Richard Wilson

The next Crouch End, Hornsey & Stroud Green Area Forum will take place this coming week on Tuesday 17th January. It will be held at Stroud Green School (entrance of Perth Road), starting at 6.45pm.

There are a host of controversial issues on the agenda, including an update on the boundary review and on the parking controls, as well as discussion of the Council’s plans to change our waste collections. Haringey controversially plan to cut weekly collections of non-recyclable waste later this year, with black bin waste only collected once a fortnight.

If you want to find out more about whats going on in your local area please come along on Tuesday.

Last month my colleague Ed Butcher predicted the Council’s plans to force residents in the Finsbury Park Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) to return all their visitor parking permits would result in chaos (see previous post).  This prediction has proved correct – and we have been inundated with complaints from residents about how long it has taken to get replacement permits and from some who have been given incorrect permits.  And council officials patrolling the zone a few weeks ago found many cars still using old permits.

As a result of pressure from residents and local councillors the Council were forced to extend the deadline for people to stop using the old permits by two weeks.  However this extended deadline has now run out – and visitors using old permits now face fines.

It is so frustrating that the Council didn’t listen to our warnings last month and have pressed ahead in creating this predictable chaos.  Ed and I think that this two week amnesty is not enough and have urged the Council to not make the switch until 2012 – allowing residents to use up more old permits, and reducing the risk of visitors being fined.

I’ve now been informed about the Council’s timeline for expanding the Stroud Green Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) north from Ridge Road into Nelson, Inderwick, Mayfield, Denton and Uplands Roads as well as the remaining part of Weston Park.  Below is what I’ve received from the Council officers in charge of the project:

Programme of implementation for Crouch End A and Stroud Green CPZ

I am writing to inform you that Councillor Canver has approved the attached delegated report recommending the extension of the Crouch End A and Stroud Green CPZ to the agreed roads within your wards, as per statutory notification.

Please refer to the following key milestones for the delivery of these extensions.

• Drafting and printing of works notice: Finalised by 1 November
• Distribution of works notices to community: 1-3  November
• Publication of Notice of Making: 3 November
• Start of site works: 7 November
• Go live date for extensions: 12 December

I’ve been pressing the Council to implement the extension as quickly as possible – because many residents are telling me that the parking situation is getting worse and worse, and making life increasingly difficult.

Programme of implementation for Crouch End A and Stroud Green CPZ

I am writing to inform you that Councillor Canver has approved the attached delegated report recommending the extension of the Crouch End A and Stroud Green CPZ to the agreed roads within your wards, as per statutory notification.

Please refer to the following key milestones for the delivery of these extensions.

Drafting and printing of works notice                      Finalised by 1 November

Distribution of works notices to community            1-3  November

Publication of Notice of Making-                             3 November

Start of site works-                                                    7 November

Go live date for extensions                                      12 December

Council officers have revealed the results of the consultation to extend the Stroud Green Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) into the vale roads north of Ridge Road.   54% of respondents were in favour of the expansion with 42% against (and 4% unsure).  There were 186 responses.

The parking officials have now recommended to Cllr Canver, the Labour Councillor in charge of parking in Haringey, that the Stroud Green CPZ is extended to cover the entire consultation zone (Nelson, Inderwick, Mayfeild, Denton and Uplands Road and Weston Park).  Although there were strong pockets of objections in some streets, the officers believe they have ‘broad support’ to implement the CPZ expansion.  The decision is now with Cllr Canver.

As local councillors we worked hard to make sure this consultation took place, and then to try to make sure everyone could have their say – whether for or against parking controls.  We have pressed the Council to listen to residents and go for the decision backed by the most people.  I’ve also said that if they decide to expand the CPZ they should implement the extension as quickly as possible to help residents being effected by displacement parking.

Over the summer I’ve had a number of complaints from residents about long queues at Haringey Council’s ‘customer services’ centre in Wood Green, where Stroud Green residents go to get parking permits and deal with the Council over benefits and council tax issues.  So last week I made an unannounced visit to the centre to survey residents about their experiences.

I was joined by local Stroud Green resident Diana Buckley, who contacted me after she queued for three hours for parking permits, and fellow councillor Jim Jenks.

Whilst conducting the survey we met lots of other people with experiences of long waits or being turned away at the door because the queue was too long.  On the day we were there people had to queue for 45 minutes just to get to the reception desk to be given a ticket to join the proper queue!   We also discovered that the centre closes an hour early most days and saw people being turned away at 4pm when the advertised closing time is 5pm.

I’ve now written to Haringey’s Chief Executive to say this is completely unacceptable, and to demand that action is taken to improve the centre, reduce waits and make it more efficient.  The Council have recently closed other customer services centres and changed the system – and this has clearly had a disastrous result.  Many people said how helpful staff were when they eventually got to the front of the queue – and its a great shame that busy residents and hardworking frontline staff are being let down by poor decision-making at a senior level and bureaucratic and inflexible systems.

My colleague Ed Butcher has been demanding urgent action from Haringey Council to prevent parking voucher chaos following the imminent changes to the Finsbury Park Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ).  Local residents have been given only 45 days (until 14th October) to exchange visitor parking vouchers, after which residents will find old vouchers are worthless and will be fined for their wrong use.

The Finsbury Park CPZ is being divided into three separate zones following a consultation with residents.  Haringey Council has informed residents of the need to change the vouchers in an un-addressed letter to households, however it has been pointed out that many of the properties in Stroud Green are flats and such letters are often overlooked.

Ed has set out changes that would stop the predicted chaos – firstly that the Council abolishes the strict cut off for new parking vouchers and secondly that residents who mistakenly use old vouchers are treated leniently.  I agree that Haringey’s inflexible approach will mean a major headache for residents who find themselves accidentally on the wrong side of the Council’s parking controls, and that they should listen to Ed’s two demands.

Ed said, “Given the hassle of getting the vouchers, some residents will hold a considerable stock.  I can only imagine how annoyed they will be to find them completely worthless, or worse, one of their guests getting a parking ticket for using an old voucher.  This lack of common sense only feeds the cynicism that parking restrictions are just a Council money earner.  The Council must act to make new arrangements fair.”

The Council’s consultation on whether or not to extend resident’s parking controls into the Hornsey Vale area closes in the next few days. Therefore, I’m urging all residents on the affected roads to have their say on this controversial issue.

In September, the Stroud Green Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) will be extended up to and including Ridge Road, and will operate 12 noon until 2pm Monday-Friday.  Many residents are concerned that this will make parking more difficult in the roads just to the north, and after pressure from your local councillors and a public meeting organised by local residents, the Council agreed to hold a consultation.

If residents are in favour, then the Stroud Green CPZ will be extended further to Inderwick, Nelson, Mayfield, Denton and Uplands Roads, as well as part of Weston Park.  This extension could happen as early as October this year.

The consultation ends on the 14th September so residents of these roads only have a few more days to have your say. It’s really important that all residents respond – whether you support or object to the proposed CPZ – so that the Council can find out what people want to happen.

If you haven’t received the consultation document then you can call the Council on 020 8489 1326 to get a copy, or it can be found online here.  Please do have your say.