Islington Lib Dems have launched a survey to get residents’ views about what the priorities for Islington should be.

With local elections this May it is time for residents to decide who they want to run the council - the Lib Dems who have a record of success in making Islington better or Labour, whose shameful record includes:

• plans to cut the Whittington Hospital
• voting against Lib Dem plans to put more police on our streets
• and the Iraq war

The Lib Dem have launched 4 pledges. We want you to tell us which of our pledges are most important to you or add your own. You can do this on-line here.
1. We will cut crime

Everyone has the right to live in a safe, clean environment. That’s why local Lib Dems are pledging to cut crime. We will provide more late-night policing on top of regular police patrols provided by the Mayor of London. We will crack down on late licences for bars and clubs. Tougher action will be taken against those who do not clear up after their dogs. Vote now.

2. A better start for our young people
Local Lib Dems on the Council have worked hard to help deliver the best ever school exam results in Islington.
We pledge to build on this success and get better exam results this year too. We also pledge to give local young people more housing points. We will deliver more apprenticeships for our young people to ensure they get the best start in life. Vote now.

3. A greener Islington
Combating climate change and global warming is the single biggest challenge we face. Local Lib Dems are pledging to make Islington greener. One of the ways we will do this is through more local energy generation. This will lower people’s energy bills and create new green, local jobs. Vote now.

4. We will lower taxes
Gordon Brown’s recession means that everyone’s had to tighten their belts. Local Lib Dems believe that money is better off in your pocket rather than in council coffers. Labour councillors voted to raise council tax this year. We’re pledging to keep your council tax among the lowest 10 councils in all of London. Vote now.

5. Or add your own - we want your views too. You can do that by clicking here.

Click here to tell us your priorities for Islington

As your local councillors its important we know what you think, so as well as telling you what’s going on in Highbury, we would like you to tell us what you want changed or what could be done better. So here you will find our Highbury East Residents Survey.

This survey is just one way of communicating with your ward councillors. By filling it in you will help us make Highbury East a better place and help set us some priorities to improve things for you.

To fill it in just CLICK HERE

Following a successful trial of pay by phone technology in Isington, Highbury is the next location to get this option to pay for metered parking but unlike some London boroughs which have introduced pay-by-phone it will be an added option and not compulsory.The many benefits include;* users can top-up parking time remotely

* reminder texts before parking time expires

* no need to carry large amount of coin

* businesses’ can register fleet vehicles and manage account on-line

* reduction of paper ticket usage and reduced co2 emissions from
maintenance and cash collectors’ vehicles

Works will commence over the next few weeks without affecting current short-stay parking options.

Highbury East’s Safer Neighbourhood police team is targeting bike thieves in our area.  One bike thief was caught red handed and arrested in Whistler Street last week and the police are hopeful of catching more in a ward-wide crackdown on this crime.

Our local Safer Neighbourhood Team have been prioritising bike theft since this was raised as a concern by residents at the Safer Neighbourhood Panel.

Local LibDem Councillors, Terry Stacy, John Gilbert and Laura Willoughby have also asked the Safer Neighbourhood Team to prioritise dangerous dogs after complaints to councillors across Islington about dogs being being trained in some locations to sharpen their claws by ripping the bark off trees.

Highbury needs more number 4 buses say Islington Liberal Democrats.  Local Lib Dem Councillors and residents are joining their colleagues along the route in lobbying Transport for London to improve this service.
“The buses are really few and far between  and I know it puts a lot of people off using them”, said local Councillor John Gilbert.Liberal Democrat Councillors are asking Transport for London to put more buses on the route. 

A resident on the route, Arthur Graves (pictured), says “It is a hopelessly sporadic service which local people cannot rely on.  If the Mayor wants to get more people out of cars and on to public transport, Transport for London needs to do better than this.”

If you think the no 4 needs more buses and would like to join our campaign, please click here to sign our petition

You voted for more trees - now tell us where to put them

You voted overwhelmingly in our on-line poll for more trees in Highbury East. Now you decide where you would like to see new trees in your patch. Tell us your locations by email: Laura, Terry and John by clicking here or in the form below. You can also tell us where you want to see new bins!

