You put Haringey Council leader, George Meehan
on the spot
As part of Haringey Council’s commitment to openness and communication with residents, I was pleased to participate in the Journal’s Question & Answer feature. Please don’t hesitate to write to me if you have other issues on which you would like clarification. - Councillor George Meehan, Leader of Haringey Council
T.A.B. Flanagan, of Windermere Road, N10, asks: “I live next to a terraced house which has been turned into a dress factory and it runs 24/7 without any noise controls. Enforcement officers have come and gone for 10 years, but the factory only gets bigger. What can be done?”
Councillor Meehan says: “We have looked into this, and our current information is that while the property next door to you had been used as a dress factory for many years, back into the 1960s, this stopped some years ago.
“We last investigated in August this year, following a complaint about installation of an air conditioning unit, and confirmed then that the dress factory use had stopped. The air conditioning unit does not need planning permission, but we will be assessing noise from the unit and providing advice or taking appropriate action.
“Where residents do have concerns about this sort of problem it’s very important that they get in touch with us. I will make sure that all complaints are investigated.”
Peter Lack, of Grosvenor Gardens, N10, asks: “Why does Haringey Council not always answer inquiries? What internal action is taken when an inquiry is not addressed by salaried staff or elected representatives? What compensation is offered to Council Tax payers who need to repeat an unaddressed inquiry?”
Councillor Meehan says: “I’m sorry if you’ve had problems getting an answer to a query. We aim to acknowledge queries and complaints within two working days and respond within 10 working days. Managers do check that this is happening, and councillors hold them accountable for poor performance. Staff may be subject to appropriate action if they fail to carry out this part of their duties.
“Of course there will be complicated inquiries or complaints which take longer to sort out, but we should keep you informed if that is the case. If you have a particular issue where you haven’t had a satisfactory response please send me details and I will see what can be done.” ”
Andreas Nicolaou, of Stirling Road, N22, asks: “I live in Stirling Road and I own the Duck Inn in Salisbury Road, N22. How can I pay your increase in business rates after the council has ruined my trade by putting parking restrictions on my customers? The one-way roads of Acacia, Winkfield and Dunbar have also stopped my customers who live north of Lordship Lane from coming to my café.”
 Councillor Meehan says: “We recognise that some residents and businesses have concerns about parking around Wood Green and we are currently reviewing the Wood Green CPZ to establish whether the situation can be improved.
“We want to strike a balance between easing traffic congestion, enabling residents to park near their homes, and ensuring there is also short term parking to encourage visitors to shop in the area.
“The CPZ review encompasses the N22 section of Lordship Lane, Salisbury Road and Stirling Road. Residents living within the existing zone are being asked if improvements can be made, including charges for stop and shop bays. Those on the outskirts of the zone, which includes Stirling Road, can comment on the effect the zone has had on their road and if they would like residents-only parking for their road.
“The comments we receive in this review will help us decide whether we need to make changes to parking in the area. Whatever the outcome, we will continue to monitor the situation around Wood Green with the aim of ensuring that no residents or traders are made to suffer because of parking problems.”
Nigel Denny, Bounds Green Road, N22, asks: “When will more trees get planted in this area? Over the last two or three years a number of mature trees have been removed from the grassed area opposite my house. Haringey Council never seems to replant any decent replacement trees or enough smaller trees to compensate.”
Councillor Meehan says: “We are proposing to plant two new trees on the grass verge opposite 103 Bounds Green Road this winter. These will replace the tree removed recently after being damaged in a traffic accident and the tree opposite 76 Trinity Road, which was removed in 2005 due to its hazardous condition.
“Three trees were removed from Truro Road during recent planned maintenance due to their declining health. It is proposed to plant three replacement trees during winter 2007.
“The size of tree we can plant is influenced by a combination of cost, specialist machinery and level of aftercare. Smaller trees usually establish better in a shorter period of time and have a higher success rate. Newly planted trees are inspected during the watering programme the following year.
“The priority of our Tree Section is to retain the present tree population and to increase the overall numbers of trees across the borough. There are a total of 260 new trees confirmed for planting this winter, including the two on Bounds Green Road.”
BJ Cairns, of Victoria Road, N22, asks: “Is it intended to continue weekly collections of domestic waste of all types and will the bins, boxes and bags stay in use, or will some other system be brought in?
Councillor Meehan says: “We intend to continue weekly collections of domestic waste and continue to provide residents with the current range of wheeled bins for refuse, plus boxes and bags for recycling.
“However, because residents can now recycle a larger range and volume of materials, we are looking at whether we might be able to introduce larger containers for recycling in the future.
“Currently, around half of residents with a green box recycling service receive same-day collections for waste and recycling. We aim to introduce same day collections for the remaining households as service improvements take place over the next few years.”
Mark Ackary, of Muswell Hill Place, N10, asks: “What is the council doing to tackle domestic violence in the borough? While the causes of this clearly do not arise from matters within the council’s control, I believe the council should be making some effort in the relevant policy areas to reduce this problem.”
Councillor Meehan says: “Combating domestic violence and supporting adults and children who have to live with this is a Haringey priority. Our flagship Domestic Violence Advice and Support Centre, Hearthstone, sees around 1,200 clients a year and has helped 3,216 callers since it opened in 2003.
The centre is innovative in that it is a “one stop shop” for people living with domestic violence. At one location they can gain practical help from council and housing staff, the police, voluntary organisations, community groups, legal services and health colleagues.
People are helped to stay or to escape their homes or they can contact the centre simply for support on 020 8888 5362.
Hearthstone has just been awarded extra money from government to open a freephone helpline on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights – the times when domestic violence is most likely to happen.
Haringey Council is also hosting a free half-day conference, entitled, Domestic Violence: It Is All of Our Business, which is open to everyone. This takes place on Thursday, November 30, 2006, 9:30am – 1:30pm in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green, N22.
Also, earlier this year we launched a DVD, What’s Love Got To Do With It, in seven community languages, about domestic violence services in the borough.
For information, please contact: Equalities Unit, Haringey Council. Tel: 020 8489 2574, e-mail:
Michael Olajide, of Avenue Road, N15, asks: “Mindful of the impact that the Haringey Accord strike had on residents and the environment, is it possible that Haringey Accord’s contract could be reviewed and re-examined to insert penalty clauses that will protect the council and the residents in future?”
Councillor Meehan says: “We penalised Haringey Accord as a direct result of their refuse collection staff taking strike action in the summer. The penalties imposed were in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract and related to their failure to meet their contracted service targets in July and August.
“Employment law allows employees to take industrial action, provided various legal requirements have been met, so we cannot specify within our contracts that strike action is not allowed. Employment law also makes it difficult for us and our contractors to employ alternative staff to perform the work of employees taking strike action.
“However, we will take the lessons learned from the strike action this summer to ensure that new contracts protect the council and residents as much as possible should there be any repeat in future.”
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