Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Bad news folks. The Making the Difference bid failed :(
Have just received a letter informing me that we will not be getting any of the Haringey gold reserves for the following reason;
"The Council is unable to provide specific funding to support individual or local community structures including the the provision of privately owned and run website. The Council provides wide access to its own official Haringey website which already provides a strong link with its community. The Council has also established a number of local structures and opportunities for effective community engagement"
WHAT?!
So people getting together and forming their own community in which to engage with local issues is not acceptable. So,only things started and run by the Council are acceptable, even though we have (most) of our local councillors on the site and reps from most of the local residents groups?
So much for supporting grassroots, bottom up initiatives from the community
Sorry folks, we'll have to find alternative means of financing this community which at present is heavily subsidised out of one person's pocket: maybe some donations at the next drinks, selling advertising space...
Anyone got any other ideas?
"The Council is unable to provide specific funding to support individual or local community structures including the the provision of privately owned and run website. The Council provides wide access to its own official Haringey website which already provides a strong link with its community. The Council has also established a number of local structures and opportunities for effective community engagement"
WHAT?!
So people getting together and forming their own community in which to engage with local issues is not acceptable. So,only things started and run by the Council are acceptable, even though we have (most) of our local councillors on the site and reps from most of the local residents groups?
So much for supporting grassroots, bottom up initiatives from the community
Sorry folks, we'll have to find alternative means of financing this community which at present is heavily subsidised out of one person's pocket: maybe some donations at the next drinks, selling advertising space...
Anyone got any other ideas?
Tags for Forum Posts: HOL, Haringey Council, donations, finance, fundraising, making the difference bid
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RuthE on
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This is very depressing news, how narrow minded and short sighted of the council. Could we re-apply for the making the difference bid? I feel bad for not joining this group but I felt at the time that I didnt know how I could contribute in any effective way. Would more people joining the group help? If we joined what could we do that would help get funding?
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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The bidding process is closed for this year. No, it was nothing to do with numbers, I think. The Council are not keen on this kind of thing because they cannot control it and do not understand it. Engaging with residents in discussion forums might just contradict their residents satisfaction surveys, which is why their site has no capacity for comments on the 'news' stories they put out.
The fact that the site is putting people in touch with one another, raising important local issues AND discussing possible solutions is not something they want to think about. Don't forget they are called a 'local authority' and that's how they themselves, as 'The authority', not open to scrutiny, criticism or engaging local people in solving their own problems.
As usual, good practice is exemplified by individuals in the organisation (like some of the councillors on this site) not by the organisation itself.
In the meantime, it costs H about 200 dollars a year (give or take a few bob) to maintain this site, which amounts to only a few quid from us, or if we want extras, maybe a few pence more, so if the Council can't help maybe we should help ourselves. On the plus side, we won't feel beholden to them and so we will be free to discuss without worrying about what they think.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Yup, the basic running costs as things stand are about £150 a year. Enhancing the site wil cost more - some one off costs (like the drop-down tabs for example and the planned member Wiki) and some would be ongoing.
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Thanks for making the bid in the first place Liz.
Perhaps they think if the site's starved of funds it'll go away.
Not for the sake of funds, but for the sake of us all, I wish they'd understand that their take on community engagement isn't really working. All the new legislation around this stresses the importance of working in partnership with residents as a way of engaging them. The letter shows that the prevailing attitude in Haringey (as with most councils probably) is still command and control.
As for the money, yes it costs to run the site and lack of funds do limit what we can do. But I knew that when I started. It's great if members can chip in though. It helps us keep going and getting better and stronger. As you know Liz a few people have recently made a contribution. If anyone else would like to, you can do so via Paypal, here.
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Permalink Reply by marc garrett on
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Hi Hugh & all,
I've just noticed that the bid failed. I know that from experience some things are not funded due to not having a physical presence. Although, I am sure that there are other issues in why they decided not to fund this site. Of course, it is short-sited and lacks vision in not supporting Harringay online - I am only a recent user of this blog but already I have met new local people on here and learned so much about this area that I live in. As well as have the opportunity to find immediate information relating to local needs.
Because of this and much more, I have no hesitation in sending money in support of a project tha 'will' change lives via connecting and sharing ideas and knowledge with each other - this place really works.
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Thanks marc, that is fantastic. If anyone wants to donate but isn't comfy with using PayPal, I'm happy to take a 'whip round' at the next drinks as well.
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Hi Liz,
That sounds great. Who needs the council when we have ourselves!
From my experience if you can survive by just getting on with what one's passion is long enough, the money sooner or later comes along - because everyone starts asking important questions of why there is not 'official' support for such an imaginative and communicative venture. Build, create and Survive :-)
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Permalink Reply by Eddie Finnegan on
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Hugh, Liz and everyone else who championed the bid and the site - sorry to hear this, but we need not be surprised. The virtually virtuous Harringayonline provides no glossy photo opportunity for the usual cabinetful of unctuous faces to appear in the REAL HARINGEY PEOPLE over the coming ten months or so.
If your bid had been to plant a few scrawny saplings at £250 each, you'd probably have got it (if it was not at variance with the Environment Member's programme for which there may have been as much as an 8% 'consultation' response).
Better still a bid for some curtains for some Senior Citizens' Home, to keep the sun off them and keep them out of sight. That would have merited a two-page spread in HARINGEY PEOPLE, with several photo opps for at least three caring CABINET MEMBERS, all of it fully accessible on the Council's own official website which provides such a strong link with its community.
I could go on, but one doesn't want to get this community website a Council-bashing reputation, or to suggest a whiff of sour grapes over those who may be successful in the Making a Difference lottery. No, let's go along to the Sally Army hall in Terront Road (on Tuesday 3rd June,7.00pm)and vote for our choice of the surviving bids. Our vote will count for nothing, but let's help to give the Members' Panel at least a 5% consultation response.
Let's see too how engaging and responsive our servants can be during 'Cabinet Question Time' and the 'Soap Box' slot (which somehow fell off the Agenda at our last Area Assembly in St John's Church Hall, Wightman/Frobisher!)
This site is "making a difference", but it's not the sort of difference our official servants are likely to appreciate or welcome. If they did, surely at least one of those local cabinet members would have shown some positive engagement with at least one of the many harringayonline discussions of the past year. Yes, to my recollection, there were two discussion responses from one member in recent months: one negative and self-defensive, the other somewhat positive but self-promoting.
To ensure that our official servants no longer have the cop-out of phrases such as "the provision of privately owned and run website", I suggest that all good members and true must rally round to make clear that this is a genuine community site, managed and moderated by the founder. This will mean real funding. The onus should not be left on Hugh to ask for some donations over the next drinks, but it cannot go on being heavily subsidised (which I think means being totally funded!) out of one person's pocket. We have more than 610 members. OK many are dormant - but if we knew what it takes, or has taken, for a year then we'd know what a really co-operative effort should aim for.
Sorry, folks, my response has become a bloody blog. But let's do it.
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Sorry, I missed the clarifications from Liz and Hugh as to the funding, so my previous paragraphs have already had their answer. So, no excuse then.
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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Nevermind Liz, well done for making the effort.
As has already been said, unfortunately the council only want to support initiatives that they have some degree of control over. I think they get scared of websites such as this as it is full of pro-active community members willing to push for change.
Although this is disappointing news, there are ways to finance this site and hopefully we can go down this route.
I have very little faith in Haringey Council, full stop.
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