minutes+4th++September+2002


 * Minutes of HFRA General Meeting - Wednesday 4th September 2002**


 * //__RA Delegates Present__//** Tim Wilmott and Pat Ayinde - **Bruce Grove South Residents Group, N17**; Steve Cook - **Woodstock Road Association, N4**; Vivienne Cuming and Simon Fedida (HFRA Treasurer) - **Avenue Gardens RA, N22**; Dave Morris (HFRA Secretary) - **Tower Gardens Residents Network, N17**; Paul Burnham - **Partridge Way TRA, N22**; Mike Towerzey (HFRA Chair) - **The Sandlings RA, N22;** **//__Apologies__//__:__** Rosemary McCartan - **South Hornsey RA, N4**; Frank Forni - **Northumberland Park Independent RA, N17;** John Hajdu - **Muswell Hill & Fortis Green Association, N2;** Steve Baron - **Palace Gates RA, N22**; Eve Gibson – **Imperial Wharf RA**;  Sue Brown – **Haringey Leaseholders Association**; Andy Newman – **Gardens RA**; Jim Cassins – **HOBA & S. Tottenham RA, N15**; Anne Papoula – individual interested in setting up RA in S. Tottenham


 * Chair:** Mike Towerzey **Minutes:** Dave Morris


 * 1. Minutes of last meeting** Agreed to be accurate.

//__Bruce Grove South Residents Group, N15__// Meetings of this new RA have continued to be very successful with 25-30 residents at each, and mailing list of 50 already. Issues include tree-planting, blue plaques for the former homes of notable ex-residents, and rubbish collection. //__Woodstock Rd__// //__Assoc, N4__// Local campaign for a CPZ due to parking problems. Continue to oppose noise pollution and damage to Finsbury Park by huge commercial events by launching Reclaim The Park campaign and petition. Have produced an 8-page Newsletter: ‘Wrangle’. //__Partridge Way RA, N22__//. Have got the Council to take responsibility for improving road maintenance on the estate, and to discuss parking issues. Concerns over lack of soundproofing in the flats. //__Avenue Gardens RA, N22__// Continue to seek traffic calming and other improvements. Meetings with relevant local LBH officials are proving successful, eg a new pelican crossing agreed for busy Park Ave, and the old toilets in Wood Green Common have been demolished. Controversy over abuse of CPZ essential user parking permits is now recognised. Still raising objections to the effects of the massive Heartlands redevelopment plans. //__Tower Gardens RN, N17__// A long local campaign led to a summer youth club, but the Council failed to organise most of the promised activities... pressure continues for an ongoing, regular youth club. Consultation exercise over a vision for future traffic calming and environmental improvements to the estate resulted in an excellent major Report to back up the current bid for substantial funding from Transport For London. Held their second annual residents’ arts and creativity exhibition in Bruce Castle Museum (27 contributors, 270 visitors). Local gardening club have secured £5,000 to create a mosaic in the local park with the help of school kids. Residents were shocked to be leafletted about a public meeting which had been secretly organised by local Cllrs, Housing Dept and the Residents Participation Team ‘to discuss how to set up a tenants and residents association’ on the Tower Gardens Estate! [//Delegate’s Update//: At the meeting over 25 TGRN members attended (and another 20 members sent apologies) along with maybe 6 or 7 other residents (mostly with housing queries). It was an overwhelming vote of confidence in the TGRN as the local, active, popular and effective residents association.] //HFRA Action//: The Federation expressed our support and solidarity with the TGRN.
 * 2. __Local reports given or received__** //__Sandlings RA, N22__// Negotiations continue over plans for an ‘Estate Agreement’ with the LBH and those servicing the estate (repairs, rubbish collection etc) – local residents’ survey has been completed and detailed report produced. Delegate reported that their own Sandbunker community centre, despite enormous voluntary efforts, is not raising enough running costs to keep open. Part of the problem is that they have been badly let down by a couple of LBH projects which had promised much but achieved little. Messages of support for this inspiring locally-run project can be sent to The Sandbunker, and to Jeff Tearle - LBH Area Housing Manager [13-27 Station rd, N22]. //HFRA Action:// The Federation expressed our support and solidarity with the Sandlings RA.

