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ISSUE No 4—08
R
FFIIR S
S T
T
JUNE
First Tottenham
TOTTENHAM
* *
* POB 56928 LONDON N10 2UU 0845 INK TOTT info@firstnewspapers.net
proceedings in England’s
UK Family Law to be Investigated? Family Courts are com-
pliant with Article 6 of the
A motion has been tabled for the Council of Europe to consider investigating UK Family Law. European Convention on
Human Rights (the Right to
a Fair Trial).
John Hemming MP, Chairman
of Justice for Families, said “This is The Assembly also
good news for families in England recognises that questions
and Wales. It is the first step towards have been raised as to
getting a Supranational body to inves- whether the system is also
tigate the way in which Human Rights systematically uncompliant
for parents are being abused in the UK. with Articles 3, 8, 10, 11 and
It is likely to lead to a proper inquiry 12.
that hopefully will allow parents and The Assembly suggests
children to tell the Council of Europe that the relevant committee
what the UK has been doing to them.” of the Assembly starts an
The text of the motion is: The examination of the system
Parliamentary Assembly recognises to which concerned parties
can submit evidence of
that human rights are part of the The co-founders of the Angela Cannings Foundation, set up by Justice for Families. Clockwise from left: John Hem-
Council of Europe’s key values (and) mings, Angela and Ian Gay, William Bache, Penny Mellor, Angela Cannings, Marianne Williams. Human Rights abuses in
that systems are needed for the pro- England and Wales.
tection of children when they are at risk. The Assembly tasked with Child Protection. The Song “Bring the Sunshine In”, a
believes, however, that those who are tasked with pro- The Assembly particularly notes the use of campaign song for Justice for Families, was
tecting children need to be accountable for their actions Section 54.4 of the 1999 Access to Justice Act released on12th May. John Hemming MP
and .. to operate in a way which protects the human rights by the Court of Appeal in England which is pre- said, “I have written and produced this song
of those people they are dealing with venting cases being considered by the Supreme to highlight the many injustices that happen
The Assembly notes that there is substantial concern Court in England and the way in which this in England and Wales. Funds raised will go
that the secrecy of the Family Division of Courts in England acts to undermine the rule of law allowing the towards fighting injustice.”
and Wales has caused the development of an environ- Family Division of Courts to operate in isola- Contact:
ment in which practitioners are not properly accountable. tion from the wider body of law. John Hemming, MP House of Commons,
It notes that a number of people have emigrated from The Assembly recognises that questions London SW1A 0AA
England because they feel persecuted by the authorities have been raised as to whether the judicial john.hemming@john.hemming.name
editorial@firsttottenham.com 0845 465 8688/8088 FIRST TOTTENHAM June 2008 PAGE 3
CVS DISPOSAL
balance is not always an obvious outcome.
CAR
By Odile You may come across a partnership that
IT IS OUR Haustant, does not work. Although your heart may
tell you otherwise do not attempt to keep
BUSINESS! BA, MA,
a work placement if it is putting a strain on
SCRAP CARS
Business me your business will benefits from it and
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YOU the Institute Some local organisations can assist you, ANY CONDITION
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volunteer sector. You can also decide to
WHAT IS CARIS?
(Christian Action and Response in Society)
“People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are
people without homes.” (Sheila McKechnie)
People lose their homes for many different reasons: unemployment,
low wages, divorce, domestic abuse, mental illness, redundancy and
financial problems. Approaching their local authority for assistance,
these families are not fully aware of the procedures and options. They
often have to wait extended periods for social housing, which is in short
supply in Haringey and families deemed “priority need” have been
placed in stressful long-term private sector leasing for up to 8 years.
CARIS Haringey, a registered charity, was set up in 1990 and is the
only organisation that exists solely to work with and for homeless fami-
lies of the London Borough of Haringey, of which officially there are
5,000.
We are open to everyone in temporary accommodation and are
accredited with the CLS (Community Legal Service) Quality Mark for
general help with casework and with OISC (Office for Immigration
Service Commissioner) level 1 –immigration.
“Homelessness for me was not just about having no place to live.
