Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Party Time Harringay 2009!
Dear fellow residents of Harringay,
Local elections are around the corner. Harringay is a marginal ward extremely important to Labour, as are others such as Bounds Green. The fight is literally going to be within the 'heart' of our borough.
What does this mean for us all? Basically a very strange thing is going to start to happen; money is going to be prioritised for our ward and our concerns will start to be taken more seriously.
It has started with this announcement of a large chunk of monies being invested in the re-development of one of our local parks. See here.
It will end with a festival for Green Lanes Harringay in September. These things are happening.
It is no accident that Lammy has just held a public meeting within our ward this week. See here for feedback on this meeting from residents here. Your MP wants to know what you want/need and will be in regular contact with via HOL and other groups/forums such as LCSP & GRA over the coming months.
This is our opportunity to make things happen with the powers that be. It was clear from the meeting with Lammy that residents want action, real progress on;
1. HMOs & affordable housing
2. Traffic: area survey and calming measures for Wightman Rd
3. Gambling establishments: a halt to any new openings & strict control of current operations
4. Supporting the local businesses, schools and leisure facilities to enhance the place with which we live.
So, Fairland Park at long last is getting the investment it needs. We will have 'our' festival in September too. But we need to decide the other priorities.
I for one would like to see serious investment go into traffic calming Wightman Rd. Lammy says he needs to see a significant campaign from local residents for this so he can start knocking on the doors of those who can make this happen (ie. dosh). Someone needs to kick off this campaign and it needs a Working Group to back it. A working group was instrumental in getting investment into our local park. That group has been going for 2 years, quietly plodding away.
It's up to the residents of Harringay to take advantage of this re-newed focus on our ward. We may not see this again for some time!
Shall we start by setting up a 'Harringay Resident's Working Group'? With say, members from HOL, LCSP, GRA and the Traders Association? Maybe that's too complex or unnecessary. But we do need to be working together and being efficient with time (save on meetings). Any other ideas?
I'm just kicking ideas around here!
Lets get organised. Over to you!
Local elections are around the corner. Harringay is a marginal ward extremely important to Labour, as are others such as Bounds Green. The fight is literally going to be within the 'heart' of our borough.
What does this mean for us all? Basically a very strange thing is going to start to happen; money is going to be prioritised for our ward and our concerns will start to be taken more seriously.
It has started with this announcement of a large chunk of monies being invested in the re-development of one of our local parks. See here.
It will end with a festival for Green Lanes Harringay in September. These things are happening.
It is no accident that Lammy has just held a public meeting within our ward this week. See here for feedback on this meeting from residents here. Your MP wants to know what you want/need and will be in regular contact with via HOL and other groups/forums such as LCSP & GRA over the coming months.
This is our opportunity to make things happen with the powers that be. It was clear from the meeting with Lammy that residents want action, real progress on;
1. HMOs & affordable housing
2. Traffic: area survey and calming measures for Wightman Rd
3. Gambling establishments: a halt to any new openings & strict control of current operations
4. Supporting the local businesses, schools and leisure facilities to enhance the place with which we live.
So, Fairland Park at long last is getting the investment it needs. We will have 'our' festival in September too. But we need to decide the other priorities.
I for one would like to see serious investment go into traffic calming Wightman Rd. Lammy says he needs to see a significant campaign from local residents for this so he can start knocking on the doors of those who can make this happen (ie. dosh). Someone needs to kick off this campaign and it needs a Working Group to back it. A working group was instrumental in getting investment into our local park. That group has been going for 2 years, quietly plodding away.
It's up to the residents of Harringay to take advantage of this re-newed focus on our ward. We may not see this again for some time!
Shall we start by setting up a 'Harringay Resident's Working Group'? With say, members from HOL, LCSP, GRA and the Traders Association? Maybe that's too complex or unnecessary. But we do need to be working together and being efficient with time (save on meetings). Any other ideas?
I'm just kicking ideas around here!
Lets get organised. Over to you!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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.... quietly "milk it" like the posh people in Highgate do?
John, we don't do love ins with the political set. :)
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Permalink Reply by Adam on
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i would be keen to see a campaigning sub-group on HOL who co-ordinated and planned our campaigns, is anyone else interested in being involved?
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An HOL campaigns 'working group' .... yes, good idea.
Can we focus particularly on Wightman Rd as first or main issue and are you happy to contact 'Wightman Paul'/Eddie regards this?
