Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Council force closure of community stall outside Budgens, Crouch End
The Budgens Stalls4All Co-ordinator has this evening circulated the following text in an email.
Stall4All outside Thornton's Budgens in Crouch End has been shut down by a Haringey council officer last Thursday the 7th of June on the grounds that our stalls needed to be licensed. When enquiring how I could go on about getting a license I was told we couldn't apply for one as the space (Budgens' own private space) in question is not considered a designated trading area.
This is extremely upsetting and frustrating for the stall holders we have been supporting for a whole year at a time of economic uncertainty. Stall4All is a not for profit organisation which has been supporting local residents in going back to work by providing them with a space to showcase and sell their work. In addition, we have been supporting local charities and community events such as the Crouch End Festival where children built their versions of the supermarket and the stalls outside, displayed at the library. Funnily enough, we have recently had an enquire from a council department to hire one of the stalls to help promote their services. How ironic, to say the least! Well, we will have to decline their application.
A big slice of our stalls' income goes to Pennies for Plastic which has been helping several charities in the area. By stopping us trading, the council is stopping money going to these causes which is just very unfortunate (and wrong).
We have been using the stalls for a year and I don't understand why they have caused a problem now and with no chance to sort it at all, even though we immediately ceased trading when told to and were willing to pay for a license to trade in our own pavement. I feel that my hands are tied and that I am letting down a lot of locals. Is there any way out of this situation?
I have copied a few media contacts into this email. I can only hope someone will see how unfair the situation is and make it public.
Thank you for reading.
Tags for Forum Posts: budgens, crouch end
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by deepajourno on
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Sounds like you are doing something really worthwhile that isn't for personal gain and the council are being jobsworths. Can't understand why they are taking such a unconstructive approach. No wonder people have such a low opinion of Haringey council. You're probably not lining the right person's pockets...
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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I have passed the link for this to one of my colleagues in Crouch End to see if he can do anything.
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Permalink Reply by Matt on
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Hello there, it does seem to me that this one officer does appear to have taken a rather over-zealous and apparently inflexible approach to this issue. I have just e-mailed the relevant Cabinet member who I am sure will look in to this ASAP and I hope it can be resolved quickly and in a way which means you are able to very quickly get back to doing the great local work that you do.
Best wishes
Matt Cooke
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Permalink Reply by gilly on
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I am glad there has been some support and replies to this situation as the Stalls are a really important initiative by a great shop that does its best to support the community and the planet.
Haringey has many great community and sustainability projects none less Budgens own Food from the Sky growing food on its roof to provide alive food for the residents to eat and for the birds, bees and butterflies to enjoy as well as being a valuable learning resource and community space in which locals can get involived and create COMMUNITY.
The stall has been used by some of these projects in the past as well to sell local peoples and growing projects seeds and veggies. They sell creative things and wholesome produce mostly on the stalls as well so they are not eyesores selling tat! I have also noticed that they are a space in which to see regular faces who one recognises and can stop and say hello.
So come on Haringey Council get your finger out and start pointing the way to more initiatives like this not destroying them.
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Permalink Reply by Ana Rem on
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Thank you for the wonderful support.
I forgot to say in my email that I lost my job too as there is nothing for me to coordinate any more.
Ana
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Ana I hope the intervention of the Councillors can get you back up and running ASAP.
Surely trading standards "officers" have more serious matters to attend to than to shut something so genuinely Community? The council sometimes says they believe in the community but give the impression that they like community initiatives ... provided they are approved, funded and controlled by the local authority.
Does this stem from a belief that only the council can rightfully and legitimately embody community good?
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Permalink Reply by Anette on
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This is absolutely appalling and needs to be sorted asap before further damage is done. They shut down this great initiative in Crouch End, but leave the fortress of bogroll that is the pound shop on Green Lanes by the St Ann's bus stop to block the pavement for everyone, even after numerous complaints. Talk about picking on soft targets. This is nothing but bullying by some sad jobsworth who should have a lot more pressing matters to attend to. Name and shame please!
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Talk about picking on soft targets.
Yes, I thought the same thing - its quick and easy for "officers" to come down like a ton of bricks on inoffensive un-powerful individuals doing no harm. We often see instances of cowardice from institutions. It's sometimes said that rules exist for the blind obedience of the dull and for the guidance of the intelligent.
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@ Clive, and the bogroll palace on Green Lanes is allowed to continue unchallenged. Possibly down to the Traders association that one. Just reinforces my statement about soft targets.
Seriously, why is Green Lanes not being targeted? There are SO many offences there in terms of blocking the public footpath, it's unreal! Does anyone know why they're left alone, and a bunch of people in Crouch End getting on with their business, not blocking anyone, gets picked on and bullied in this way? Any Councillors wanting to look at this?
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Are Trading Standards turning a big blind eye to Green Lanes?
On my walk along the western side this afternoon I passed at least four shops with goods spilling out onto the pavement. A certain supermarket that has done this before, has goods almost half way across the pavement. The Pound Line has the biggest pile of bog roll on the pavement, that I've ever seen - on or off the pavement.
It seems that Haringey enforces the law selectively. Selective enforcement of the law raises further questions: like, why?
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@ Clive, I see you have come across bog roll palace. They seem to have some strange hold over the council, as I have complained a number of times, and absolutely nothing happens. This is the worst one, but there are many others, I guess they're paying protection money to the council...
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Annette can we call it something other than Bog roll palace? I fear confusion with our Charitable Trust's main asset on the hill.
I offer: Bog roll pile; Bog roll mountain or Bog roll lava-flow. I have not before seen such a volume of merchandise on the pavement, except possibly in some overseas countries.
The Green Lanes stretch receives attention every day and frequently from council Civil Enforcement Officers and yet no one from the council seems to notice the breaches of bye-laws under their noses.
Do some premises maintain an irregular relationship with the council?
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