Richard Wilson

I was out and about in the ward at the weekend and was really pleased to see that the grit bins that I had complained about (see previous post) had been filled, and that some residents had made use of the grit on their pavements and front paths.  I’ve also sent people who live near the grit bins on Mayfield and Inderwick Road a letter with the number to call to get the Council to refill the bin next time its empty.

However, it struck me how few of the hill roads in Stroud Green have a grit bin at all.  I couldn’t see one at all on Uplands, Denton, Albany or Oakfield Roads, and these are all quite steep and difficult when its icy.   So please contact me if you think your road needs a grit bin, and you and your neighbours would make use of it.  The Council’s website says that “suggestions for new sites are welcome”, so in theory this shouldn’t be difficult to sort out.

I also think the Council should do more to make residents aware of grit bins.  I suspect many people don’t know what the yellow boxes are for or are not sure if the public are supposed to make use of them (which they are).  Recently a Stroud Green resident emailed me a link to this website that promotes the use of ‘disused’ grit bins for community recycling.  Most of the ‘disused’ bins are in Haringey – so it seems some enterprising residents are using the bins for other purposes (probably because the Council doesn’t actually put grit in them very often).

After the chaos caused by the snow before Christmas, local activist Katherine Reece and I thought we would check to make sure the grit bins in Stroud Green are full. The bins allow local residents to grit the pavements clear near their home if they wish, and are usually provided in hilly areas.  Our steep streets can be treacherous when icy, and I know many local older people feel trapped in their homes when the pavements aren’t gritted.

Therefore, we were surprised to find the bins at the top of Inderwick Road and Mayfield Road (both at the Ridge Road end) were empty apart from some litter.  We immediately contacted the Council yesterday to ask them to urgently refill it.   I know that the bins at Chettle Court on Ridge Road were empty a few days ago too, and residents were having to keep asking for them to be refilled.

The Council is supposed to check and refill the bins regularly over winter – but it appears this hasn’t been happening.  Obviously main roads have to be a first priority, but the Council can’t ignore entirely the need to keep pavements in residential areas clear and safe.   And it makes sense to give residents the opportunity to do their bit.

Because of Lib Dem conference I’m a bit behind with my posts – but I wanted to report back on last week’s meeting with the police and Haringey Council about security at Stationers Park.  The meeting was called after I met with Parks officers to demand action after the children’s play fort was badly vandalised (see previous post).

The good news is that the Council revealed they have spoken to the private contractors who close all the park gates in the Borough and they are now going to change the order they go round to ensure Stationers is one of the first to be closed – not one of the last as seemed to be happening.  I’m really pleased as this is something I suggested at the end of August.

At the meeting a Mayfield Road resident confirmed that on the first night of the vandalism the gate was still open after 10pm.  Of course, anyone can climb into the park if they really want – but leaving the gate open after dark is an open invitation to bored teenagers during the summer holiday, so this is a real Council blunder.

However, the bad news is that police say they will never be able to prioritise security at the park after dark unless more local people report problems.  Currently they say they get very few calls about late night anti-social behaviour – even though loads of residents are disturbed when it happens.  I would urge residents to help defend the Park.  If its not an emergency you can call the ‘Safer Parks Unit’ via the Met Police on 0300 123 1212.  If its an issue with the gates call the Parks Service on 020 8489 1000. 

I suspect the reason most people don’t complain is because they don’t believe anything will happen as a result.  So the police and the Council will need to make sure action is seen to happen when people take the time to contact them.

Earlier today I went to Stationers Park to meet with the Council’s Head of Parks to discuss what can been done about security following the recent vandalism (see previous post).  As a result its been agreed that the Parks department will convene a meeting between the police, local residents and parks officers to try look at ways of ensuring residents get a better response when there are problems in the park.

I hope this meeting will help local residents on Mayfield Road and Denton Road get action and commitments out of the Council and Police.  However, its clear from talking to the Head of Parks that the new ‘parkforce’ service is not 24 hours – so will not be able to guarantee any response to problems late at night.

I wish the Council’s Labour Cabinet had listened to our warnings that this was going to be a problem when they decided to cut the Parks Police.   The Parks Police weren’t perfect but the concept of a 24 hour service was a good one.

I got back from holiday recently to discover that the Stationers Park children’s playfort has been badly vandalised – and twice set on fire.  I took a look on Sunday (see picture) and have contacted the Council to demand an urgent meeting with the Head of Parks to find out what is going to be done to improve security – and to repair or replace the fort.

Its terrible that this popular play feature has been ruined during the middle of the summer holidays.  When I visited the park was full of local kids and families.  Local residents are rightly very angry and the Hornsey Journal has run the story on its front page.

But what makes me even angrier is the complacency of the Council.  Local residents have been warning Haringey for months that their decision to scrap the Parks Police has left the green space vulnerable once the local Safer Neighbourhood police team finish their shift.   I’ve had numerous complaints about the Council and police not taking action when kids break into the park at night, causing disturbance and noise for residents of Mayfield Road and Denton Road.

Yet with all these problems to sort out Haringey decides to hold a self-congratulatory ‘green flag’ ceremony in the park this week.