Sadly, Laura Edge decided not to re-stand, and is moving on to pastures new after more than 6 years of leading the Lib Dem revolution in Stroud Green.  Laura has worked very hard to improve our area in her time as councillor and its been fatastic to work with her.  Laura’s stunning by-election success in 2004 (a 29% swing from Labour) and huge re-election vote in 2006 shows just how many residents she has helped and won over to the Lib Dems.

However, Katherine is a very worthy sucessor and has already been battling the Council on issues ranging from empty homes to gritting.  Please get in contact if you want to help our election campaign in any way.

Laura was asking a perfectly sensible question about whether the Council would support a campaign for 1 hour bus tickets, to stop people who change buses paying twice (details of the campaign here).  Instead of an answer what she got was a bizarre tirade from Labour councillor Brian Haley which ended with him calling her “sweet” like a “trifle”.

I can understand why Laura was annoyed – the remarks were obviously designed to be patronising and when delivered to a young woman sound incredibly sexist.   But the really serious issue is why Labour councillors would rather resort to silly name calling than answer the questions that are put to them.  Cllr Haley should be eating humble pie not throwing around trifling insults.

We’ve now had several hundred responses from the roads bordering the Crouch End and Finsbury Park CPZs.  The results so far show:

• Three quarters of respondents say parking has got worse in the last 6 months
• 62% say they are now in favour of a CPZ – with many residents saying they have been forced to change their anti-CPZ views
• The vast majority of residents would want a CPZ to be operational for only 2 hours

These figures show that local people in roads such as Mount View, Ferme Park, Stapleton Hall, Granville and Quernmore, think the parking problem is getting even worse and want the Council to take action.  We are using the results to demand that the Council conduct a proper consultation with residents as soon as possible.  But we are also pledging to scrutinise any Council proposals for new parking restrictions, to ensure they are focused on solving the problem – not boosting Council coffers.

We will be closing the survey very soon to present the full results to the Council, so if you haven’t yet had your say please fill it out online as soon as possible (link here).  This parking mess is largely of the Council’s own making – and they need to listen to residents views on how to sort it out.

According to the Council letter the works will last from the 6th till the 8th July and will involve the full closure of the road.  Residents will be asked to move their vehicles away – or face having them towed to nearby roads (given the short notice the Council gives residents this is bound to cause problems for residents who are on holiday).  I’ve contacted the Council to ask them to confirm they have told London Buses about the plans so that W5 passengers can be warned about diversions.

Its great news that the Council are at last taking action.  However, the Council’s continued underinvestment in roads means that they are actually deteriorating faster than they are being repaired.  Last year the percentage of minor roads in Haringey that were officially substandard increased to 10%.  I challenged the Labour councillor in charge of roads about this at the last council cabinet meeting (16th June) - but just got a waffley response about road repairs being ‘cyclical’.

The picture of me chatting to residents of Granville Road was taken by Ed on the first day we went out surveying together.  Several residents on Granville told us how a previous parking petition they had organised had been completely ignored by the Council.   But it seems people are still determined to have their voice heard and we’ve had a fantastic response to the survey on the roads we’ve done so far (though there are still many more places to do). 

Once we’ve surveyed all the roads we can, we will present the results to the Council to put pressure on them to take action.  However, we have also put in questions on issues such as streetcar, local buses and pedestrian issues – so it isn’t just parking problems that we want to hear about. 

Please do return the survey when we come to your road!

The money for this clean-up came from left-over money in the local neighbourhood fund for 2008/09.  Bids are now in from residents for projects from the 2009/10 fund, and on Tuesday I attended a meeting to look at the proposals.  There are some great ideas to plant trees, install bike racks, hold community events and improve local parks.

Residents can have their say on which projects should get funded at the next Area Assembly, which is at 7.30pm on Thursday 21st May at Rokesly Junior School, Rokesley Avenue N8 8NH.  Come along if you want to find out more.

Last week I got my response.  Apparently, ‘the Council has not broken any promises’ – its just that our roads aren’t a priority yet:  The letter says a review of the Finsbury Park CPZ (including consultation with streets outside the CPZ such as Granville Road and Mountview Road) is on a ‘provisional list’ for 2010/11.

The Council have promised to review the Finsbury Park CPZ countless times over the last 4 years – but we never seem to rise to the top of the pile!  The Council’s refusal to listen on this issue has spurred Ed, Laura and I into action – and we are now testing out our own parking survey with local residents.  More on this soon…

However, the Council have now got their act together and have developed a plan to make the community centre a second base for the Stroud Green Children’s Centre.  This makes good sense as the Children’s Centre’s main base is at the opposite end of the ward at Stroud Green School – and the community centre appears to have been designed for small children.

However, in typical Haringey fashion the Children’s Service have neglected to mention this plan to anyone in Chettle Court or to local councillors.  Laura and I had to ask for a meeting after the news appeared in Haringey People.

Whilst everyone supports the centre re-opening, local residents rightly have a whole host of questions:  Where will the entrance to the children’s centre be?  How will security of the block be maintained with parents from allover the ward coming in and out?  Will residents be able to hire the hall – as they used to be able to?

I think this could be great opportunity to develop a really excellent community centre and children’s services that will benefit Stroud Green and Chettle Court.  But Haringey Council need to start talking to local residents!

Our local MP Lynne Featherstone has already launched a campaign against the cuts with a video at nearby Alexandra Palace Station.  I agree with her that reducing the hours that stations are staffed will make them feel less safe, and of course it make it harder to get tickets.  Crime has been a concern at Harringay Station and my colleague Cllr Laura Edge has succesfully pushed for CCTV at the Quernmore Road entrance.

My colleague Cllr Laura Edge at Harringay Station when she was campaigning succesfully for CCTV at the Qurenmore Road entrance

I think we should be trying to increase staffing at stations to encourage more people to use public transport (though that doesn’t necessarily mean staff stuck behind glass screens in offices – but out on the platforms helping passengers!).  I believe this is what is happening at stations that have been taken over by ’London Overground’, so this First Capital Connect proposal seems very retrograde.

I’ve contacted Passenger Focus and London Travelwatch whose job it is to listen to and act on passengers’ complaints – urging them to stop these cuts.  The consultation ends on 3rd February so if you want to have your say then send your email to enquiries {at} londontravelwatch.org(.)uk as soon as possible.  Please also copy your email to Lynne at lynne {at} lynnefeatherstone(.)org so she is aware of how many people are supporting the campaign.

Apparently, Passenger Focus and London Travelwatch have recently been successful in stopping similar ticket office cuts by South West Trains - so this is definitely a battle worth fighting!

One of the properties is the former ‘dash’ drug treatment centre at 80 Stroud Green Road which has been empty for over the year (pictured). The other is shop 20 under Charter Court, which has been empty for several years.

I agree with Ed and Laura that if the Council can’t find commercial tenants they should be looking for community uses for the shops. One idea is that the Stroud Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team could relocate here from the current base outside the ward on the other side of Crouch End Broadway.

But worst of all by leaving the properties empty the Council is helping to make Stroud Green Road look run down and feel less safe – when it should be helping to improve the area.