Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

The Council

Is there anything Haringey Council does well? Does anyone have anything positive to say about it? Do they successfully represent any of the boroughs residents? I only ever hear complaints. Are they a "Rotten Borough" bunch of councillors? And if so how can we get them replaced with better councillors?
Or is it that the system of local government so fundamentally blighted by bureaucracy and cash limitations that they will never seem please the majority of the people?

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Permalink Reply by RuthE on September 10, 2008 at 13:29

3) WG High Road? Huge wide pavements with no cycle lanes and no actual space to cycle on the road. Oh yes, places to park the bicycle cos theres no where to ride it.

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Permalink Reply by Liz on September 10, 2008 at 13:38

I'm not sure it is entirely about money. Seems to me Clive and Hugh's points about consultation (and local engagement like B2's letter, the library campaign) and partnership are the keys to Haringey's success. Look at the Parks. It has been down to the Friends groups and their working with effective council officers that has given them a much appreciated boost. Where they have really listened to local people they have been very good. Where they take high handed decisions without consultation (or poor consultation) then they come a cropper.
Admitting they don't have all the answers, listening to locals and having a bit of daring...like boosting libraries at a time when other councils were reading them their rites...is how they will win appreciation in the long run.

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Permalink Reply by Alison P on September 10, 2008 at 13:32

In terms of my direct experience with the Council (which doesn't include schools, child protection etc), I'd agree with what many have said - parks have improved enormously (you take it for granted how many good parks we have until you go somewhere else that just has one) and libraries are very good. I think rubbish collection has improved, and ever litter (if you can believe it around here).

As the many posts on HMOs etc testify, the planning dept could improve a lot, as could coordination between different departments. They could also up their game when it comes to effective and clear communication with the public (re that recent consultation over the pedestrianisation of wood green high road).

Important to remember there are lots of things the council can't do as they have to work within laws set by central government. So to take two topics popular on this site, they can't be held responsible for the influx of betting shops, or for the planning rules that allow illegally converted HMOs to become legal if they are in use for four years or more and nobody notices ... I'm not sure how much control they have over transport issues either.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Hinchcliffe on September 10, 2008 at 17:35

As a local Conservative, I must say that our local libraries are fantastic. So too are our parks. Credit where credit's due...

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Permalink Reply by matt on September 10, 2008 at 18:10

Woah!

A new Conservative Party logo (?);

'Suit you sir'

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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on September 10, 2008 at 18:45

It's not the budget it's how people act within the council, a lot of the problems are not budget related.

The fact that I made a complaint a year or so ago and got given a reference number, then when I phoned back to the same department a couple of weeks later they had no record of it. Then it happened all over again, thats incompetence, not budget related.

The fact that I got a parking ticket whilst holding a permit and the parking office insisted I paid even though the computer system proved so. Even after having three newspaper articles about their incompetence, they still offered no apology even though its in their "charter" to admit wrongdoings, they didnt. That's consumer relations, not budget related.

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Permalink Reply by Liz on September 10, 2008 at 19:06

Actually, Ben I think that the point of this post is to do just what you suggest and look at the good stuff that is going on; libraries, parks etc and to suggest that this is down to the work of gifted individuals who do make a difference.

However, the original question is about councillors and probably more specifically cabinet members. There again there is enormous variation and some who are much better at their job than others. As a council employee for years in a different borough, we were hamstrung many times by poor decisions made at a political level, nationally and locally and often left to explain to a very unhappy public without support from local politicians. Money was not always the issue but decisions made to please political masters and more affluent voters rather than what was good for people overall.
Individual teams are free to join the debate on here, we would welcome more information about what they do. Only yesterday, a charming young man from the environmental team joined on my invitation and intends to publicise events. That's the point, if they don't engage, talk to residents, then hostility is the result.