Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Council Decides to Rename Black Boy Lane
Following my consideration on the origins of West Green's Black Boy name back in the summer, Haringey Council has decided to rename Black Boy Lane in West Green.
The Council have called the exercise a 'renaming consultation', but the online questionnaire offers only the ability to choose from a shortlist of two new names. So it appears that the decision to rename has already been taken with only the choice of name left to be decided.
They have issued the following press release.
The council has launched a renaming consultation with residents and businesses located on Black Boy Lane, as part of the wider Review on Monuments, Buildings, Place and Street Names in Haringey – which was launched on 12 June 2020, in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The council believes that the names of our monuments, buildings, places and streets must reflect the values and diversity that we are so proud of in the borough. One of the street names that has been identified as not being reflective of this is Black Boy Lane.
Meanings change over time, and the term “Black Boy” is now most commonly used as a derogatory name for African heritage men.
As part of the consultation, the council is asking residents to consider new alternative names that celebrate some of the borough’s most notable influencers, and truly reflect the borough’s rich heritage.
The two names that have been shortlisted for residents to consider are, ‘Jocelyn Barrow Lane’ and ‘La Rose Lane’. The consultation will launch today, Monday 28 September and will run for a period of 4 weeks to Monday 26 October 2020.
Letters will be arriving on Black Boy Lane residents' doorsteps this week, who can respond to the consultation using one of the following methods:
- Online: www.haringey.gov.uk/renaming-black-boy-lane.
- Email:
- bblconsultation@haringey.gov.uk
- Telephone: 020 8489 3797
- By post: Consultation Co-ordinator, The Communications Team, River Park House, 225 High Road, Wood Green, London, N22 8HQ
If Haringey residents have concerns or queries about place, street or building names in the borough, please get in touch. Send your views to Leader@haringey.gov.uk.
Bios:Dame Jocelyn Anita Barrow (15 April 1929 – 9 April 2020) was a Barbadian/Trinidadian British educator, community activist and politician, who was the Director for UK Development at Focus Consultancy Ltd. She was the first Black woman to be a governor of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and was founder and Deputy Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Council.
John La Rose was a publisher, poet and essayist. He founded the Caribbean Artists’ Movement and publishing company New Beacon Books which has a bookshop in Stroud Green. In 1975, he co-founded the Black Parents Movement from the core of the parents involved in the George Padmore Supplementary School incident in which a young Black schoolboy was beaten up by the police outside his school in Haringey.
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Tags for Forum Posts: blackboy lane name change, review on monuments, building place and street names
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Anna on
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Hi Sarah, apparently they sent one last week but I only got the first one, in June. Other people got a second one but not the first one. Not addressed by names. Not dated.
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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon on
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Hi Anna
I will try to get this issue of the letters clarified.
Best wishes
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay ward
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Permalink Reply by Hisky0 on
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https://wh1.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=160223756331 the link to the Albert Park Consultation is here
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I've looked at this and also the one for BBL. It is strange in this one you get the option, Do you agree and also more of an option of your ethnicity. In the BBL you only get to choose the name or neutral and doesn't allow you to submit unless you complete option. The section which my ethnicity fits on the Albert one is missing in the BBL one. This is not a survey or consultation as to whether one really agrees because this council leader is going to change the name whether people agree or not. ADD the choice like in the others with a section, DO YOU AGREE WITH Changing name. Clear discrimination here and a disgrace..
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Yes, Nick, it does appear that Joe Ejiofor is keen to get this through.
Will he succeed? He will if people let him. Though I suspect that minds might change when the list of proposed cuts is made public, together with probably, steep the increases in fees and charges. A few people might decide that cash available for some vital services - or perhaps simply keeping people & businesses alive - might be more pressing than money for consulting on and changing street nameplates across the borough.
In other words even if someone thinks its a great idea, they might also see it as coming at the wrong time.
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My fear is that looking at the comments here many people appear to be against the change of not only BBL but a lot of the changes mainly because of the cost, but they fail to sign a petition or voice their opinion to their cllr or to the leader. As a result this man will push his agenda.
I would like to know who voted for this leader and how can one go about getting rid of him
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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This might give you some clues. Whilst I don't know her that well, Seema has always seemed reasonable to me. She's always been pretty responsive and she's local too. As deputy leader, a calm thoughtful email to her would be worth a try. I'd urge any potential correspondent to resist from tub-thumping.
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Hugh, has Seema become deputy leader? I know her from working together to get the dedicated disabled bays. I wrote to her about this and she hasn't yet replied. I can understand why now! I will write to her again.
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Yes Seema is Joe's appointed Deputy Leader. The "cabinet" is now entirely a grace-and-favour system. Appointed and dismissed at whim by the Leader.
How do you get anyone in the ruling clique to pay attention? A very interesting question. You'd hope that calm, informed, reasonableness might do the trick, wouldn't you? No chance.
And by the way, I checked Haringey website two minutes ago. Usual sloppiness.
https://www.haringey.gov.uk/local-democracy/how-decisions-are-made/...
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This is what I belive needs to change. Who picked this Council leader who has so much Authority? Surely democracy should allow the people to vote for a leader especially if they have so much power. Doing research it appears he sacked his last deputy because there was a disagreement. Who or how can this man be Sacked? It is a disgrace to democracy that he can make such strong decisions unchallenged. I would imagine that cllrs would not speak up in case they loose their position. I worked with Seema getting the dedicated disabled bay scheme and wondered why a response from her was not received. I can now understand why and if the council leader can sack who and when I bet most cllrs would be cautious in going against him even if they disagree
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Under the Local Government Act 2000 there is no provision for a directly elected leader of a local authority. However, there is for an elected Mayor. To call for a referendum on the issue a petition of at least 5% of the electorate is required. Of the 32 boroughs in London only 4 went down that route (Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets)
So far 53 local authorities have held referenda on having a Mayor and the majority (37) voted against the idea. There have also been 3 referenda on removing the post of elected Mayor and 50% voted to do so.
The cost of those already held has been between £55,000 in a small authority (Torbay) to well over £200k in larger ones.
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Haringey had a consultation on this back in 2009. Of the 590 responses to the consultation, 325 favoured the option of a leader chosen by councillors and 265 favoured the directly elected Mayor.
Council papers on this attached.
- Attachments:
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