Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Haringey Council: Facing the financial challenges
Hi all
Please see a link to our new video outlining the reality of the financial challenges faced by Haringey Council, our commitment to transparency and working with residents to find solutions and to take the fight to national government as we call for fairer funding for local services.
You can watch the video here.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cllr Jo Kuper on
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Thanks, Clive. I am still trying to make sense of many aspects of the budget, so for specifics I will defer to Johann to respond for when he is back. I will say that overall our aim is to be more transparent and in so doing, also reduce the need for FOI requests, for which the burden of seeking information falls unfairly on residents in my opinion. While there are obviously areas which are sensitive, I also feel that a lot of info which is sought (across all sorts of areas) should be readily available.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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… overall our aim is to be more transparent and in so doing, also reduce the need for FOI requests, …
<— Jo, yes, this is rational!
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In current (undecided) litigation now following my earlier Tribunal case, I refer to a governance concept called Failure Demand.
This is the demand on a service organisation generated by their failure to do something.
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In the course of one of my requests for information from the "Service", one Haringey Council Internal Review took 5 months. This is seen at Para 15 of the Judge's Decision.
I viewed the five-month delay as a deliberate tactic. I took it as reflecting embarrassment. It had the effect of reinforcing my determination to try to get to the bottom of the huge losses of our money in multiple, irregular property deals during a 36-month period.
Allowing for interest and inflation, those losses of several years ago may mean our council has roughly £20 million less to spend. Today.
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Some council employees seem to regard Requests made under the FoI Act, as nuisance and irritation. One slap-dash, sloppy response—that may have come via the park Events Team—could be described as insolent. I understand the officer was given words of advice.
The over-burdened FoI Team acts as a clearing house.
I have the impression the FoI Team lacks sufficient respect from other council departments and I'm not sure the current CEO has sufficient handle on this.
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I agree that the need for information requests ideally, should reduce.
In the meantime—and rather than appearing to resent FoI requests—Haringey Council should welcome lawful requests. After decades of Labour indulgence, this would be a difficult culture change.
Between four-yearly elections, FoI Requests are one of the very few means of holding councils to account. And, which has the force of law behind them.
FoI Requests can represent a seam of gold to be mined, in order to make a council more efficient. A positive attitude would recognise that, if a member of the public has gone to the trouble of writing a lawful FoI, then Requests can be helpful.
Bon courage!
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Thank you! And I agree re welcoming FOI requests when they are needed. This is the culture shift we want to see.
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