It was about loosing my independence and purpose in life, being iso-
lated, humiliated and ignored.” (CARIS client)
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, savings could be made and waste eliminated. We’d average per head of population. There is still a long
new council tax bills dropped through our expected to find some waste, but the results were way to go.
shocking. The overall message is clear – it’s not that the
letter boxes, bringing for the vast majority
of us the same bad news—taxes going up First, we looked at publicity—a budget which council don’t have enough money, rather that they
includes the statutary legal notices councils have aren’t spending it properly. Who, when paying their
yet again. to publish, but also includes PR officers, advertising council tax, expects it to be spent on spin doctors,
and those glossy self- glossy literature, middle managers and gold-plated
promoting newslet- pensions? Next time Haringey Council demand more
ters that no-one ever money and say it is needed for frontline services,
reads. Haringey still people will know that isn’t true.
spend a staggering The need to find savings in council budgets is
£3,639,000 on non- urgent. People simply can’t afford to pay so much
-essential publicity, tax, and pensioners increasingly have to choose
over 330 per cent between adequately heating their homes and paying
up on ten years ago their council tax. By cutting out even a portion of the
and well above the waste we have identified, Haringey council could
Whilst the annual rise in council tax has amount one would expect, for the population.
become so predictable it is almost a joke, for many reduce the burden on taxpayers and divert money to
people it is an extremely serious problem. Next came middle managers (council staff the front line services that taxpayers actually want.
earning more than £50,000). With a growing If we want a good deal from the council, we have
In the last ten years our council tax bills have economy, some rise is to be
soared—putting increasing pressure on everyone’s expected. After all, generaly the to hold them to account. Ideally,
household finances. Families and pensioners on number of people earning that this information shouldn’t have
fixed incomes are particularly hard-hit by the rise, much has trebled in ten years. been buried in obscure accounts,
and in these uncertain economic times few can Haringey Council, though, far but should be made accessible to
afford to have an ever-increasing portion of their outspent the wider economy, the public as a matter of course.
earnings eaten up by the council. Now we have dug it out and
going from 16 officers on £50,000 dragged it into the light, it is up to
Not only has tax gone up, though, it is not clear in 1997 to 208 in 2007—a the people of Haringey to demand
where the money has gone. We were told taxes had thirteen-fold rise—at a total cost the council do a better job.
to rise to fund essential services: for more police of £13,400,000 every year.
on our streets, improved schools, better libraries Our politicians are failing dis-
Finally, our researchers mally to manage the way money
and regular bin collections. People were willing investigated spending on pen-
to give the argument the benefit of the doubt ten sions. The Local Government is spent and services are deliv-
years ago, but now questions must be asked. ered. Far too often, the bureaucrats
Pension Scheme is notoriously working for councils are allowed to build empires
Council tax has doubled, but our services are outdated and is generous to an extent that few without proper transparency and are then rewarded
far from twice as good. Worse, Haringey Council in the private sector can now dream of. Whilst with generous pay, unjustified bonuses and hefty
still pleads poverty, raising council tax by an above- reforming its overall terms can only be done by pensions. These practices should not be allowed to
inflation 3% yet again this year and threatening to the Government, who have so far chickened out of continue—for the financial future of the council, for
cut park services and support for the elderly as the necessary argument with the unions, individual the people who are currently let down by struggling
well as other services. councils can reign in their own spending and limit services and for the good of taxpayers.
their costs to a certain extent.
Where has the money gone?
It is only in this area that there are some signs of Mark Wallace is the Campaign Director of the
Using the Freedom of Information Act, the good performance in Haringey. Between 05/06 and TaxPayers’ Alliance, the grassroots campaign for bet-
TaxPayers’ Alliance obtained the Haringey Council 06/07, the council’s pension costs fell by 3.2%. That ter government and lower taxes.
accounts for last year and ten years ago, allowing is a step in the right direction but only a small step To find out more and to join for free visit:
us to trace the areas of increased spending. considering that the total annual bill in Haringey is www.taxpayersalliance.com
The Council Spending Uncovered campaign £24,100,000, which works out at £107 for every Taxpayers Alliance,
is about moving on from just being shocked at man, woman and child in the Borough. Even after 43 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9JA
high high council tax, to picking out areas where the slight reduction, that is double the national 0845 330 9554
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PAGE 8 editorial@firsttottenham.com
WE DID IT!
Dear Sir
The delivery of high quality, accessible care is the single
most important element of our overall vision for improving
health and reducing inequalities in health in Haringey.
While there are some excellent examples of GP prac-
tices, we know that many people are frustrated with access
to GP services and this needs to change. We are proposing
to make it much easier to see a GP, over extended hours
and in better facilities.