//Ferry Lane Action Group, N17// Area comprises 850 homes. Meet monthly re campaign for a new playground, river safety, lighting, refuse, crime, parking. Funded by LBH for last 4 years.
//__Northumberland Pk__// //__RA, N17__// Supporting tenants of a block in Park Lane fed up with serious disruption and stress caused by an insensitive new Council construction development. Helped them form a Group. //__Imperial Wharf RA, N15__// Majority of tenants signed local petition opposing the sell off of their council homes to a Housing Association. Applied for Estate Improvement Grant for local hall and play area. //__Haringey Leaseholders Association__// Campaigning against the backdated imposition of service charges on the borough’s leaseholders – the Council is spending a fortune taking legal action, opposed by HLA. There are local Leaseholders Associations in some areas. Special General Meeting for leaseholders, Oct 16th, 7.15pm at New Millenium Centre, West Green Rd/Vincent Rd, N15. //HFRA Action//: HFRA agreed to send our support for their campaign. //__Gardens RA__// Have completed their new community garden on ex-derelict rail land – plan big opening festival with 3 streets blocked to traffic. This will be combined with a consultation day, and publicity for their varied activities regarding traffic calming, children’s club, crime and safety, and rubbish removal. //HFRA Action//: Steve Cook agreed to attend as Federation delegate.

Note – many of the reports given were followed by discussion of various key issues raised.


 * 3. Rubbish collection** We discussed the record of the new privatised collection agency – Accord Ltd. The quality, regularity and extent of collections was felt to be patchy at best, with some satisfactory examples (especially where taken up by local RAs) and some horror stories. One form of pressure for improvements is to attend and speak out at the LBH Environmental Scrutiny Panel meetings.


 * 4. Door step harassment of residents** There is a serious and growing concern over the door-step antics of private agencies working for utility companies (providing gas, electric and other vital services). Competition over contracts and pressure to do the hard sell is leading to widespread confusion and anger among targetted residents, the conning of people, intimidation, and even fraud. There has been local press concern and controversy about this. It is strongly recommended that all associations inform their members and communities to beware signing anything they don’t understand 100%. //HFRA Action:// Agreed to inform and support local RAs about this.


 * 5. Council Housing** Council’s plans to set up an ‘arms length company’ to manage Haringey’s 20,000 council homes continue apace, despite no mandate for this from tenants. Unpopular plans to sell off estates on the Enfield and Hackney borders (White Hart Lane Estate and Imperial Wharf) seem to have been dropped following opposition. There was discussion over the national (government policy) vs local (effect on local residents) aspects of this complex issue, which includes opposition to unfair rules on Council borrowing, the way historic public housing debts can only be written off if estates are privatised, and that ‘right to buy’ receipts cannot be ploughed back into public housing. //HFRA Action:// agreed to circulate details of Haringey Defend Council Housing’s protest Lobby of Civic Centre, Mon 14th Oct 7pm.


 * 6. The Council** It is said that the Council hope to set up some kind of tenants organisation. We’ve not been informed or consulted. As the fully-constituted local Federation for all tenants and residents associations, we restated our commitment to bringing together all such groups and supporting their issues and concerns.


 * 7.** **__Post Received__** //Voluntary Action Haringey// - ‘best value’ updates etc; //Share// – consultation with community groups; //Haringey Trades Union Council// - informative news bulletin about local trade union issues, campaigns and disputes; //Defend Council Housing// – latest news, info about lobby demo; //Strategic Partnership// – local conference details; //‘Regenerate’// – official regeneration bulletin; //‘Supporting People’// – LBH info; //‘How To Make A Complaint’// to the Council.


 * 8. __Federation matters__** **//Finances and Fundraising//:** We have been going nearly 18mths with no official funding as yet. Dave Morris and Simon Fedida met up to look into possible sources of future funds, and agreed to draft up applications to bring to the next meeting. We are appealing to all RAs to send us an annual donation/affiliation: 10 pounds from funded associations, 5 pounds from unfunded associations. (Contributions are voluntary and non-contribution will not affect groups’ attendance and voting rights, or receipt of mailings). //HFRA Action - all RAs, DM and SF. **London Tenants Federation Forum:**// LTFF is a London-wide discussion/co-ordination forum, open to all borough federations, concentrating on council tenants/leasholder issues. //HFRA// //Action//: Steve Cook elected as our delegate to the next meeting. **//Monthly meetings://** It was agreed we’d try to meet on the first Wednesday of every month from now on (probably excepting January and August), depending on the availability of a venue.