Vote Liberal Democrat on 22nd May 2014

First and most importantly, a big thank-you from Karen and me for having made us your councillors for the past four years, and a further big thank-you from Karen, Asha and me for the friendly reception we’re getting on your door-steps, as we call on you in order to speak about the next four years.

This campaign has been particularly pleasant for us because, of course, we already know many of you from the years we have spent together in sorting out problems with the local authority and campaigning for improvements to the local area – such as the pedestrian crossing now installed at Falkland Road, the camera on Wightman Road for detecting HGVs and the crossing that we’ve been pushing for at Alroy Road (about which we expect to hear more next month).

The question for the electorate

In this election, the question to be decided is whether the Labour group, which has ruled this borough for 40 years, deserves to be placed in charge for another four.

The answer we would give to that question is a decided no. Everywhere there are signs of the sloppiness typical of parties that have been in power for too long.

You already know about the £3.7 million paid in bonuses to staff of the council’s housing services while repairs go undone.

You already know about the money spent on trip to the French Riviera to attend a conference with developers about carving up Tottenham.

And you already know that a report which Haringey itself commissioned (“Outstanding for All”) said of the Council’s education services that “some schools are successful in spite of, rather than because of, the services provided.”

But you may not already know that in just the past few weeks

●    the Labour mayor, has been slated by the council’s standards committee for using her position for her private benefit.

●    a High Court Judge has said this said about the latest scandal to hit the children’s services department (in a case where abused children from a single family were stopped from seeing one another ever again):

               “The essential failures in this case almost beggar belief…. There seems to have been a great lack of communication between a range of different professionals such that in the end no one knew what had been decided by whom or when or why, and everyone seem to have completely overlooked … that there was in place a very clear court order in relation to these children …. [Haringey’s own barrister] has said that there was, in this case, ‘systemic corporate failure.’”

●    the Labour Council has failed to spend almost £1 million of the “Families in Crisis Fund” made available to it by the government to help people with financial hardship. So while they complain about the withdrawal of housing benefit for spare rooms, but when it comes to using the tools available to help the people who have from this change, they have sat on their hands.

If not Labour then, why choose us?

Firstly, we are the only alternative. Only Labour and the Lib Dems have elected councillors anywhere in Haringey.

Secondly, the election is extremely close in this ward. Last time I won by only 13. To vote for anyone other than us is to risk the loss of the dedicated team which works hard for you right here. It is also to risk another 4 years of Labour in charge of the Council.

Thirdly, and most importantly, we are a team which has the skills and the dedication to keep questioning council officials to ensure that they are up to the mark, so that the scandals I’ve just referred to become things of the past.

Now for our specific proposals.

You can see the detail in our manifesto here http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Haringe...

A few highlights:

●    We will freeze Council Tax for the next four years. This is something that I’ve been campaigning about since 2009. Don’t be fooled by Labour’s promise. They’ve only frozen the Tax in the past because the government has given them a grant to do so.

●    We will spend an extra £1 million to resurface our roads. Don’t be fooled by Labour’s £25 million. That’s just the roads budget for everything connected with them.

●    We will start the statutory process for bringing in a register of landlords, so that we can crack down on the rogues. Labour have only promised “to explore the case for a selective licensing scheme.”

●    We will ensure that all of our schools are rated “good” or “outstanding” and to get there, we will actually implement the recommendations of the “Outstanding for All” report on the Borough’s schools. Right now, the school which deals with difficult pupils, (the Pupil Referral Unit) is in special measures. The Council has given up on it  and is seeking to turn it into an academy. We’ll do better than that..

●    We will bring in LED street lighting at a speedy pace – far faster than the 40 years envisaged by Labour. These lights use less power, produce less carbon, and are cheaper to run than the ones now in place. They are also brighter and can therefore have an impact on crime.

●    We have specific proposals about helping the economy and business and to prevent Green Lanes from becoming a ghost town.

      Things like 30 minutes’ free parking, so that our traders can take advantage of passing trade and keep their connections with customers who’ve moved away.

      Things like apprenticeship fares. Things like my leaflet to traders to explain and encourage uptake of the government’s scheme.

●    We will promote integration of health and social care through pooled budgets, as Islington did when we were in control. This enables a co-ordinated approach for people who need both services, and it saves money.

Note that we have put forward most of these already as budget amendments. To that, we have had to show where the money is to come from, and we have to persuade officials that our figures are correct. So what follows is realistic and certainly not pie in the sky.

What about this Ward?

We will deliver a comprehensive traffic survey to ensure that the load is spread fairly. Piecemeal measures just aren’t good enough.

We will consult on improvements to Ducketts Common.

We will increase our support of residents’ and traders’ associations, especially in the Turnpike Lane area, so that it too can receive attention as Green Lanes has finally been able to achieve..

After 40 years in power, Labour cannot be relied upon.

Our record of achievement in opposition shows that we are ready for the challenge of leading this Borough. And in this Ward, the work done done by Karen, Asha and me shows that we work all year round and care for the community we serve.

The time has come to give the Liberal Democrats the chance to show what we can do.

Please vote for us on Thursday the 22^nd.

St. Ann's Ward

If you live in St. Ann’s Ward, please remember that you have an alternative to Labour’s shambolic organisation there. Vote for Mihai Ghertan, Alison Prager and Tola Ariyo.

Mihai is a local accountant,

Alison is a local resident who who helped offenders in Haringey through the probation service for 14 years before becoming a full-time carer.

Tola is finishing his law degree at the LSE. Before that he was the first pupil at Haringey 6^th Form College to get an Oxbridge interview.

With best wishes,

David Schmitz

Karen Alexander

Asha Kaur