Leases inside Finsbury Park.

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter 12 hours ago

ADRIAN, thanks for your post.

Hugh did indeed start that discussion about a Harringay Gate.

He began the discussion in the year 2008!

Since then (from 2014) the council—under New Labour Leader Claire Kober—imposed the commercialising Major Events policy. This policy has proved to be corrosive and may be corrupting.

It started in the southern half of Finsbury Park. This regular, partial privatising then seeped into the north-eastern area: the Krankbrother quarter.

In the 17 years since Hugh's post, the northern half of Finsbury Park has been neglected.

Just look at the state of the northern paths and gaze on the unrelenting absence of maintenance.

The southern paths have been patched and re-patched after Event-damage. This treatment likely breached the terms of the Lottery Grant more than 20 years ago. As a whole, the council gives little attention to our public park. Compare the current state of Finsbury Park with Clissold Park, where Hackney Council does twice as much with half the land as Haringey does, for the public.

LOCATION

This is largely because it sits at the southernmost extremity of Haringey Borough and abuts two other Boroughs. The view from the remote council HQ tends to be, that cash spent on general park improvements is partly wasted, because two-thirds of the spending would benefit the residents of the other two Boroughs.

Public parks are open to the general public. Even if the public knows where the Borough borders run, they pay little attention to administrative boundaries.

However—more than in most London Local authorities—Haringey Borough boundaries are locked into the consciousness of Haringey "officers".

This isolated, island-mentality is partly a result of near-continuous, one-Party rule for six decades, plus, Haringey abutting six other Boroughs:

• Hackney
• Islington
• Camden
• Barnet
• Enfield
• Waltham Forest

LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Our local authority's lack of co-operation in several policy areas (FP, Planning, Transport) is infamous among the (external) Body-politic. For anyone paying close attention, this feature can sometimes be glimpsed, despite the Haringey Labour Ruling Group having as neighbours sister Party Administrations.

The isolated, island outlook should make no sense to the wider public, particularly those living on either side of the border. If attention is given to the park, then it is largely from the perspective of income-generation. Much of which is siphoned off.

Haringey has long taken a selfish, careless and proprietary view of Finsbury Park. The accounts are opaque and there is little co-operation with park-users and park-groups.

This cannot change until Borough borders change (as they did in 1965). Or, if our public park is removed from the control of Haringey Council and its entrenched Events Team.

Haringey Council relishe their power and would never cede it voluntarily.

Their poor stewardship has continued for many years and there is no prospect of change. The only hope of positive improvement is either a change in Acts of Parliament, or FP being removed from Haringey control, against their will, by either a Mayor of London or by a government. Neither are likely anytime soon.

LEASE

Haringey do not own FP.

According to the 2017 Court of Appeal Ruling, the council hold it in trust for the public. In my view, this aspect relating to the law of Trust was imprecise and the council have exploited this vagueness or ambiguity. They probably breach other aspects of the Court Ruling.

FP's status needs clarifying.

I could email you a copy [of the council's lease to the FPSP] should you wish to read it.

Adrian, I think you have my email address; could you email a copy to me please?

Thanks.

.

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