Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Let's come together to celebrate great food AND businesses that invest in our health!
We all love the fantastic food on Harringay Green Lanes. But we also know that some food businesses could do more to reduce their cooking emissions. This matters to everyone: schoolchildren, local residents, customers and, perhaps most importantly, the staff working in these kitchens every day.
Many of us have said we'd like to vote with our feet, appetites and wallets by supporting businesses that have invested in the latest pollution-control and filtration systems. The problem? We don't know who they are!
On Monday, Haringey Council confirmed that it would not be sharing this information publicly.
However, the Council has shared the letter sent to businesses in July/August. Here's what we know:
27 businesses were contacted.
4 were ruled out of scope because they don't cook using solid fuel.
11 businesses have been visited.
12 businesses have not responded at all.
And of the 11 businesses visited, we have no way of knowing which are already doing a great job, which have engaged positively with the Council, or which have refused to take action.
So perhaps it's time for us, as a community, to start asking the questions ourselves!
What if we each contacted one of our favourite restaurants, shared a copy of the Council's letter and simply asked:
Do you already have ESP (Electrostatic Precipitator) filters installed to help reduce cooking emissions?
Have you been visited by, or engaged with, Haringey Council about pollution control?
This could be a brilliant opportunity to turn a concern into something positive: celebrating the businesses that serve delicious food AND take the health of their staff, customers and neighbours seriously.
Let's recognise and support those leading the way, encourage others to follow, and show that a healthy local environment matters to all of us.
It would be fantastic to get our community behind this. Who's up for getting involved?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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Haringey Council confirmed that it would not be sharing this information publicly
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This is not good enough. Who said this? Is it in writing? Any reason given?
Council employees may find the current situation of no overall (political) control to their taste. They are the default control.
They're prepared to engage in meetings because its all verbal, with little or nothing written down. Meetings, especially remote, provide an appearance of concern and action.
Residents have no purchase on council employees, who are responsible only, via the long chain of managers, up to the Head of Paid Service (the CEO).
However, our elected representatives are accountable and responsible to us: once every four years.
In the meantime, relevant Members in Cabinet should have questions put to them in writing.
In law, the Cabinet is the sole Decision-making organ of the council. Records in writing anticipate possible future litigation and they should known this.
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Permalink Reply by Alice B
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Unfortunately I've already been told that this would not qualify as this would impact the commercial rights of the restaurants. As they are compliant with the standards of the time, there is nothing more that could be legally disclosed.
So please do fire off a couple of emails - it would be fantastic to know about those operating really well. I'm going to make a bet that there are at least 5!
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this would impact the commercial rights of the restaurants
Simultaneously, this appears vague and feeble and it's hard to know what it means. It does seem more consistent with a longstanding "officer" culture of Labour cosiness with these businesses, than consistent with a commitment to Public Health.
But then, commitment to fire safety in social housing, under the previous Administration, was not all embracing.
there is nothing more that could be legally disclosed.
It took me four years to force this council to dislodge embarrassing information about their (irregular) property deals, losing between 10 to 20 million pounds. Acting as tin-pot judge & jury, the council claimed that the "Public interest test" that that they apply and they decide, favoured non-disclosure.
A real Judge, at an Information Rights Tribunal decided otherwise, but Haringey Council failed to supply me with the information by the Court-ordered date. It required my copying-in an Application for Contempt of Court to the current Chief Executive, before all the required information was supplied. The following day. It should not have to be like this.
Local governance has been rotten for many years. Haringey Council is not alone among local authorities in this, but our local Augean Stables have surely had more than their fair share of scandals.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson
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Apologies if you have already done so but another route may be an Environmental Information Request (EIR).
https://haringey.gov.uk/environment/pollution/request-environmental...
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