Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Haringey Commits to Rubbish Control at Harringay Meeting
Recent disquiet about Rubbish and waste issues on Harringay Online led to one member asking the Ladder residents' group to host a meeting about it.
Ian Sygrave gathered a handy group of folk from Haringey Council and Veolia to attend. At the meeting last week they set out their stall and responded to a wide range of residents' concerns.
The meeting was a well-attended as local residents' meetings go and there was plenty of involvement in what was a well-run event. I thought it was useful both in distilling the general sense of what the primary issues are as well as getting clear and unequivocal commitments from Haringey and Veolia on dealing with them.
Whilst the causes of rubbish are too complex to be fully covered in a relatively short residents' meeting, the group did appear to reach a consensus on what the key issues are.
Whilst Haringey admitted that they have no magic wand to resolve the issues, their response seemed pretty clear to me and by and large constructive. Almost without exception, for every type of incident, either at the meeting or afterwards in my exchanges with them, they made a commitment to resolve each issue within, what I think seems to be a reasonable time-frame.
To enable them take action, the Council need to be made aware of issues as and when they happen on an ongoing basis. With the current financial constraints, it's an approach that calls for residents to get involved and to be prepared to interact with the Council to mobilise resources, but surely it's worth giving a go.
So, following the meeting, I liaised with Haringey. Then, with their agreement I drew up a list of all the rubbish disposal issues that were raised at the meeting. For each issue I've set out the Council's commitment to deal with the issue, along with the available contact channels. I sent the list to the Council for comment and approval and they have approved it today. In effect they've signed off on the commitments it records.
It's certainly an advance for me. Bar anything I may have missed, there is now clarity on what issues we can report, how to report them, what the Council will do about it and how quickly.
One of Haringey's waste disposal bosses said, "If you come across any of these issues, all you have to do is contact us and we'll get it sorted". I believed that he meant what he said. So let's test it out. Got a waste problem? Find it on the list and report it!
It may be an idea for people to share successes or failures they encounter, both here and/or at future LCSP meetings.
The list is attached below.
Tags for Forum Posts: love clean streets app
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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Couldn't agree more Justin and that can be brought about with Councillor Zena, LCSP, Tradders Assoc and council officer David Ship(?). Does sound like it needs a regular group meeting of the above to follow up
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Good. We look fwd to you keeping us all informed Hugh. I'm sure you will :)
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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I couldn't help but notice these (presumably unofficial?) signs attached to a bin near the passage. I haven't seen anything dumped there since. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective. I also chalked a message on a brick wall (don't dump your rubbish here, or something similar) near one of those telephone exchange boxes which temporarily stopped the problem. I think we should also pick stuff up that isn't ours and dispose of it. If people leave half drunk cans and bottles on my garden wall, I empty them and recycle them. If we all did the same, you'd never see anything on a garden wall.
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Bin Pic.jpg, 3.4 MB
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Another of the issues that emerged at the meeting was rubbish caused by people with good intentions - trying to do the right thing but getting it wrong. I guess that dumping black bags by litter bins is probably one such example, along with people leaving unwanted items in front of their houses for others to take and use.
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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon on
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Thanks Hugh for posting about the meeting and for drafting the spreadsheet. It is extremely helpful and simple!! I will be using it and will send to my fellow Councillors -both sides of the road. It was a very good and thoughtful meeting and thanks to the LCSP for organising. As you say, the officers were fully committed to improvement but we need to work collaboratively to make this happen. Part of this might need the establishment of a working group including businesses, residents and officers and ward councillors from both sides of the road.
I completely agree with Justin that we need to work with the businesses - in particular the restaurants. I am hoping to start the dialogue by meeting up with Rob from the traders' association this coming week. He is a fantastic diplomat and bridge to the businesses. I have some ideas which I will share with him to move this aspect of the dealing with the rubbish and the grime forward.
The national landlord licensing scheme is operational from October 1. Landlord licensing is part of my Cabinet brief, and I am insistent that we enforce as fully and as stringently as possible. This is essential for Harringay which has the largest number of HMOs in the borough.
In summary, I think the next step is to work collectively with residents and the traders to produce a detailed action plan which sets out what needs doing, by whom, by when and with costings - if necessary. I will be contacting my fellow ward councillors to get this discussed.
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay ward
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Sometimes it is difficult to find singular causal links to certain events. What is it that condemns our community to have to live in rubbish filled squalor at times? I have long thought the Traders were part of the problem (and part of the ultimate solution). I was walking down my road earlier and something else occurred to me, skips!
This is one thing that was not discussed at the meeting.
This cracking example has been sat like this for weeks just up from me, blighting my poor neighbors who's house it sits outside. The tarp is loose, folks pass and stuff rubbish in it (bottles, cans and the like). Some of it spills out, a fridge appears (a week ago) and other random bits of crap others think it appropriate to leave by the skip to be ignored by the skip's owner- a bit like rubbish bins apparently attract fly tipping.
I have passed this on to one of our hard working Councillors, and flagged it as something we should be putting on the list to look at finding a better solution.
The key is enforcement, and leverage. In this case builders are required to have a licence. My suggestion is that the requirement to have a licence, that parking bays (that we loose to these skips) are taken out of service and, keep skips covered are enforced and further requirements such as the need to have the skip removed once full and it be kept clean and tidy around the skip be enforced. I suspect this and many other skips do not actually have the appropriate paperwork... This in itself (if correct) could be a point of pressure. If not, have them remove the skip and stop the builders from operating. Stop them doing business and you have the key to their hearts I am sure...
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Hear, bloody hear Jus! Even if licensed the permission to have a skip is finite yet many remain for weeks and sometimes months becoming yet another flytip magnet. We had one for works a couple of years ago and had it tarped, put out the requisite warning lights on the road and had it removed before the license expired. Must admit I felt like an idiot going to all that effort when I saw what others got away with. Enforcement is going to be the key to any plan to clean up the area.
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The points about the skips are very well made. I am meeting the enforcement officers today and will raise this with them. Its quite true there are lots of regulations regarding skips and I agree this can bring considerable pressure on people who abuse the system. It is one more pressure point.
I will also check out if regulation of skips is funded via the skip license scheme.
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay Ward
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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But wasn't there a recent HUGE increase in the fees for having a skip? I've seen local friends complaining about the THOUSANDS it can now cost.
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Hi John
My up to the minute skip research. Links to Haringey costs for the license and regulations: bottom link has (average?) costs for all London boroughs. For Haringey the cost is around £524 all in I think.
https://www.haringey.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/parking/parkin...
https://www.haringey.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/roads-and-stre...
https://www.anyjunk.co.uk/london-skip-hire-prices/
We just need people to comply!
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay Ward
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