Minutes:
A debate on the events which occurred in August then ensued, following which Councillor Strickland, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Social Inclusion, addressed the meeting on the points raised and how issues would be taken forward.
Councillor Strickland paid tribute to those residents and business people affected by the riots, whose calm dignity and determination to move forwards in the face of unimaginable heartache had been remarkable.
He also paid tribute to and thanked the Police, emergency services and council staff whose tireless work in very difficult circumstances was of credit to public service.
Councillor Strickland referred to the future and advised that the Council needed to focus its efforts on ensuring that the Tottenham which emerged from this difficult period was improved physically, was stronger economically, was better connected through its transport links and had residents better equipped to prosper in the labour market.
Councillor Strickland commented on the need to work closely with the Police in building on and strengthening existing links with the Community, by forging better lines of communication and clear messages.
In order to deliver the improvements which Haringey desired, Councillor Strickland set out three broad priorities namely:- Getting Tottenham back in business, improving confidence and delivering regeneration.
Getting Tottenham Back in Business
The first priority would be getting Tottenham back in business, which was the foundation stone for what will follow.
The council had provided significant face-to-face support to businesses
· 110 were helped through the Community Assistance Centre
· Staff had met 250 businesses going door-to-door in Tottenham and Wood Green, giving advice and gathering evidence about the impact.
With trade down, Tottenham’s independent traders in particular were facing a real squeeze on their finances.
Building Confidence
The second priority was building confidence, both among the public and external investors.
In order to help boost public confidence and get shoppers back to the High Road, the Council would be launching with Tottenham Traders Partnership, an I Love Tottenham campaign on Saturday 8 October 2011.
The campaign would see lamp post banners going up as well as bags, badges and posters, new hanging baskets and a newly deep cleaned High Road. It was envisaged to be a fun campaign, designed to get people talking about Tottenham.
The Council recognised that the Christmas trading period would be a crunch point and the GLA had been asked for funds for a Christmas festival and new Christmas lights had been ordered.
Shortly there would be the first of a series of investors breakfasts, designed to build confidence among big businesses, housing developers and others.
Councillor Strickland hoped that all members would play their part in selling the borough and Tottenham in particular.
Delivering a regenerated Tottenham
Councillor Strickland commented on the third priority, and that when he had met councillors from other authorities he had often mention there was a part of London which was 8 minutes from a major European rail terminus, 30 minutes from an international airport, was next to the biggest green space in London and was home to the capital’s longest Georgian High Street, and that he would ask people to agree that it was an area with the potential for significant economic growth and regeneration, and that area was Tottenham.
It was now the Council’s task to build on these excellent strengths to deliver an improved Tottenham. By working with TfL, the GLA and developers, the council had already put in place strong foundations for further regeneration. The new mixed housing development at Hale Village was already home to 1,000 university students, £35m was being spent to re-design the Tottenham Gyratory and redeveloping Tottenham Hale bus station, Tottenham Town Hall had been restored and £3m invested in restoring historic shop fronts on the High Road.
Councillor Strickland commented that the Council now need to look more widely, be bolder and more ambitious.
- further improvements to tube stations and the overground stations would help unlock growth
- continue in negotiations with Spurs to do all that could be done to help secure this £400m development
- opportunities to explore improvements to Haringey’s housing stock which we need to be furthered
Councillor Strickland advised that to drive forward regeneration, a dedicated team had been appointed, led by Anne Lippitt as Tottenham regeneration director, supported by three full-time staff to co-ordinate and lead the Council’s response. A Tottenham Taskforce was being set up, and planning briefs for damaged sites were being developed to ensure improved premises were built and planning applications would be fast-tracked.
Councillor Strickland concluded that it may and could be tempting to simply put things back to normal and to forget about what happened, but he stressed that was and would not be good enough, nor was not what the people of this borough deserved. Tottenham must become a destination for those looking to live, work and study, and a place where people haven’t forgotten about the riots, but have moved on.
A place where the images that dominate aren’t the scenes of early August, but the signs of new development.
A place where, after a minority caused so much damage, the community, police, council, voluntary organisations and businesses work together to make Tottenham:
- safer
- better connected
- economically stronger
- more socially cohesive
Councillor Strickland ended his comments by stating that the Council must make sure that, rather than being seen as a sign of decline, this difficult period was instead the beginning of London’s biggest and most exciting regeneration project.
Following a round of applause from Members of the Council the Mayor thanked all Members for their contribution to the debate.