Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Bye bye Frobisher bench
Sadly despite our trying they have refused to engage in any meaningful discussion on what we could do to keep it there. Some kudos to John Forde who was tasked with the job of phoning to deliver the news, he didn't sound like it was his favorite job for the week.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stuart on
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I think it's worth trying to shame the council away from this act of over-officious idiocy by contacting the local press. Which council would really want to be named and shamed for removing a free bench? Why don't you see if Richard Godwin would pick it up for the Standard? Be great if the whole of London could see what a bunch of dolts we have at our council.
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Permalink Reply by Protheroe O'Shea on
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Ant you really should contact BBC London News. I am sure they will love the story.
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Permalink Reply by ant on
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Any ideas how to contact Richard Godwin or the BBC? I had a bit of a look around the BBC London News website and couldn't see any obvious contact links.
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This isn't the precedent setter as there is already at least one other resident installed bench with one thats in the west of the Haringey Borough. I've talked to the people that did that one and its had no trouble from the council as the local councillors there support it. Probably also relevant is that our bench went in with our old LibDem councillors who were in support of it.
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Thats the thing, its all been a bit confused. When John Forde phoned me today about the removal noticed he thought i'd already been told already but then checking on who'd been CC'd on the emails he saw although they email chain went back some days no one from FoHP had been included. At the meeting at the bench back in May most of the anger seemed to be that we hadn't asked Gina and Ian first rather than some unsolvable issue with the bench itself. From a Tony Kennedy email today he says "The Council is not opposed to the installation of a bench at this location and we are keen to work with the community to consider innovative initiatives to encourage walking and cycling and to improve the local environment.".
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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I see your point, Alex. Ultimately the Council must have the final say, but one can imagine a number of alternative responses to the one Ant got that would have been more community focussed. It seems like the bench is going because local noses were put out of joint and formal permission hadn't been asked. The official response could have been to require a retrospective permission application to be made and then the case to be judged on its merits. This is the case with lots of minor planning applications. It just seems daft that a policy of some sort is being enforced on this benign transgression when all kind of planning irregularities are overlooked
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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chain it to the railings. There's precedent, albeit not for inanimate objects.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Seems some double standards going on here. I'm sure many of you have seen the lovely DIY planters and bench at the junction of Alexandra Park Road and Alexandra Avenue which have been there for years. You can even see them on Google Street View.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Some suggestions for consideration:
1. Ask for a residents' delegation to the next full Council meeting. Put down questions to that meeting requesting precise and clear reasons why a Frobisher Bench is both supported and not supported at the same time. (Schrödinger's bench?)
2. Email every councillor a summary of the issue and photos of Frobisher Bench and of Alexandra Park Road.
3. Make a Freedom of Information request asking for copies of the internal emails; minutes of meetings; notes of phone conversations among and between Council officers and councillors relating to this decision. Making it clear that refusal will be followed-up by a request to the Information Commissioner. Use WhatDoTheyKnow free website to ensure anyone can view the question and reply. It would need to be in one person's name - but I see no reason why it can't also be countersigned by as many people as possible.
4. Draw in coloured chalks the outline of the Once and Future Bench. (Naturally, I would never suggest any sort of permanent public graffiti.)
5. After the required removal of the bench in accordance with the Council diktat to invite people to come to the spot with a stool or garden chair for a short while, to sit/talk/read/doze or whatever else they like they do, by themselves or with friends and neighbours.
6. Encourage people to take photos of one another at the spot (or selfies) and to post these online. With a suitable hashtag such as #benchmark or #benchdiktat or #101Council.
[P.S. a "101 council" like Haringey is one where there are always at least 101 reasons why residents are always wrong. And where dealing with council bureaucracy is like entering George Orwell's Room 101. In addition, where there is little or no organisational learning. So tackling every problem is done as if a complete beginner - Course 101.]
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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This is political. I don't think the council officers wanted this removed any more than they wanted to spend most of the pavement budget in 2009 on Effingham Rd.
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