Africans in Chestnuts Park

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter yesterday

PARK noise and Haringey Council's conflict-of-interest in dealing with it:

Yesterday, I set out why the council is unable to deal objectively with their Finsbury Park-customers' noise (pecuniary interest) and the likely effect on council employees.

But there is one group of council employees I did not mention, who have had the sharpest conflict of interest.

Duty of the council's legal service

My understanding is the legal service role was recast following the Blair local government "reforms". i.e. the Strong Leader model, Cabinet System, that creates the conditions for authoritarian leadership. When applied in Haringey, this model often leads to trouble.

My further understanding is that council lawyers owe no responsibility to ordinary or "backbench" elected representatives, and their sole duty is to the "cabinet". And in effect, to the leader who can at will, hire and fire members of the "cabinet". It follows that council lawyers will defend cabinet policies.

Such as Haringey Council's Major Events Policy.

I was going to say their conflict of interest was on full display over the big Licence Review (2019?), but in fact, their conflict was hidden.

Noise from the council's park customers

The Licensing Committee has a majority of Labour members who understand their Group's policy for Major Events.

Following a two-evening Hearing for a Licence Review of Festival Republic in Finsbury Park, the Committee made some modest Licence variations, mainly relating to NOISE.

On the last day for Appeal, Festival Republic lodged an Appeal at the Highbury & Islington Magistrate's Court. I was there, and there was a chaotic Hearing that was quickly adjourned and nothing more was heard. Publicly.

Lawyers and sound levels

One might expect that Council lawyers would defend decisions of the Licensing Committee. But where this conflicts with the wishes of their employer, not so much.

It later transpired that lawyers for the council got together with lawyers for Live Nation /Festival Republic and agreed a common position on sound levels. In effect, they were all on the same side!

In other words, the Committee's Decision was later watered down behind closed doors. This is democracy in action at Haringey Council.

Naturally, this was not covered in the council's corporate-propaganda magazine that we pay for.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton 6 hours ago

Hi, Brian Mahoney. Have you or anyone else who heard the noise actually checked out Clive Carter's alternative theory, yet? If so were you able to find anthing matching the offending park sounds online?
It's unrelated to musical noise, but I can confirm from my own experience some of Clive Carter's latest post  When I was an elected councillor, at one point I was told by a senior Council lawyer that he was no longer able to offer me a legal opinion because I was not in the so-called cabinet or the Council leader. Those Blair legal deforms were plainly a blockage to councillors trying to do their jobs.

To be fair and as far as I recall, at that time Tony Blair wasn't complicit in Genucide.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Mahoney 17 minutes ago

Good morning Alan. I can only suggest that you reread my comments.You will see that a) I didn't know where the noise was coming from and b) I haven't disputed Clive's explanation. I have simply said that the noise sounded like West African music. I don't know why that is problematic and why you are so interested in disputing it.

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter 26 minutes ago

NOISE and "working class struggle"

Loud noise from Haringey Council Finsbury Park customers can travel for up to two miles. As a former Highgate Councillor, I know it has been reported from that distance.

The nature of the council-approved sound as experienced by a resident, will depend on wind, distance, terrain and temperature. And bass frequencies.

I heard noise at the time and date quoted, but it was muffled.

By the time the council-approved noise came through my open window (facing east) it wasn't especially loud, but it was long. And tedious. 

I don't know what kind of "music" it was.

However—before  being elected leader—the current council leader several times tweeted about "Grime", apparently a music genre, and a claimed relationship with working class struggle.

Cllr Ahmet referred to this article in The Independent.

Grime has been broadcast with powerful amplification across three Boroughs from the council-controlled park. We are told it is part of the council's cultural offer. In my view, it is not fair to impose one's own musical tastes on thousands of others.

Some working class residents work shifts, sometimes struggle to sleep in the summer and may not always welcome Haringey Council's cultural offer and their corporate customers' gigs.

.

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