago, we have had a report condemning the Council for a catalogue of failings. A Cabinet Minister who said its findings were devastating. Two resignations of the council Leader and Lead member, One dismissal, news reports of another serious case review, and a government agency that has admitted that Haringey hides behind false data when it's under inspection.

Did any of this merit statements, debate and questions at Full Council? Apparently not, because its going to be debated at another special full council meeting next week.

Why is there yet another Full Council meeting next week? Because the Liberal Democrats called for it.

Why did we call for it? Because we were told a debate tonight would not be tolerated.

It's a shambles. The whole meeting was over in about half an hour, as Labour refused, even to defend their choice of new council leader. I was seconding Robert Gorrie as the Lib Dem nominee for council leader, and became annoyed, as the Head of the supposed 'watchdog' Scrutiny Committee (Labour) poured obsequious praise on the new Labour leader - despite the challenges undoubtedly ahead in terms of running impartial scrutiny in the aftermath of the Baby P tragedy. The spectacle, now getting national attention, is just an utter embarrassment for Haringey.

I think Labour's new leaders are gambling that if they can knock the issue forward another week, the national media will lose interest, as it will be so close to Christmas. Never mind the waste of taxpayers money in holding yet another meeting, or being held to account.

There is a bottomless pit of shamelessness among Labour members of Haringey council. Absolutely anything goes.
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It's David Schmitz for Seven Sisters

2008-12-09T07:57:00.005Z

I'm delighted to say that David Schmitz has been chosen to fight the council by election in Seven Sisters for the Lib Dems. It will be on the 15th January.

David is our Parliamentary Spokesperson for Tottenham, and would be brilliant on the Council.

He has been campaigning hard on big local issues, such as the controversial plans for the development of Wards Corner. He is a barrister, and has been giving free legal advice to the Wards Corner campaign.

A great choice! I hope we can get him elected.

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Baby P - the bill for spin doctors

2008-12-09T07:31:00.004Z

£19,000 means never having to say you're sorry.

Or so you hope, if you are Haringey Council. This is the ammount that Haringey says it has paid for media advice from specialist consultants to coach those fronting for the Council over the Baby P tragedy.

My colleague Cllr David Winskill (Crouch End) asked the question as part of his duties on the Council's Scrutiny Committee.

It was not money well spent.
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Blighting a Hornsey street for decades to come

2008-12-05T18:47:00.002Z

I stepped in for a colleague on Planning Committee earlier in the week, where there was a truly dreadful decision about a new admin building for Hornsey School for Girls. My colleague Cllr Richard Wilson has the story here.

The new admin block at the school will come right up to the pavement on the lovely Victorian Street that is Inderwick Road N8. Apart from the awfulness of the decision, there are two depressing facts here.

First, the residents, who had worked with the school, were only asking to be thrown a tiny bone – to move the building back by two metres so that it didn’t come right up to the pavement. And second, it was clear that at least two of the Labour councillors on the Committee had real concerns – yet they voted it through.
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Fury over new council meeting

2008-12-04T00:13:00.006Z

Back from a meeting of Haringey's Lib Dem council group, where there was absolute fury over the Haringey council meeting to take place next Tuesday to elect a new leader for the borough.

This is because the the two people now running the Council, Labour's Lorna Reith and Claire Kober, have refused to allow requests for any items at all about baby P, or the devastating report issued on Monday that provoked the suspensions and resignation of the Labour leader of the Council.

The out-of-touch audacity of the people still in charge is incredible. I opened my council summons at my surgery this evening, where the agenda points out that only the items set out can be discussed. They are incapable of any change.

We are looking at calling another special full council meeting, to try to get some respect and realism into Haringey's council business.
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By-election in Seven Sisters ward

2008-12-03T06:46:00.001Z

There is to be a by-election in Seven Sisters ward. It is the south -eastern Corner of Haringey, that runs from the edges of Finsbury Park, along the Seven Sisters Road through south Tottenham towards Stamford Hill.

It has been caused by the very sad death of long serving Labour councillor Fred Knight (see earlier post) Convention normally demands that you wait until after the funeral to provoke any election activity, but the campaign has been started by someone, probably from another local political party, who has formally moved for the by-election to take place.

Apart from being very disrespectful, moving the by-election last week seems designed to make it difficult for voters, as it means that postal votes, which follow strict calendars relating to when the election is called, could well have to be mailed to voters between Christmas and New Year, This will leave less time for people who are away to cast their votes, and no doubt notching up overtime staff costs.