You can complete the locations you want to see by clicking here and completing the locations here

Local Lib Dem Councillor Laura, Terry and John are backing backing a campaign for one hour bus tickets for London bus users. The scheme, which already exists in other European cities, would allow passengers to switch from bus to bus within an hour, for a fixed cost of just one ticket. You can sign the petition by clicking here

Cllr John Gilbert said:
“It really is ridiculous that Londoners have to pay a new fare every time they change
bus. On some quite short journeys you need to change buses, so you’re paying £2
or more to just travel a couple of miles.

“Bus travel should be treated in the same way as Tube travel. You can already
switch from Tube to Tube on the same ticket so it makes real sense to allow people to do the same with buses.

“One hour bus tickets already operate successfully in Paris, Rome and Brussels. It is
time London caught up and gave bus users a fair deal.

Explaining how the new tickets would operate Laura Willoughby said:

“I think one hour bus tickets would make bus travel very attractive to a lot of people
who often don’t use the bus at present. It makes sense. To get from Whittington Hospital to Newington Green takes 2 buses for just 3 miles and cost £2. With a 1 hour ticket the 40 minutes journey would cost just £1.

“The Liberal Democrats are challenging Boris Johnson to introduce one hour bus
tickets and people can support the campaign by signing our petition.

Did you know?

As you know, every year each councillor in Islington is allocated £6,666 to spend on projects in their ward. Here in Highbury East we pool ours, making a £20,000 fund to maximise the benefit to our neighbourhood and the local community.

So far we have supported a wide range of projects across the area, which have included:

New bike stands installed across the neighbourhood and secure bike parking at Taverner Sq & Peckett Sq

We have provided equipment for youth and OAP clubs in Highbury, including a new bingo machine for the Highbury Roundhouse OAP club and new sports equipment for the Roundhouse Youth Club. The Sotheby Mews Day Centre also benefited from new equipment.

But we need to to help us decide what to spend it on this year. Suggestions are listed below, but we are up for any idea you may have - so vote by using the poll to the left of this story or emailing by clicking here :

Liberal Democrat attempts to freeze the council tax were blocked last night by Labour who hijacked the budget and imposed a 2.5% rise on hard-pressed Islington residents struggling through the recession.  This is inner London’s highest council tax rise. 

The move was fiercely opposed by the Liberal Democrat administration who have received hundreds of letters from struggling residents who back the Liberal Democrat proposal to freeze Islington’s council tax and protect frontline services. 

Labour took political advantage from a personal misfortune, when a Liberal Democrat councillor was rushed into hospital earlier in the day for an emergency procedure so was not present.  But Labour refused to defer the decision until she recovered. 

Islington Council Leader, James Kempton (Liberal Democrat), said:”When times are hard, all Islington residents need money in their pockets.  That’s why the Liberal Democrats wanted to see a council tax freeze this year. We worked hard to deliver value for money, with no cuts to front line services.   

“But Labour seems hell-bent on squeezing more council tax out of hard-pressed residents who are already suffering from the worst recession in 100 years.

“Liberal Democrats have kept their promise every year to keep council tax below the London average.  Residents trust us to keep their bills low while improving services and back our campaign for a council tax freeze in droves.

“But Labour doesn’t seem to care about residents except for wanting to get their hands on more of their hard-earned cash.  As if Gordon Brown hasn’t done enough damage already, here we have Labour locally rubbing salt into the wound.

“Ten years ago Labour saddled residents with the highest council tax in London.  Labour’s council tax hike shows what would happen if Labour ever took back control of the council again.” 

 Islington has been in no overall control since 2006 with 23 Liberal Democrats, 23 Labour, 1 Green and 1 former Lib Dem now sitting as an Independent.  All Labour councillors and the Independent voted for the council tax rise and the Green councillor abstained.   

The 2.5% rise means a rise of about £50 to band H council tax payers 

Amongst Labours high spend proposals now adopted were free school meals for all primary school kids. In fact, about half of all families qualify under the Governments mean-tested scheme, so the “winners” here are the wealthier residents with children of the right age-including London Mayor Boris Johnson!  Another idea was for a £100 rebate for pensioners-again, not means tested, and of benefit to rich and poor alike.

These ideas from Islington Labour have embarrassed Labour nationally, as these proposals are not party policy, and heaped embarrassment on neighbouring Labour Boroughs such as Haringey, whose lead member for children ridiculed the idea of a free school meal policy there. 

