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'Shameful' council leaders face vote of no confidence
Benedict Moore-Bridger17.11.08
POLITICIANS today demanded the resignations of senior Haringey councillors following an emergency meeting to discuss the brutal death of Baby P.
Members of the Labour group met behind closed doors as pressure mounted on council leader George Meehan and Liz Santry, cabinet member for children and young people, to quit.
Mr Meehan, who was also in charge during the Victoria Climbié tragedy, has made no public apology over how the council handled the boy's care, despite the wave of public revulsion and political criticism over the case.
Today opposition councillors denounced the council's actions as "shameful" and "incompetent" and said that those in charge should take full responsibility for its failure to prevent a second appalling child tragedy within eight years. Robert Corrie, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader, said that councillors were now "ashamed" to be associated with Haringey Council.
He added: "The performance of the council in contrition has been embarrassing and shameful. Three members of my group are saying they are embarrassed to be Haringey councillors.
"Haringey Council and its leaders have shown absolutely no respect for the public to whom they are accountable and they have failed to accept their responsibility for what has happened.
"There is a complete vacuum at the heart and head of Haringey Council. If we have a culture that allows failure it is because our leadership has failed."
Mr Corrie said a motion would be put into the full council meeting next Monday calling for a vote of no confidence in the two councillors. "We are calling for Liz Santry and George Meehan to resign," he said. "There should be clear accountability of who is responsible. The Children's Act states the cabinet member for children and young people is accountable, while Meehan has been completely invisible."
Mr Corrie said other political parties had been barred from yesterday's emergency meeting, and added that there was a growing number of dissenting voices among the Labour group, dissatisfied with the way the crisis had been handled.
An official serious case review into Baby P's death, led by Haringey's head of children's services, Sharon Shoesmith, concluded that council's staff were not to blame for failing to prevent the tragedy - even though the child's mother was visited 60 times by care staff in the months before the fatality.
Its findings, published last week, have led to a storm of protest, forcing the Government to order a new investigation.
Reader views (5)
Like Mr Gorrie (note spelling), Liz Santry lives in the real world and before retirement worked for the Department of Trade and Industry.
She is a bit of a saint and it is typical that of all the many thousands of people who work for Haringey Council that it should be an unpaid volunteer who apologizes for the failings involving Baby P.
I have seen her work into the night passing decisions to protect the children of Haringey. Simple no-brainer decisions that would have required a few minutes in normal circumstances. Frustrated by the corrupt and chaotic full time professionals, each achievement took her months.
Then when it was all over, the equally corrupt legal department of Haringey Council would begin to undo and reverse everything she had put in place. This was not an isolated occurrence.
I have never spoken to Liz Santry but know that Haringey would be a poorer place without her.
- Geoffrey Wearmouth, London
The honourable thing would be for all councillors to resign their seats and force a by-election in every ward. A child has died under their watch in such appalling circumstances and it seems the only thing this cynical bunch are bothered about is saving their own skins. The whole of Haringey Council is riddled with incompetence and spinelessness, and time should be called on their mismanagement. To still hear of no apology from the leader of the council is frankly despicable, and the sooner this lot go the better for all those unfortunate to live in this failed borough.
- Richard, Haringey, London, UK
The should indeed resign, after first sacking everyone in the sorry saga, including the legal people who said there was insufficient evidence, and the whole SS crew except perhaps Sylvia Henry. Also sack the government ministers and their civil servants who played pass the buck rather than intervene. Sack the imbeciles who gave Haringey SS a glowing report even AFTER the death of "Baby P". Send the message - this is not good enough!! And, unlike after Climbie, don't re-hire them!!
Put the brave whistleblower in charge in Shoesmith's place - she at least knows what the issues are.
- David Smith, Wellingborough, England
I would support calls for Liz Santry and George Meehan to resign. I worked in partnership with Haringey's children's department over the transition of Connexions services in 2007. Even though the Connexions service was responsible for supporting and advising often very vulnerable young people, none of Haringey's leaders, including Liz, George and head of children's service, Sharon Shoesmith took very much interest in learning about the service or ensuring that the right policies and training practices were in place. In fact, Haringey leaders often ignored advice from professionals about young people's welfare and took decisions based on what money they could syphon off into other areas. In my view this was a loop hole left wide open by Ed Ball's government department who forced the transition through. Despite many requests from me and my colleagues, the head of Haringey's children's service, Sharon Shoesmith failed to come to a single meeting of the Connexions partnership during the transition to inform herself of important issues in the care of young people, delegating a junior manager instead. Dealing with staff in her department, particularly youth services, it became apparent that there was a deeply rooted culture of apathy towards young people and their welfare which was in stark contrast to the culture I found at Connexions. I lost my faith in the leadership of the council in the year I spent trying to protect and safeguard these services. It is now time they went
- Anon, London UK
they should be jailed for manslaughter.
- Scott Allan, canterbury kent