Labour (whom it wasn't, I think) has also been campaigning heavily in the area - from a few days after Fred's death. The whole thing has been handled abysmally by the other parties.
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Where would we be without Woolies?

2008-12-02T07:27:00.000Z

Woolies in Crouch End was doing a roaring trade on Sunday (see pic). If it disappears from the Broadway, I will certainly miss it. The company has gone downhill in recent years, but as I look around my kitchen right now, I have a lot of bits and pieces I bought in Crouch End Woolies. Only the other day I bought a sink drainer for my new kitchen. It does the job, and it was only a fiver.

Though entirely Welsh, I grew up in Ireland, where we had no Woolworth stores. As a kid visiting my dad's family in Wales, I used to love going to Woolies. It sold all things I wanted; books, games, stationery, and stupendous packets of felt-tip pens to which my pocket money would often fail to stretch.

My mum, when vitising London, always makes a bee-line for the 'pic'n'mix'. And without Woolies in Crouch End, just where could you pick up a Christmas CD for four quid on your way back home from work?

The Wood Green branch has already gone, and the Crouch End site is in a prime location. With several stores closed in the area, it would be a blow. Haringey needs local jobs. There is a feeling that the smaller stores are better placed to survive. I hope that's true.

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Baby P - council leaders finally step down

2008-12-01T21:06:00.002Z

It was entirely predictable, yet why did it take so long? The Leader of the council, and the lead member for children’s services have both resigned today over the Baby P tragedy. It was far too long in coming, and has only happened due to public pressure and the insistence of their own party colleague, Secretary of State Ed Balls.

The x-leader, George Meehan, has said it was a matter of “personal honour and responsibility” - yet why did it take so long? Only seven days ago, Labour wouldn’t even allow a vote to take place on their removal. With 16 months elapsed since the tragedy, there is far less honour than there should have been.

And where does this leave our system of child protection, both in Haringey and nationwide? We have already had a serious case review in Haringey over the death of Baby P. Was it a sham, or just a shambles? It mst have been one or the other, given that a fresh one has been ordered by Ed Balls today.

Have we had to endure 16 months in which the lessons of this tragedy have not been learned? In the three meetings I attended with Liz Santry and top officials to discuss Baby P, this was always a prime concern. I remember, at one of them, using the word ‘whitewash’ when referring to the serious case review process. This prompted the usual indignant denial, which seems to ring very hollow today.

As Lynne Featherstone, who has done so much to articulate public outrage over this issue, said today, more than ever, we need a full public inquiry to get to the bottom of these issues. How was Haringey able to string along so many agencies for such a long time? How can the Government remotely believe such a question doesn’t need a comprehensive answer? It does, and it must happen.

So what next for the Labour council? After nearly 40 years in power, there is a palpable feeling that their time is now up. Yet who from Labour will take over, and lead the borough out of this disaster? Most of those manoeuvring for position couldn’t remotely do the job. The only person who is even vaguely capable of doing so is the current deputy leader. Yet she is most comfortable in the bizarre modern language of the public sector, with its talk of ‘enabling’ and ‘place-shaping’ that local people will rightly fail to understand.

There will be the usual talk of ‘medium term delivery of a sustainable community through partnership working to achieve key performance indicators,’ and so on. But will it make any difference?

It’s a grim day, but at least we can now start the work to rebuild the reputation of the council and the whole area.

And for any officials who are found to have grossly failed, just three words apply. Not one penny.
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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2008-12-01T07:04:00.003Z

With the official start of the Christmas season today, I was reminded of this picture of my cat Jack venturing out into a snowy garden, probably for the first time.

The memory is slightly spoiled by my camera, which tells me the date was around 7th April this year.

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Highgate Hill repairs are well underway

2008-11-30T19:42:00.006Z

Repair works are now well advanced at The Bank, on historic Highgate Hill, which are much needed to make safe a danger on the footpath from the threatened collapse of the embankment above. It looks like the wall and footpath are being thoroughly renovated.

My colleague Bob Hare spent weeks pushing the Council to take action on repairs. Many thanks to my marvellous colleague, Dr Mark Pack, for this latest picture, received today.

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Gordon Brown in Muswell Hill?

2008-11-29T16:37:00.006Z

If shop windows are anything to go by, those behind this politically-motivated masterpiece that caught my eye in Muswell Hill today certainly deserve to beat the credit crunch.

I hope the brooding presence of Gordon doesn't put off too many punters.

