2022 was tough for many of our residents, and 2023 doesn’t seem as though it is going to be much easier, but I was heartened to see a number of our Lib Dem campaigns, which began several years ago, culminating towards the end of last year.
As Lib Dem councillors, my colleagues and I always aim to put residents’ priorities first. Achieving success in our campaigns for these priorities, even for small projects, can take a long time, but are always worth it if they come to fruition.
One in particular which I have been campaigning for is the installation of traffic calming on Shepherds Hill and a pedestrian crossing at the bottom of Wolseley Road, which I have been pushing for ever since I was first elected in Crouch End in 2018. The council has announced consultations for both are taking place this month, and I am sure they will be enthusiastically welcomed by residents - especially the hundreds that signed our petition for the measures.
Likewise, my colleague Cllr Rossetti in Alexandra Park ward had been campaigning for four years for the flooding issue in O.R. Tambo Rec (formerly Albert Rec) to be resolved, and the playground to be refurbished. In November we finally received news that the council was acting to prevent the flooding, with consultations on the playground beginning later this month.
These campaigns may seem minor to some, but they are of course on top of our main role as councillors, helping individuals navigate the council bureaucracy, and getting the support they need, from how their disabled child is supported, to their bins not being collected.
Most of our residents will never need to reach out to us, but many of those who may benefit enormously from the help of their local councillors simply don’t know that we are here.
So, as we go through a difficult winter and beyond, if you do have an issue then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with your local councillors, or if you prefer - myself as leader of the opposition, or the leader of the council - to get the support you elected us to provide.
You can find out who your local councillors are here: haringey.gov.uk/local-democracy/councillors-and-mps
Luke Cawley-Harrison is the Lib Dem oppostion leader at Haringey Council.
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