Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Let's save the Greek Cypriot Women's Centre
For over 30 years the Greek Cypriot Women's Centre in Denmark Road has devoted itself to helping women from the Greek Cypriot Community to adapt to life in this country and to celebrate Greek cultural heritage. The many services which it has provided include keep fit and the teaching of the use of computers. The Centre is unique in its concentration on the well-being of women.
Unfortunately, the lease which the Centre held from the Council became the subject of a notice of surrender under Section 27 of the Landlord Act 1954. It is uncertain whether the notice was legally valid. Furthermore, even if it is legally valid, contentions have been made that those who gave the notice only did so because they came under improper pressure.
What is, however, certain is that whatever the legal position may be, the Council, does not have to stand on its strict legal rights. As landlord, it can arrange for the Centre to continue, especially given the doubts which exist as to the validity of the Section 27 notice in the first place.
With this in mind, Cllr Adamou and I have approached Claire Kober, the Leader of the Council, with a request for a meeting. No clear offer of a meeting, however, has thusfar been made by her.
At the recent meeting of the Council on 18th November the Centre made a Deputation which contained an eloquent plea for its continuance. In response Cllr Goldberg offered to meet with its representatives, but indicated (if I understood him correctly) that the Centre was to be treated as having been surrendered and that no concession would be made to the organisation if it wanted to get it back, despite the length of its time there and the value of its services to the community.
I hope that everyone in the HoL area will support the Centre. It can be reached at greekcypriotwomensorg@gmail.com. In addition, there is an on-line petition http://www.petitions24.com/gcwo
David Schmitz
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Harringay Ward
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I don't see anyone questioning whether or not you do good work, just whether you deserve to be allowed to monopolise a publicly owned buidling to do it seeing as you ostentisbly aim yourselves at a small part of the local community.
Did you see what happened to the people in the borough who had "youth centres" but were too young to vote?
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Permalink Reply by Androulla Stylianou on
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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On my screen, Androulla your comment above has vanished (It has very occasionally happened to me. A glitch in the software.) Could you please repost. I'm keen to read your views. Which doesn't mean we will necessarily agree.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Seema Chandwani on
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Hi Cllr Schmitz
Unlike some people in the thread, I fully do understand the need for the centre (and other ethnic based centres like it). Can I ask however, the purpose of this petition and what you are hoping to achieve?
My understanding from the full council meeting and subsequent media reports is; over 2,000 people have already signed a [paper] petition. Is that not correct?
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Permalink Reply by David Schmitz on
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Sorry not to have answered this before. The petition that I mentioned is the Centre's, not anyone else's, and supplements their paper petition.
David
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Our councillors on all sides are suddenly very busy indeed - with May 2014 certainly on their minds. The success or otherwise of our new pedestrian lights installed on Green Lanes is just one example of things being claimed by all parties as their success.Many a tree are being felled for their campaign literature (LibDem flyers a sort of local version of a VIZ magazine) and suddenly Labour is interested in our opinions.
As to the 'centre', this community already has a fantastic resource in St Peter's Hall on Frobisher Rd, part of the huge Greek church complex. The 'centre' is an ugly building that doesn't look like it has been maintained or loved (not even an olive tree or two planted outside) and the land can obviously be better used.
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That's slightly unfair but, only slightly. The libdems in Harringay and the Labour councillors in St Ann's have been demonstrably busy since 2010 (and I am talking about demonstrably on HoL).
As far as I can work out the crossing outside Mt View Court is pretty much all the work of David Schmitz who has been agitating for it since well before he was elected in 2010. I could just be the victim of a very slick PR campaign though.
I'd also point out that the tone and content of this debate is a far cry from the ridiculous council meeting on Tuesday night. Keep going people.
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A quiet, informed, mutually respectful, public debate on the issue of 'community centres' is both essential and well overdue. Though it's highly unlikely in the frenetic pre-election period.
In fact, anyone trying to talk calm sense about anything at all is likely to be drowned out by the Labourwauling and Liberasquawking from a menagerie of strange creatures prowling our streets, websites, and twitter pages.
I think we also need to be wary of "Maslow's Hammer" - the tendency for people to see what they are offering as the all-purpose tool for solving problems. And mostly not in bad faith.
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I have no political agenda and the approach to centres for different community groups seems inconstistent. I am a foreigner myself and I think that this case makes a strong argument in favour of integration. On hearing the appeal on the link posted I was shocked to learn that although the centre has been going for approx. 30 years and provides advice to people who want to escape the economic situation at home it is run by people who did not read or write English.
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The comic concept of a Help Centre dedicated to the intrusion integration of Australians-Returning-To-The-Homeland has had me rolling around the floor for the past 62 minutes and there is a danger that I may not be able to clamber back upright for the rest of the weekend.
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I am going to leave this discussion now. HOL is great for good passionate discussions, but I really don't get why people feel the need to get personal. There are many minority groups in London and there will be as many opinions on where the very limited funds are spent.
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Permalink Reply by HoL Site Admin on
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Site Admin agrees - and have deleted the bickering posts. Please stick to the topic in a civil way folks.
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