Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Local Elections 2026
I was bored this morning so made a quick budgetary overview of the council and compared it to the main parties manifestos (perhaps unsurprisingly it seems that conservative and reform don't acutally have one).
https://localelections2026.co.uk/
turns out there's no money and no one really has a plan to deal with it. To be fair these seem to be deepseated structural problems that no one in local council has any power to change.
It will track and update with the election changes to see a sort of real-time feedback loop of policy implementation.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon
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Hi Chris
I read your post with interest and thought you deserved a reply regarding budgets and spend.
In common with most local authorities, the council's day to day revenue budget - the general fund - goes on three main areas. These are:
- Adult social care - including finding carer support for people in their own homes; funding residential care; supporting people with learning difficulties and disabilities; mental health services and transitional support for young people as they become adults
- Children's services - including child protection and children's social care; family support; foster care and looked after children; care leavers; youth services and a range of provision for under fives including children's centres and family hubs
- Temporary accommodation --including finding and funding accommodation to prevent homelessness and other services which deal with street homelessness.
- In Haringey, these three areas consume between 70%-80% of the day to day budget. Schools and special need are funded separately through the dedicated schools grant which comes from the DfE, but the council does pay for home to school transport for children with special needs from the general fund.
You are accurate in saying that reducing reliance on temporary rented accommodation in the private sector will reduce our overall spend. That is why we have invested so much in building new housing and in buying properties where we can. Since 2022 we have built 1300 new council homes at council rent which means 1300 families/individuals are now living in secure, affordable and good quality homes. For children and families, and individuals this can be truly life changing.
Housing is the greatest determinant of ill-health so, providing decent homes people can afford improves physical and mental health, and gives children much needed stability and a better chance in life. Investing in housing is something I and my colleagues are really proud of.
It also saves money on the general fund as the council is not paying rents to private landlords, but receiving rent which goes into the housing revenue account, as you have indicated. The new homes are across the borough and are to a very high standard. We are extending our target to build 3000 homes to 5000 council homes in our manifesto. Regarding the funding, the Mayor of London provides essential capital funding to assist in housebuilding.
As a Labour council we have also invested in purchasing street properties through our Community Benefit Society. Hundreds of families have been rehoused this way - paying affordable rents and having secure homes.
In addition, we are reducing the voids and have much quicker turnaround times when properties are vacated.
Best wishes
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Labour and Co-Op Candidate, Harringay ward
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Permalink Reply by Chris
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Hi Zena,
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. The new council homes are a genuine achievement and it's clear how much it means to the families who've moved in. Building 1,300 over a few years against the headwinds councils are facing is quite the achievement.
A few things I'd love to understand better if you have time:
On the 1,300 homes, I'd read that a portion ended up at London Affordable Rent rather than formula council rent, to qualify for GLA grant funding. Do you know roughly what the split is now? I get the trade-off (more homes overall vs slightly higher rents on some), but I'd find it useful to understand the actual numbers.
On the 5,000 target, that's really ambitious. I've been trying to work out the funding picture and keep coming back to the HRA borrowing. If 3,000 homes needed around £1.2bn of borrowing, does 5,000 imply proportionally more, or is there a bigger GLA grant component? Just curious how the numbers stack up, because the HRA business plan already has debt service rising quite steeply.
On voids, the Lib Dems have been talking about empty properties a lot. Do you have current figures for how many voids there are and what turnaround times look like now vs a couple of years ago? Would be good to see the improvement reflected in actual numbers.
On TA, I can see the logic that council homes reduce reliance on private landlords over time, but the TA spend has still been rising quite sharply. Is the expectation that it flattens or falls as more homes come online? When would you expect to see that turning point?
Thanks again for replying, it's genuinely helpful to hear directly from someone involved rather than trying to piece it together from reports.
Best,
Chris
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Zena, what's your stance on Labour's support and active involvement in the atrocities being carried out by Israel in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran?
Two and a half years is a long time to be silent about such a significant and ongoing issue. Particularly as polls show that it is a key cause in the expected swing away from Labour in the coming local elections.
We can see and hear your claims of successes or praise of David Lammy, but the apparent absence of any comment or discussion on Labour's role in supporting Israel is extremely concerning.
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Permalink Reply by Amnon Cohen
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The Trade Union and Socialist Coalition is standing in Haringey, Shroud Green and Hermitage and Gardens, where I am the candidate.
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