An open letter - Haringey Council appear to ignore request to fix air pollution - Please send to your MP

About a month ago we were all really pleased to see a joint letter from our MPs covering each side of Green Lanes asking for funding to support the restaurants invest in technology to protect against the harmful air pollution.

However, during tonight's meeting it was clear that the council have ignored this request and decided to ask for joint funding with other councils for greater publicity around wood burning in general.

This will not result in any improvement in our lives. It is clear that action is needed and it is needed now.

It is frankly baffling that council officers appear to have ignored a request from our elected officials.

I would urge you to use the below letter as a template and send to your MP copying in your councillors, the elected head of the council, responsible cabinet member and the CEO. 

Harringay Ladder: 

"WEST , Catherine" <catherine.west.mp@parliament.uk>, mark.blake@haringey.gov.uk, Cllr Gio Iozzi <Gio.Iozzi@haringey.gov.uk>, Cllr Rosie Latchford <rosie.latchford@haringey.gov.uk>, Cllr Marc Jenner <marc.jenner@haringey.gov.uk>, Cllr Jo Kuper <jo.kuper@haringey.gov.uk>, Andy Donald <Andy.Donald@haringey.gov.uk>

Harringay Gardens:

david.lammy.mp@parliament.uk, mark.blake@haringey.gov.uk, Cllr Gio Iozzi <Gio.Iozzi@haringey.gov.uk>, Andy Donald <Andy.Donald@haringey.gov.uk>, Cllr Fin Fitzgerald <Fin.Fitzgerald@haringey.gov.uk>, Cllr AtaBerk Aksit <AtaBerk.Aksit@haringey.gov.uk>

Dear Catherine / David,

Thank you for your letter to the Mayor of London, in which you acknowledged the immediate health impacts of the longstanding air pollution issue caused by grill restaurants along Harringay Green Lanes. We particularly welcomed your call for additional funding to support the installation of advanced filtration technology to address the problem.

Your intervention was greatly appreciated and gave local residents real hope that a practical solution could finally be found by supporting local businesses to invest in the necessary technology.

However, having now seen Haringey Council's plans in response to the funding request, we are deeply concerned that there appears to be no provision for grants to help businesses install filtration systems. Instead, the proposal seems to focus solely on joining an existing initiative with other councils to run a general engagement campaign about wood burning.

This falls well short of what we understood had been requested and, more importantly, will do little to address the ongoing pollution or improve the health and quality of life of residents in Haringey. We understand that engagement with the restaurants has already taken place in July, yet 12 businesses did not even respond to the letter issued to them. It is difficult to see how repeating a general engagement exercise will deliver the tangible improvements residents urgently need.

We hope you share our disappointment that the original proposal has not been taken forward in any meaningful way. We would strongly encourage you to engage directly with Haringey Council's leadership as a matter of urgency, to ensure that a revised proposal is developed which delivers practical measures to reduce emissions and genuinely protects the health of Harringay residents.

Given the significant cross-party political support for action on this issue, it is particularly difficult to understand why the Council has not progressed the proposed funding for advanced filtration technology. Residents need to see this support translated into concrete action, rather than another round of engagement that risks leaving the underlying problem unresolved.

We would be grateful for your support in ensuring that the original intention of your intervention is followed through.

Many thanks,