Maybe we can aim for our first 'touch base' mtg 8pm Thurs March 12th, 1/2 hour before the 'Drinks' start.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I would not. I like the way this site was used over the Wightman Rd thing. I would not like to see us doing anything that produced a "HoL bloc vote". People had the option of signing Eddie and Paul's petition - or not. There were a couple of people who got stuck into us afterward for spoiling it all by being nimbys and that it was "not in their name". Damn right it wasn't in their name, the site was used to spread the word and facilitate, that's all.
Or am I just not understanding you?
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I think you are mis-understanding how it works. Polls are only a part of the process and tend to be pin sharp of one aspect of a, often highly emotive issue. The Wood Green pedistrianisation poll only stopped something happening. It didn't seek to provide wider solutions. That what a 'working group' aims to do. That's how the 'open space' finally got it's 1/4 of a million John (apart from this here ward being marginal of course!).
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Right, but I don't want to see a Harringay Online working group. I think it would take away the website's impartiality. Of course having working groups organised using it is different, as long as they don't say they represent anyone they don't.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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(Just a side point here. It wasn't Paul & Eddie's petition. Paul identified the issue, Eddie put a huge amount of energy into it, but it was a HoL initiated petition working with the local residents' groups).
On the main issue, we need to be very very wary about using HoL in any party political context. It's a grass roots tool, but I'm very wary of how it might be used in any election period. I propose that the HoL Sustainability Group should take a position on this. Anyone is welcome to attend the meetings
And, Matt, for what it's worth, I believe that most people DON'T want to focus on Wightman. It's a part of the issue, but only part of it. Most people want to focus on the whole Ladder.
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Hugh & John,
You're both missing the point entirely and I have to say it worries me that you are. To engage in issues locally one has to engage with those that represent us. That's the political bit. It's nothing controversial. HOL is a communication tool and an organisational tool.
If someone wants to set up a HOL Working Group or call it something different (without the 'HOL' in the name, that's up to them). Personally I couldn't care a less what a working group is named. But the point is, HOL members shouldn't be controlled by a few 'power members' deciding that HOL is some kind of brand, where hypersensitivity to engaging with local politicians kicks in.
Let's not forget Lammy met with you Hugh, before his 'public meeting'. So lets drop the control freakery and let other members breathe a bit and allow them to organise around issues if they want.
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I'm sorry Matt, but HoL has to have some guiding principles and those will be enforced. That's non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned.
The question is how is that done.
The answer is very openly and democratically, in a way that no other community website offers. I have put it in the hands of a group of site members who responded to an open invitation to get involved. The existence of the group has been publicised via the site and it is made known that anyone can come along.
You might dismissively refer to them as 'power members'. I think of them as volunteers willing to give up some of their spare time to help a community resource whose current and potential efficacy they believe in.
I recognise that you are already busy with your community activities, but as you are aware, you are more than welcome to contribute, as is every member.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Absolutely not! There are three well run and effective residents group in this neighbourhood as well as a number of smaller road groups. We could not and never should seek to replace those groups.
We are not a residents group.
The committee is there to ensure the sustainability of the site and the officers were elected by members present at the time - bearing in mind that the meeting is open, advertised and anyone from the site may attend. The committee discusses issues to do with ensuring that the site can stand on its own two feet. Minutes of the meetings are published in the HOL sustainability group and the constutition for the group is also there. You can see for yourself what the group talks about.
It does not pronounce on local issues on behalf of anyone and I would like to make it totally clear that I would not like to see that change. I urge people to work through the existing groups, such as WRN4, the LCSP and the GRA to effect change and engage with local politicians on the things we care about.
This site is about connecting people, informing people, building local pride and social capital but I would never presume that it should speak for any member.
Organise whatever you wish and use the site to inform people but don't try and change the guiding principles of the site. They are fine as they are.
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I do not want to be involved in a residents group. I am involved in the sustainability group only insofar as it means being responsible for getting HoLs bill's paid. If a residents group or anyone for that matter, wants to use this site to galvanise interest on a topic or organise resistance/encouragement then that's great - but currently I have the option of letting them get on with it and not putting my name to whatever it is they are doing.
This site is unique almost because it is not a residents group.
I am 100% with Liz on this. -
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Thanks Tom.
The HoL Sustainability group may already be "incorporated", if you mean that it has a constitution. This was adopted just this Tuesday and will be posted on site over the next few days.
A Chair, Treasurer and Secretary were elected by a vote of all members present.
But it's not the site - the principles of HoL governance are perhaps somewhat analogous to the situation with the BBC (but don't get the impression I'm putting on airs here) where you have a board providing guidance to the organisation.
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