Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Detailed Area Assembly Agenda
Below is a detailed agenda for the next Area Assembly:
Ok, so it's not for the Harringay area. But it'd be nice to have, eh, two weeks ahead of time rather than plonked on your seat when you get there.
Ok, so it's not for the Harringay area. But it'd be nice to have, eh, two weeks ahead of time rather than plonked on your seat when you get there.
Tags for Forum Posts: area assembly, area forum
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Hugh, this is what I've been ranting about under events. I noticed that the other Area Assemblies posted had full agendas attached and that Clive was already aware of what was going on in the Muswell Hill AA. There was a measley 2 lines in the Haringey People for our Area Assembly
I have left my contact details several times at these meetings and yet I have never been sent a letter like the one above detailing what is happening in the forthcoming meeting. The 'draft' agenda was supplied by the Lib Dem cllrs but they also said they had not had a formal agenda yet.
I believe Margaret has also raised the fact that even long term attendees like herself and her neighbours are not receiving any kind of notification. I wonder if we ought to make a formal complaint to Sean Burke the chap that oversees all this neighbourhood malarky.
I'm very concerned that, given that other AAs are clearly being better run and the residents better informed, we are being short changed and, as the process of Area Assembly is the preferred option by Haringey for involving residents in local decision making as they have a duty to, then we need some action fast to ensure parity and quality.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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That's a good idea Liz. Whilst I'm sure that better run meeting won't open the floodgates in terms of attendance, I am certain it will improve it.
It's interesting, isn't it; hearing about better run assemblies elsewhere is one thing, seeing the evidence before you is much more powerful. I keep meaning to get myself organised to go and see the Muswell Hill Assembly for myself. Anyone else been?
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Area Assembly meetings: Agenda Control
Liz and I discussed this recently.
AA meetings are the only chance for residents to talk to cabinet members and council officers on anything approaching an equal footing and imperfect though they are, I support the AA meetings in principle.
AA Agendas are a problem at the moment. It is probably inevitable that the council will maintain Agenda Control. The content has improved over time. The meetings were originally billed as "You talk, we listen" but in the early days, we were treated to council officers droning on about their jobs and careers – almost filibustering – and boring citizens senseless.
I learnt about the forthcoming Muswell Hill Agenda recently from a resident in St Anns (!). This AA meeting will cover four council Wards (I note with interest that for the internationally important Alexandra Palace, there will be a presentation scheduled to last five minutes).
Harringay Ward seemed not to get an Agenda while I was fortunate to get a copy of the Stroud Green, Crouch End & Hornsey Agenda from Cllr. Lyn Webber who kindly sent me a copy before the meeting.
What I think is needed is a central repository (the council webpage?!) for copies of Agendas for all the Borough's Area Assemblies. As an alternative to all-at-once publication and knowing that the meetings are staggered, then have the AA agenda published say, a least a week before the meeting in each case.
The reason is: (a) to better publicise the AA meetings and (b) some Areas' Agenda items are likely to be of interest to residents outside the area covered and (c) some items are of Borough-wide interest.
Since the municipal Neighbour Management Department seem to spend much of their time justifying their existence, it would be nice to think they could at least get this one right.
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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It's interesting that there doesn't seem to be any inconsistency about this across Haringey. Who is actually 'in charge' of the individual AAs - does it come down to the individual Cllrs for that area? If so, completely agree that there should be clear expectations as to how much advance planning there is, circulation of agendas etc etc.
Personally am slightly suspicious of agendas with quite the level of precision as the Muswell Hill one (as my experience is that the timings are usually blown out of the window within about 10 minutes!), but the comparison of that one with the one for our area is very depressing - you are left feeling as though ours simply isn't taken as seriously.
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As I understand it, it is the responsibility of the neighbourhood management team (led by Dasos Maliotis in Harringay and St Ann's) to draw up and get the agenda out to residents who have registered their details (you have to go to an Area Assembly to do this, apparently). Sean Burke oversees the Neighbourhood teams which is why I suggested we should perhaps bring our concerns to his attention. I have not dealt with him but I am told he is good.
I am not sure how agendas are drawn up, perhaps the councillors could enlighten us. The double spread local news in the Haringey People serves as the 'minutes' of the meetings for the general public although of course, this means they are 'spun' into positive upbeat little articles and no comments from residents (2 quotes both from Gina Adamou...the Lib dems never get a look in despite having 2 cllrs in the area. However, we fare better than St Ann's who rarely get their full complement of cllrs there).
I'm not sure if there meetings are formally minuted by a clerk and a search for minutes on the Haringey website brings up links to the 'newsletter' not the formal minutes detailing what actually happened in the meeting. Personally I don't find this an acceptable way to run the "central plank" of Haringey's strategy for local involvement.
It is perfectly normal to draw up agendas with timings for formal meetings and a good chair will ensure that the timings are stuck to and draw to a close any discussion that is not making headway. This does not happen at Harringay so that frequently the part of the meeting given over to the residents, the 'soapbox', is lost (ask OAE about this), while rambling presentations about fairly minor issues go on and on. Often the most valuable and most direct answers to your questions come from the police, forget straight answers from 'Cabinet members'.
I agree that we may not open the floodgates for attendance but when the council officers and staff outnumber the residents present, it is time that someone starts to realise that what they are doing is not working. Other areas seem to be run more effectively and do more to try and increase participation such as holding them on Saturdays during the day with facilities for kids (Crouch end and Muswell Hill).
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Permalink Reply by Margaret Fowler on
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Because I wrote a very angry letter to all councillors involved or should have been involved in the last Area Assembly meeting, I was invited to a meeting with Dasos Maliotis to explain my comments. He's a good guy so let's see how the next meeting progresses. I used to live in West Green and their meetings were very lively and well organised and produced results.
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Can I ask Margaret, if you have had a letter like the one above that notifies you of the next meeting and the agenda? If I remember rightly, you said that you and other long term attendees hadn't been receiving them.
I am waiting for the next meeting and then my 'angry' letter could be following yours if there is no improvement...
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No, I have not yet received a letter informing me of the agenda. Unfortunately most of my neighbours who consider themselves badly treated no longer bother to attend meetings. The last meeting was particularly bad because the councillors did not attend to speak to the agenda even if anyone had received it earlier. The mailing of information seems very irregular, I occasionally receive notification but not regularly.
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Yes I recall your write up of the last meeting here.
One would hope that the relevant people will have had the error of their ways pointed out to them and make sure they are there. We shall see...
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Permalink Reply by Yvonne on
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I have just received a notification and list of main items for discussion for the next meeting on July 28 at the Cyprus Kitchen. I get one for every meeting.
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I have also received my invitation and agenda. I will probably go this time to be polite after my anger about the last meeting but my neighbours will never be enticed back. Meetings are usually more polite though when held in Harringay rather than St Ann's.
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