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More troubles for Labour's money boss

2008-11-28T20:44:00.009Z

Quite rightly, because of the discussions about the Baby P tragedy, we didn't reach Oral Questions at Council on Monday.

These have a half hour slot, and are shared between the two political groups. We usually get to ask just three, with Labour stretching out 'planted' questions, where cabinet members are asked to comment on how well they are performing in one way or another (though quite incredibly, one Labour councillor, Emma Jones, managed to ask one of these 'helpful' questions about Baby P earlier in the meeting).

I was going to ask Labour's troubled Finance boss if he would apologise for having been found to have broken the members code of conduct, when he passed on commercially sensitive information to a solicitor. His Labour colleague Alan Stanton, who has once again called for him to resign over the affair, has the full story on his Flikr site here:

I got a written answer to my question earlier in the week:

Cllr Williams: With regard to the recent findings of the Standards Board regarding the allegation that he disclosed confidential information in relation to the future of the Welbourne Centre, will he apologise to the Council for yet another finding that calls into question his fitness to hold his portfolio?

Cllr Adje: I certainly do not share his view.

We'll take that as a 'no'. Far more to run on this one, I feel.

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Baby P debate - no one's to blame, as usual

2008-11-25T19:14:00.009Z

“It is difficult to see how any power, any authority, on earth could have stopped them from doing what they did.”

The more-or-less official view from Labour, as given by Cllr Harry Lister, who seconded the motion at the full council last night defending the tragic failure of those responsible for the care of Baby P.

Lynne Featherstone (and my colleague Ed Butcher) have blogged about the often farcical proceedings at Haringey council last night to debate the tragedy of Baby P. See here.

I seconded a motion tabled by Lib Dem Leader Robert Gorrie calling for the resignation of the council leader and the lead member responsible for Children's Services (Liz Santry). True to form, the Labour Whip even moved to block a vote on a motion of no confidence in them, as a stream of notes were passed by Labour bosses and councillors to the (very Labour) Mayor (who quite needlessly also voted with the Labour majority - he didn't have to.

“It is difficult to see how any power, any authority, on earth could have stopped them from doing what they did.”

Labour councillor Harry Lister

It's deeply embarrassing that on sensitive issues, Haringey's Labour Mayors won't be impartial, even when they don't need to be otherwise to get their business through). The Labour Whip (Claire Kober) said the confidence vote would "add absolutely nothing to the debate".

They have no shame. They don't even seem bothered about the national media coverage their antics have resulted in today, and no doubt tomorrow. They did say they were sorry they hadn't said sorry sooner. But they only failed to say sorry sooner because they didn't feel responsible. I know, as I attended several meetings about Baby P following his death last August, and the Council was resolutely defiant in the face of suggestions that they were responsible for this tragedy.

There were parts of the meeting that were valuable, but they only prove the need for a full public inquiry. Liz Santry did try to deal with many questions in a relatively open manner, but this only raises more questions.

She said, for example, that having been through the process of the serious case review, which has now been exposed to considerable criticism, that she had views on how this process can be made better. This, on its own, is important.

We need a public inquiry, so that we can explore this and other questions, because if the serious case review did NOT get to the bottom of problems with social services in Haringey, then we have had 17 months since the death of Baby P in which action hasn't been taken to put things right and make children safe. Nationwide, we need to learn the lessons of Haringey's multiple failures.
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Baby P - An apology from the council leader

2008-11-19T18:12:00.003Z

George Meehan, the council Leader, finally apologised about the death of baby P yesterday. I went with Lib Dem Leader Robert Gorrie and colleague to hear it at last night’s meeting of the Council ‘cabinet’. It was the first public comment from the Council leader so it was welcome, but very late in coming.

Lots of people have made themselves available to talk to the media about baby P in the past week. From ordinary residents and opposition councillors, right up the Secretary of State, Leader of the Opposition and even the Prime Minister – but not the leader of Haringey Council, George Meehan. When the apology finally came last night, it seemed sincere, but not at all personal.

Why had it been so late in coming? According to George yesterday, it is because “these are the right places to formally acknowledge” our sorrow.

Well, not necessarily. With that carefully crafted solemn phrase,what he was trying to suggest to those listening was 'and that's why I shouldn't be criticised for waiting a week to do it.'

There aren’t really any right or wrong places to apologise for such an event. And in these days of mass media, 24-hour rolling news and the internet, George could have voiced his apology much sooner, into any one of thousands of microphones over that past week, and it would have been heard by far more people.

I suppose, like so many others when it comes to this tragedy, he was just ‘following procedures’.
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