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat cllr Donna Boffa remains desperately ill in hospital, where colleagues have visited and sent cards and flowers. By contrast, after the meeting, jubilant Labour councillors were slapping themselves on the back and addressing each other triumphantly as “ Comrade” in a vivid throwback to the bad old days when Islington was a “looney left” Labour Borough.

Sign our petition

by clicking here

Local Lib Dem Cllr Terry Stacy secured over £31,000 worth of funding for the Roundhouse to carry out much needed repairs/improvements. These included redecorating the centre’s toilets, improving the ventilation system, replacing the surface outside the children’s play area, and renovating the centre’s three kitchens. Terry said “The Highbury Roundhouse is a key part of the our neighbourhood and these repairs were long overdue. I was delighted the Council listened to my appeal and granted the centre the funds”

Over 50 new bike racks have been installed across Highbury as a result of your Liberal Democrat Councillors. Using money from their Area Committee allocation, Terry, Laura and John put forward sites for new bike racks in our area.

But we need ideas for more locations. Got an idea then email us by clicking here or directly to Shaman at the council clicking here

More than 6,000 lamp posts in Islington have been replaced over the past five years as part of our promise to revamp of street lighting. Through a Public Lighting PFI Project an extra 1,360 lamp posts across the borough and replaced 1,240 traffic signposts and belisha beacons.

Together with partners Southern Electric Contracting (SEC) the council has relit 105 miles of roads and responded to over 28,000 work requests.Whislt the big replacement programme is coming to an end there will still be more replacement and maintenance work going on - so if you have a faulty light do let us know.  But at the end of 5 years nearly every road in Highbury East has had new lamps, including hundreds of heritage lamps for our conservation areas.

Cllr Terry Stacy, said, “Out streets are now safer and more attractive but it does not stop here - our investment in improved lighting is assured for the next 2 decades.”  

Young people in Highbury East have an opportunity to bid for money to improve services they use - be it a local community group, sports team or arts project.

The Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) gives young people the chance to take decisions about the opportunities they would like to be available for themselves and other young people in Islington.  The YOF has operated for the last 2 years and has been a great success.  In 2008/9 about £300,000 will be available.

The Fund has helped with the purchase of sports and music equipment, provided funding for residential programmes away form Islington, enabled organisations to run new programmes and provided specific support to excluded groups in the community including disabled young people. 

Cllr Laura Willoughby, who set up Listen Up, the project that young people lead to improve services in Islington said:  “This is an excellent fund - get your imagination going, consult with friends and make sure you get what you need for your club or group.”

The YOF is not suitable for individual sponsorship or major capital works to premises.  A separate process will run for capital based projects that will take into account the new resources for the borough from the Youth Capital Fund (£100,000), new council capital resources (£250,000), Youth Capital Fund Plus (£450,000) and an as yet unspecified amount through the Myspace programme. 

This year there is a central application process that will manage £200,000 of the money available.  Applications can be made now and at any time through the year as the young people’s panel will meet every month.  A further £60,000 will be available through schools and an additional £40,000 in the 3 priority areas identified in the strategy: Barnsbury/Copenhagen, Finsbury Park/Tollington/Hillrise and Junction/St George’s.  

Groups of young people can apply for as much money as they think they will need for their project.  There is a DVD to explain and promote the scheme which has been widely distributed.  The application form that needs to be completed is attached along with some FAQs.  Further advice, support and information is available through Listen Up and the key contacts are rita.burrows@islington.gov.uk and anna.spivack@islington.gov.uk alternatively Rita or Anna are contactable on 0207 527 4511.

Dear Jules

Re:  Post Offices

You will be aware of the widespread public opposition to the post office closure programme being promoted by the Labour Government.

Islington Council has campaigned strongly against post office closures.  Although we have won the campaign to keep open

post office, other post offices are about to close – including one in

which is in your borough but is used by Islington residents.

I am aware that the Labour Group in Islington has intimated that you wish to step in to save the post office.  I would be very pleased to meet to discuss any plans which you may have to preserve post office services in the area and to see if there is anything that we in Islington can do to help.

Councillor

James Kempton

cc Cllr Lucy Watt, Cllr

Over half-a-million pounds of funding is being dished out to community groups near the Emirates Stadium in Highbury East and Highbury West.

More than 20 organisations are set to receive money from the Arsenal FC Community Benefit Fund - a pot of cash available to help set up local projects, or continue to run existing ones.

