Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Funding opportunity squandered by Friends of Finsbury Park
Major events in Finsbury Park generate a substantial income for the borough and it is up to the council to direct how the majority is spent.
However, organisers of events also pay an 'environmental impact charge' of up to £10,000 per event, which is supposed to be used to fund priority improvements to the park identified by FoFP. The total so far from the events in 2014-15 probably amounts to around £30-40k.
I asked one of their members about this last week in one of the many threads about Wireless Festival, but got an evasive answer. So I asked the council - their response:
"I can confirm that we have not had a conversation with the Friends about this opportunity this year. In the past they have made it clear that they do not wish to have any involvement in the spending of any income raised from events, let alone what they might prioritise in terms of investment of any money collected as environmental impact fees."
In other words, they are turning down the chance to use money which is already available to make much needed improvements to the park simply because they are unhappy with the policy to host major events there.
Whatever you happen to think of the major events - and please use one of the other threads if you want to continue that discussion - their failure to take advantage of this opportunity is very disappointing and clearly doesn't represent the best interests of all park users. I hope they will reconsider their position.
On a more positive note, perhaps we can use this thread to suggest some small scale improvements for the park which can hopefully be taken forward by the Friends if they can be made to see sense. For example, think about about minor enhancements which would improve the environment or accessibility of the park - perhaps new planting schemes or some more benches which would make visiting easier for people who need to rest at frequent intervals. This funding isn't for general maintenance and repairs, which the council looks after, or about making good damage from events, which is the event organiser's responsibility.
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park, finsbury park events, fofp, friends of finsbury park, funding, improvements
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by JLJones on
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The issue of anonymity is tricky. Whilst good for whistleblowers it's bad for almost everything else. It's not my forum so I don't make the rules but another thing it's helps is for the anonymous to be discourteous and offensive. There's a post recently accusing someone of bullying and then telling them to 'sod off'. Difference of opinion is fine and dandy but this kind of language isn't - and anonymity makes it easier and possible.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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I agree JLJ. It's tricky. The problem is that it's probably the best we've got. The only option is some sort of ID check which would be costly and may also be undesirable for other reasons.
As to the issue of behaviour on online forums, including HoL, I agree it does often leave much to be desired and can be off-putting to some. People who use other forums, both national and local, tell me that for its size, HoL is actually pretty well behaved in comparison.
We don't pre-moderate, but where we're made aware of an issue, or occasionally notice one, we take action in line with our house rules.
If you can point me towards the incident you referenced, I'll take a look.
(If you're around for a while, you'll notice that the act of moderation is also contentious. Whilst most accept it, some people object to any act of moderation. Most of our moderation interventions get at least one challenge - but we've learned that it comes with the territory and so to grin and bear it).
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You'll see the piece i refer to below this part of the thread, and I appreciate your response. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. As I said before, nothing wrong with robust debate but thats all it should be.
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Ok thanks. I have removed that since it was in contravention to our house rules and should have been expressed in a more moderate fashion. The person at whom it was aimed also seemed to have taken exception.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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It's not tricky at all.
HOL works very well as it is. Many potential contributors would be put off if they thought they could be identified and risk finding an opponent in some debate on their doorstep, anxious to take the argument to the next level. I've been a member of HOL almost from the start and I don't remember anyone else being so pseudonymophobic. It's not an issue.
If JLJ is really keen on transparency why doesn't he add his address and telephone number to his profile ? And a photo would help
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Having checked, the profile address and telephone number would not be visible to the general public. So he'll just have to add them as a signature to each post
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An issue with anonymity which came as a surprise to me arises out of the very public and global nature of the web. Some people who register on HoL with their full name have found that because HoL is quite heavily indexed by Google, the first results returned in a search on their name have been from HoL.
Now you might argue that this should be nothing to worry about if people haven't written anything they don't want to be associated with. However, the reality is that many people don't want every part of their life to be made globally public or at least might wish to maintain separate work and home profiles.
I've been asked several times in the past to help with de-indexing people's HoL entries from Google.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Quite so. I choose to use my full name and it can have consequences. I was introduced to someone recently at a local events and they asked if I was "the" Michael Anderson from HoL!
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To pre-empt any fruitless searches on Google, I have to advise that I am not John D Rockefeller
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Damn it! I was hoping for a small loan.
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Permalink Reply by Liz R on
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This anonymity debate is ridiculous - this is the internet. Unless you actually know people in person you've got no idea whether or not their username is their real name anyway, so what difference does it make if they use a term like 'localist'? There's no reason to assume that Tris isn't going by a real name and just witholding the surname (which is sensible). The implication that people must have an ulterior motive ie, working for the council, because they disagree with the nimby clique on here and choose not to disclose their full name is frankly, outrageous.
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