Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
What the BBC says you need to know as Haringey heads into local elections
Read this piece on the BBC website, including a short video by Professor Tony Travers.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter
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Prof Travers speculates that the council may go to no overall control.
If that is indeed the situation the day after the Count, then the current Majority Group may offer any and all kind of inducement to the minority Group in order to enter into a formal coalition. They may try to pick off individual Members of a Minority Group. The object of course, would be to continue and maintain effective control.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Fowler
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I’m I have been a Labour supporter since 1960, long before I was old enough to vote; in our sixth from common room in 1964, we were all listening to the radio, and cheering on Harold Wilson to victory. Mr Wilson, at the time, was regarded by many of us "young 'uns" as too far to the right, and also, as Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore famously said, "a drag ... he's dragsville, Dud".
Wilson's governments, and later Jim Callaghan's government, did a lot of good. Wilson would be unable to join the current Starmer Labour Party, as they would call him a "communist" or a "terrorist". The current Labour Party would also exclude Dennis Healey, Michael Foot, and probably hundreds of others. In local government here, Labour, including under the unutterably execrable Kober, has effectively been in power since the 1990s, with no effective opposition.
Is life in Haringey any better now than it was then? Of course it isn't. Time, in my view, to give the Greens a chance. Amateurs all, but they could not do a worse job than so-called "Labour".
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AT national level, Mr Starmer promised to deliver change.
But too much government content continues from the previous conservative (Conservative) government.
Locally—and after half a century of years of one Party rule—we have not been promised change, but we've been told "there's still more to do".
In effect, we've been promised more of the same. If Labour are able to form a Majority Group again, more-of-the-same is what we can expect.
The council of course, claims it has no money. But just enough …
- for a new contract for security on council buildings totalling up to £14 million. Why was this deal rushed through near the end of March on the eve of "purdah"?
- to absorb losses on multiple irregular property deals, losses of more than £12 million. At least one deal has the appearance of corruption with a referral to the Met Police
- for £7 million for "gold plated" salaries (comment by Labour Cllr Adam Small).
- to spend £520,000 on new furniture for a refurbished civic centre.
- to spend £125,000 on murals in every Ward (LINK)
With so little bread to go around, at least the present leadership is holding out the circuses element of Bread & Circuses..The council and some residents will look forward to next year's London Borough of Culture. Fortunately there's just enough money to pay the Director of Culture a salary of circa £165,000 p.a. … plus and an annual pension contribution of £29,000..In one sense, Haringey Council delivers no small change..
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Permalink Reply by Annie McDonald
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I note the article includes Finsbury Park as of interest. The park has seriously gone downhill in recent years. This week several beautiful trees were brutally cut back near the lake. Absolutely awful. The toilets are still disgusting and the events every year completely compact the soil. It’s not safe especially early morning and at night. I could go on but it’s (was) a beautiful park and needs some love and care. I would also like to mention the Friends of Finsbury Park volunteer group who do some great work with planting, hedges etc. Thank you.
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HOW selfish of the public!
The council's customer (principally Live Nation) does not want benches along the main carriageway during Major Events. They simply get in the way of the Premises area of the "world class" gig-venue.
The council's swaggering Events Team—who now control almost everything in our park—assuredly find it a nuisance moving public benches back and forth between the carriageway and their long-term storage area in the Nursery near Manor House during the summer.
The view of the Events Team may well be that ~
- the public ought to know well by now that the official Events Season means that the southern half of the gig venue is largely unavailable over the summer; and that
- in the off seasons, no park-user should come with the expectation of necessarily being able to sit down on a park bench.
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Permalink Reply by kotkas
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Where in the world are the benches? I run regularly in the park and it is as if they disappear by the day
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in the Nursery near Manor House
The Events Team control Finsbury Park absolutely.
And our elected representatives (councillors) are powerless to get the public benches put back. As above, providing benches is of no benefit to their prime role of enabling a "world class" gig venue. And gaining and retaining customers (such as the recently convicted Live Nation monopoly).
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Permalink Reply by Simon
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I very much hope that Labour does lose control - one party in power for so long has led to complacency and arrogance. The challenge if it turns out that no single party has a majority will be how to manage things without the officers (all appointed by Labour) exercising undue influence. I agree that Labour will try very hard to influence things and seek to co-opt or induce newly elected councillors to help them do that. I hope that doesn’t happen as we need a change. From what I’ve read about budget discussions there won’t be much money around to fund new initiatives.
As for F Park a new administration will want to consider its options and find out (and I hope publish)exactly what has been happening. With fresh minds at work it is possible to do something very different. I hope for less secrecy and much more community participation.
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