Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Big savings needed in Haringey. Where should the savings come from?
Now the party's truly over. I've been talking for a while now about the need for local authorities to save something like 20-25% from their budgets. This evening Panorama took up the theme. It's now out there. For Haringey that'll mean savings of something like £80-100m in savings. That's huge! We're facing the biggest cuts since the 1970s. Handled badly, it will be an emergency.
So what do we think? What would we choose? We can sit back and let the Council take decisions or we can share the responsibility and contribute our views. Probably about as exciting as doing your expenses, but something we should probably be doing.
Here's how Haringey's spending is split right now:
So discuss. For more details on Haringey's finances, see this area on their website.
Some rules. Only constructive discussion allowed. If you want to party-politic or bash the Council, please go to another discussion. I'm opening this discussion for constructive discussion only. Break those rules and ya get nuked!
So what do we think? What would we choose? We can sit back and let the Council take decisions or we can share the responsibility and contribute our views. Probably about as exciting as doing your expenses, but something we should probably be doing.
Here's how Haringey's spending is split right now:
So discuss. For more details on Haringey's finances, see this area on their website.
Some rules. Only constructive discussion allowed. If you want to party-politic or bash the Council, please go to another discussion. I'm opening this discussion for constructive discussion only. Break those rules and ya get nuked!
Tags for Forum Posts: cuts, public spending cuts
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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"Nothing reasonable that I do or say makes the slightest difference to what national or local governments do - nor should it I guess." (Link)
Well, yes it should Chris. So please don't be put-off by the Statlers and Waldorfs.
As a Haringey councillor I can't guarantee that every reasonable suggestion for local savings made by residents - on this site or elsewhere - will be acted on. Nor that councillors will automatically agree with everyone who has a view about priorities.
But, I can assure you that those suggestions and views will be read. Because not only do some councillors and council staff visit this site, I intend to list and circulate these views and suggestions to my colleagues and our senior officers. (Unless Hugh or Liz prefer to do it as site admins).
And yes, this even applies to contributions from Statler and Waldorf. (Provided they ever manage to come up with something helpful and constructive.)
(Tottenham Hale councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Chris Setz on
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Thanks Alan - I appreciate your kindness and circumspection - sounds as if you're a councillor who does the job well. My point is that we ought to protect ourselves against the individual view and rely on representatives like you to put plebeian input into local perspective.
I'm quite a forceful person and a communicator and know from past experience that I am often wrong (and do not realise it at the time!). So I can push for the wrong course because I'm a loudmouth. A representative can be an intermediator and reduce suppression of the wisdom of the silent majority - hope you agree!
An example from 1971 when the country went from good old pound shillings and pence to this new-fangled decimal system we have now, converting over 5 million machines. Some of the redtops wanted to keep the sixpence and for a while it looked as if we would. Can you imagine having a six pence piece? Despite the fact that LSD does wonders for kids' maths at school (12 is a better number base than 10, more factors), the government overruled the 'will of the people' - so much the better.
According to the entertaining Portillo's Democracy on Trial, democracy could also have originally meant 'mob rule' - let's avoid that at all costs!
So, we should direct our cuts discussion to those in power but not expect them to promote an individual view. Support your local councillor (provided they are part of the majority party)!
p.s. Disclosure - I'm in Hornsey so not in your ward...
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Permalink Reply by HoL Site Admin on
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Here's the info on the Haringey People from a previous discussion.
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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well said Will. Some savings to be had here which wouldnt hurt. The People mag is all about showing the council in a good light and letting us know what the new consultation group is all about.... its unnecessary. and again, all those offers of translations, more money being spent.
Less consultation groups would be good really esp. when some of the consultants get paid thousands. Less consulting and more doing would be good. Keeping jobs and services much more important than PR and flag waving for the council
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By all means dump PR. But surely not information and consultation?
I wonder you'd feel, Ruth, if, say, the Council scrapped consultation on the Finsbury Park 5-a-side proposals? Over in Tottenham Hale we'd like lot more information about the plans for Down Lane Park. With open consultation. -
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To clarify, Will, I wasn't speaking on behalf of the Council - nor anyone except myself. And the Seven Sisters Road bridge painting was not a Council project, but of 'The Bridge' New Deal for Communities.
As for you not wanting consultation and "trusting the Council to paint a railway bridge"? I'm surprised a thunderbolt hasn't struck you. Take a look at this discussion thread on HoL. -
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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What about councillor pay? Are they going to set an example and cut their allowances?
Peasant thinking. Pay peanuts get monkeys. Just because we may have some monkeys at the moment does not mean we should start paying peanuts.
Perhaps if we had full time, well paid councillors who actually lived in our borough we would be paying less money to consultants who live in Enfield and Barnet.
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Permalink Reply by rebelrebel on
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Enfield and Barnet? They come from much further afield than that!
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Beware the usual suspects in making lists of cuts, for example PR. Councils need a PR function. One case from many: PR can magnify the effect of enforcement action by the Council by making sure it is well reported, which is a cheap means of deterrence. Haringey's PR function may or may not be any good, but if it isn't it should be reformed not closed. Also PR isn't that big a chunk of the total budget. Serious cuts mean reductions in spending on major items such as the education and social services functions, anyone got any good ideas for that without damaging frontline services?
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I am not knocking PR per se but I doubt that criminals in the borough read Haringey People to be deterred from whatever it is they are doing.
I reckon the local free papers do that better (good articles for example on police raiding places where pickpockets holed up with their ill gotten gains.) A few more police on the beat and enforcement of litter laws, dumping, dog poo laws etc would be deterrence as well. These are things that should be improved not cut. The deterrence then is there plus the income from the fines.
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Yes of course local media are important. A big part of the work of a Council PR department is to promote coverage in the local media.
In case I was not clear the first time, PR magnifies the effect of enforcement action, it doesn't replace it. There are never enough police or Council officers to enforce all breaches of the law. But yes, people can be and are deterred from behaviour such as littering by the fear of being caught and fined. The fear is promoted partly by PR.
I could give a hundred other examples, such as from personal experience work by the London Fire Authority in partnership with Councils to promote community safety messages. Through, among other means, PR.
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