This is not about closing surgeries or reducing the
number of GPs; in fact, the number of GPs could increase.
Rather it looks at reducing the number of locations from
which primary care services are currently provided and re-
locating some surgeries into improved premises.
This is also about reducing inequalities in health to
provide improved care and clinical outcomes especially in The Lordship Rec bid to the Lottery to regenerate
the east of Haringey where life expectancy is particularly Tottenham’s largest green space has been successful!!!
lower. Male life expectancy is nearly 8 years lower in Bruce
Grove (70.5 years) than in Muswell Hill (78.2 years) and Photo taken at last September’s 3,000-strong community festival organised to promote the bid.
our proposals aim to close this gap. Great news for Tottenham’s largest and - secured. If we get that right, the £4m will be
We want to see a greater range of services in primary and until recently - most neglected green space. handed over and the long process of imple-
community settings, provided from high quality appropriate A big thank you goes to all those park users, menting and overseeing the improvements
facilities, for longer hours, with good quality clinical out- people in the surrounding communities, will begin.
comes. We want better co-ordinated and more convenient and the many community organisations
So we will need to strengthen our active
care for patients; we don’t believe this is achievable across and Council officers who have contributed
community involvement and partnership-
all existing practices, operating from their current premises. to, publicised or supported the Lordship
working.
Rec improvement efforts during the last 6-
As part of our planning, we are looking closely at any
7 years. All that hard work, determination, But for now, let’s enjoy and celebrate the
impact on travel which will inform where we finally decide
care and patience - and most of all vision good news, and discuss it in more detail at
to locate services. We are committed to ensuring that the
and belief - has been rewarded.... A special Monday’s meeting (see below). And we also
GP/patient relationship is retained in any future model of
thank you to the Friends of Lordship Rec and have the little matter of this year’s Lordship
care.
the Council’s Recreation Services for their Rec Community Festival on Sept 13th to
The PCT will continue to engage our local community persistance throughout that whole period. organise... All are welcome to contribute!
and clinicians and any changes will follow appropriate Please read the Joint Lottery/Council state- Dave Morris Chair, Lordship Rec Users
local consultation. ment (below) issued last week. Forum
Yours faithfully There is still a very long way to go - The Partnership body overseeing the regen-
Richard Sumray, Haringey Teaching PCT chair plans need to be developed in more detail eration of the Rec. Contact this paper or:
Mayur Gor, Haringey Teaching PCT PEC chair (£235,000 has been earmarked for that
Tracey Baldwin, Haringey Teaching PCT chief executive purpose) and match funding needs to be dmorris@onetel.com
editorial@firsttottenham.com 0845 465 8688/8088 FIRST TOTTENHAM June 2008 PAGE 11
- but Page Green branch saved! The closures have been given the go-ahead by
the Government-owned Post Office Ltd despite
and the borough-wide co-ordination we are
building up. With more proposed public-
Post Office Ltd has announced today that 6 Haringey opposition from residents’ and community organi- service closures looming on the horizon—such
branches are to be closed down. 89 Weston Park, N8; sations, Haringey Council, traders’ groups, political as the Haringey Primary Care Trust attempting to
Ferme Park Road, N4; 100 Alexandra Park Road, N10; parties. Well over 5,000 residents signed protest force local GP surgeries into ‘polyclinics’—such
Salisbury Road, N22; 7 Highgate High Street, N6; 434 petitions despite the short notice. neighbourhood-based campaigning is essential.
West Green Road, N15. These offices provide a vital Its up to all of us to fight for the needs of our
service for local communities, especially for the most Post Office Ltd has announced that 155 London
post offices are earmarked for closure - and over communities, and to that end we call on all resi-
vulnerable residents. It is our understanding that all of dents to join or set up residents groups in every
the threatened branches are viable. The only branch 2000 nationally. In 2004, the Government was
forced to suspend and reconsider the Post Office’s street, neighbourhood and block of flats.
that has been successfully saved is the Broad Lane /
Page Green Post Office, N15 - credit and congratula- entire national closure programme after angry pro- Contact the
tions goes to the Tynemouth Area Residents Association tests. Let us hope that this time we can also force Haringey Federation of Residents Associations,
and their determined efforts and mass petitioning to the government to back down. 42 Falmer Rd, N15 5BA
halt the closure. The most positive thing to come out of this is the 0208 211 0916 info@haringeyresidents.org
ever-growing strength of local residents associations www.haringeyresidents.org
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