Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Funding opportunity squandered by Friends of Finsbury Park
Major events in Finsbury Park generate a substantial income for the borough and it is up to the council to direct how the majority is spent.
However, organisers of events also pay an 'environmental impact charge' of up to £10,000 per event, which is supposed to be used to fund priority improvements to the park identified by FoFP. The total so far from the events in 2014-15 probably amounts to around £30-40k.
I asked one of their members about this last week in one of the many threads about Wireless Festival, but got an evasive answer. So I asked the council - their response:
"I can confirm that we have not had a conversation with the Friends about this opportunity this year. In the past they have made it clear that they do not wish to have any involvement in the spending of any income raised from events, let alone what they might prioritise in terms of investment of any money collected as environmental impact fees."
In other words, they are turning down the chance to use money which is already available to make much needed improvements to the park simply because they are unhappy with the policy to host major events there.
Whatever you happen to think of the major events - and please use one of the other threads if you want to continue that discussion - their failure to take advantage of this opportunity is very disappointing and clearly doesn't represent the best interests of all park users. I hope they will reconsider their position.
On a more positive note, perhaps we can use this thread to suggest some small scale improvements for the park which can hopefully be taken forward by the Friends if they can be made to see sense. For example, think about about minor enhancements which would improve the environment or accessibility of the park - perhaps new planting schemes or some more benches which would make visiting easier for people who need to rest at frequent intervals. This funding isn't for general maintenance and repairs, which the council looks after, or about making good damage from events, which is the event organiser's responsibility.
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park, finsbury park events, fofp, friends of finsbury park, funding, improvements
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Thought I'd give an update in this. I wrote to the Chair of FoFP and Cllr McNamara on 24th July to try and get some information about the funding, FoFP's policy on using it and a bit of history on how it was actually spent. Haven't heard back from either party. It's all a bit frustrating.
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True, but as the FoFP have been posting stuff on their Facebook page over the last few weeks I assumed someone was around. I assume that Cllr McNamara has staff who deal with correspondence to his Haringey email address.
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Permalink Reply by JLJones on
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I don't think it's the case with Cllr McNamara and in my limited experience he doesn't always reply. I still think most are away on hols...FOFP is run by more than one person but there's only one chair.
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Thanks
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Thanks for this. I'm sure you know this but income from events in Finsbury Park isn't ring fenced for the park - the money goes into the general parks kitty and is spread over all the parks in Haringey. Also worth remembering that Haringey has given itself the right to hold many more long events in the park and if it did we could well end up with a fenced off encampment for 3 months with all the noise, loss of amenity etc that would go with it. Its one of the reasons I as an individual oppose their events policy so vehemently - that and the lack of transparency and meaningful engagement.
I write as an ordinary resident in Hackney close to and affected by events in Finsbury Park and the views above are mine.
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Thanks for this, I write as a named resident who lives close to Finsbury Park and I will continue to repeat things if necessary.
Sounds like you know more about Haringey Council's modus operandi than many and maybe you could persuade the powers that be to engage meaningfully, with transparency, for the good of all.
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May I suggest you join FoFP? Having spent so much time writing on HoL, it would have been far better spent trying to get funds allocated for improvements to the park, if there are even funds available?!
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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"Great idea". So have you acted on it and joined Friends of Finsbury Park?
Although it may be a bit difficult for people to nominate you to the Stakeholders' Group set up by the Council - or anything else - since you are reluctant to share your name.
But plainly you do have a lot to contribute and seem to be very well informed. If only to often view things from the official Council point of view - at least going by your posted comments.
A perfectly valid viewpoint, of course. Although one of my frustrations with this Council and its leadership and "spokespeople" is their reluctance to even consider there may be more than one side to any argument.
(My declaration of interest is on this page)
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Agree. And JLJones of Hackney ( age not telling ) is about as close to anonymous as you can get.
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You confuse the practice of posting online under a pseudonym with the difficulty of having accountable bodies which seek to represent local people/interest groups etc.
I would see a Friends' Group or a Residents' Association as coming under the latter.
Nor is it "fad" or somehow unfair if, in any social interaction, you ask someone's name and perhaps about their individual experiences in connection with a topic of conversation.
We were in the north-east for a few days and met a man who talked about farming and supplying fresh locally-sourced food to schools. Very interested in what he said, (my wife Zena is chair of Governors of a primary school) we asked about his work and experiences. He seemed happy to tell us that he'd farmed locally and later worked in healthy food initiatives. Were we bullying him?
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My post came from curiosity as to whether Tris had followed through what he called a "great idea" and joined Friends of Finsbury Park.
Online anonymity doesn't "somehow equate" to a reluctance to share your name. I was pointing out that retaining anonymity is difficult when participating in a representative local body.
Ad hominem reasoning is not always a fallacy. The example I gave referred to someone's work experiences - which lent factual credibility to his views. In a similar way, members of HoL sometimes mention their professional or personal background.
Obviously, people can use a false name or select the facts they choose to share. (Luckily my name isn't Michael Green.)
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