Bunhill

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Donna Boffa (donna.boffa@islington.gov.uk)

Ruth Polling (ruth.polling@islington.gov.uk)

Jyoti Vaja (jyoti.vaja@islington.gov.uk)

Surgery details: Councillors Boffa, Polling or Vaja first and third Friday of the month from 6.00pm to 7.30pm at Central Street Area Housing Office, 85 Central Street, EC1V 8DT. There are no surgeries in August or on bank holidays.

Support Your Local Market: http://www.whitecrossstreetmarket.co.uk/

Focus on Bunhill Ward

Summer 2008

Government Attack on Finsbury Services

Your local Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign against two closures announced by the Labour Government which will have a massive impact on services to local people in Finsbury.

In March the health service announced that they intended to close the Finsbury Health Centre on Pine Street. Then the Post Office announced in June that they intended to close the well-used local post office on Goswell Road.

Save Our Post Offices

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Bridget Fox, who played a leading role in the successful campaign to save Essex Road post office from closure, says, "Liberal Democrats have fought post office closures at every stage, unlike Labour. This closure plan is a direct result of Government post office policy. I've started a campaign to save it - you can sign the petition online at: http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/SaveGoswellRoad."

Keep Care Local

Bunhill Councillor and local mum Donna Boffa says, "Families with sick children need their GP nearby. If there is a new building, it's got to be local."

Parliamentary Campaigner Bridget Fox says, "Last year, thousands of Finsbury residents filled in my health survey. You told me how important the NHS is to all of us.

"Now we learn that Finsbury Health Centre could be under threat. Labour talk about 'personalised services' but seem to be getting more out of touch. We don't want Gordon Brown's latest plans to mess up local services or cut our GPs. Labour have taken local people for granted for way too long."

Working for You

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Ruth Polling added, "It seems like the Labour Government just don't care about Finsbury or its residents. These closures will be a disaster for local people, particularly the elderly, and they are ignoring this to try and save money. Only your local councillors and the Liberal Democrats are fighting these closures so please join our campaign to keep services local."

Moorfields School Site

Many residents have contacted us with concerns about the sale of the old Moorfields School. The site at the corner of Bunhill Row and Featherstone Street has been empty since Prior Weston moved to their brand new home at Golden Lane in April.

When the Council announced plans to close Moorfields in 2003 they consulted residents on a package which included building a new school for Prior Weston and selling the land of the old Moorfields School to part fund the project. Now the new school has been completed the Council is keen to receive money from the sale to spend on further school improvements such as those at Central Foundation and Moreland Schools.

At the moment there are no plans for the site as it will be up to any buyer to make proposals. The site is in a conservation area with views of Bunhill Fields so there are restrictions on any development. Any proposals would also have to get planning permission from the local planning committee.

Local Liberal Democract Councillor Ruth Polling said. "We know from our discussions with residents that much of the concern is about what would be built on the site by its new owner. As your councillors we will fight for local residents to ensure that whatever is built there fits in with the local area and protects Bunhill Fields."

More Local Residents Get Decent Homes

Work by your Lib Dem Council to improve all council houses in the Borough has recently seen some major works at the Triangle, Peregrine House, Kestral House, Garnbier House and the Wenlake, Redbrick and St. Luke's Estates.

Many local residents can now celebrate having new kitchens, new bathrooms, new windows, better wiring, improvements to boilers and redecorated communal areas. This multi-million pound project has made a real difference to flats across Finsbury and many local residents have told us how delighted they are with the works.

However, we have also had complaints from residents where the works have not been carried out properly or where there has been a problem with the contractors on site. While only a small number of flats have problems we have been chasing a number of cases for local residents to ensure they get what they were promised.

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Jyoti Vaja said, "The Council is investing millions of pounds to improve flats in Bunhill and our job as local councillors is to check that they get it right. While we know that most residents are happy with the finished works, for many the process of getting the works done has been stressful and difficult.

"We are really keen to hear from local people about their experience of the works so that we can let the Council know where there are problems and we can get the problems resolved for local residents. Our contact details are listed on this site, so please get in touch and let us know what you think of the works."