It includes more than £30,000 getting young people into sports projects; £30,000 to help grow organic food without the need for any green space; and over £70,000 to tenants’ and residents’ associations for community activities.

Islington Council secured the cash as part of a legal agreement when the Emirates Stadium was built.

Cllr Terry Stacy, said: “We asked local people to tell us how they thought this money should be spent, and we’ve listened to their views.  We are really pleased with the projects in our area that will get funding.”

More than 80 applications were received, totalling more than £2million. Projects are near the stadium in the Highbury East, Highbury West and Holloway areas - which include some of the borough’s most deprived neighbourhoods.

Priorities for funding included young people, older people, environmental projects, community facilities, health and skills for life. The funding was secured by Islington Council from Arsenal FC, as part of a planning agreement to build the new Emirates stadium - known as “a section 106 planning agreement.

The projects to be funded:

• Access to Sports Project: Sports coaching programme at community venues - £30,000
• Centre 404: Support to disabled children and thei r families - £12,422
• Drayton Park Primary School PTA: Improvements to school infants playground to increase activities - £12,161
• Friends of Gillespie Home School Association: To transform the existing tarmac surface of the school playground into a Green Learning and Activity Zone - £30,000
• Friends of Paradise Park and Islington Play Association in partnership: Improvements to children’s centre facilities and park - £26,272
• Highbury Builders Collective: vertical wooden structures which allow communities to grow organic vegetables in small indoor spaces - £30,000
• Highbury Roundhouse Youth and Community Centre: project supporting new estate based youth group and the roundhouses 3rd age project for older people - £29,990
• Highbury Vale Blackstock Trust: Refurbishment of sports hall at Elizabeth House - £30,000
• Fire Station Community Centre (Holloway Neighbourhood Group): Renovation of community facilities - £29,354
• Hyde Village Community a nd Social Association: Aims to set up a number of activities for local people at three community locations on Hyde housing estates - £16,000
• Islington Law Centre: Improvements to law centre reception - £29,997
• Islington Somali Community: Work with young people to tackle anti social activities - £24,385
• Islington Time Bank Network: Engage students at City and Islington college in volunteering with local projects - £29,300
• The Parish of St. Mary Magdalene and St. David: Refurbishment to provide modern community building at Westbourne Road N7 - £30,000
• Martin Luther King and Hyde Plus: To fund work at the new youth centre ‘Ringcross Youth Facility’ and outreach on all local estates - £30,000
• North London Central Mosque: Engage with young residents in targeted wards - £30,000
• Olden Gardens Community Project: Support to a community garden - £30,000
• Quadrant Gardening Club in collaboration with the Highbury Quadrant Tenants and
• Residents Association: Community gardening project involving volunteers in improving green spaces on estate - £30,000
• Quill Street Residents Association: a three year programme of events for residents planned by the residents association - £9,213
• St Thomas Church Finsbury Park and St Thomas’s Playgroup: Improvements to kichen and toilet facilities - £25,000
• Vaudeville Court Tenants and Residents Association: Pilot green time bank based at a council estate on St.Thomas Road - £14,964

From mid-June you should expect to see improvements to street cleaning in and around Highbury.  Street cleaning service in residential roads that will occur on the same day that refuse and recycling collections are made to ensure roads are left clean and tidy.

The street cleaning service will also feature mobile ‘team sweeps’ that will enable a greater emphasis on litter collection and the ability to target litter hot spots at times of need. For example in high pedestrian areas, or outside schools during or after peak times.    This also means if there is a problem in your road that needs sorting outside of your normal street sweeping day - let us know and we can get it sorted.

The Green Team will work alongside the refuse and recycling crews. They will be monitoring service delivery, encouraging the crews to do better, by putting lids back on bins, clearing up spillage and dealing with your eqnquiries.

They will also be running a ‘Love the Street you Live In’ to encourage residents to take more care and litter less, making Highbury better for all of us!

After many comments from residents about bus safety and bus driver behaviour the council has taken action to improve things for Islington residents on public transport.

The aim is to ensure drivers respect the local residents and businesses along their routes, and passengers respect both drivers and fellow travellers.

And we need you to report incidents - this allows the council, the police and transport for London to take action - including extra training for drivers so that you can be more confident when travelling by bus.

There are a number of ways to ensure London Buses can identify the driver and vehicle on a particular route: Read the rest of this entry.