feature: Better Haringey - it’s official!
17 March 2008
Haringey Council is spending record levels on improving the borough’s environment - and residents are starting to notice the difference.
Improving the environment is Haringey Council’s number one priority.
That was first signalled when we launched our Better Haringey investment campaign in 2003 to make the borough cleaner, greener and safer.
We have since committed ourselves to reducing carbon emissions by signing the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change, and we recently published a Greenest Borough strategy, setting out how we can take the lead in London on environmental issues.
All of this is being supported by record levels of investment in the environment, along with a range of new initiatives. And new figures show that residents are starting to notice the results. The residents’ survey shows that compared to the previous year:
10 per cent more people think we are doing a good job in repairing roads and pavements, from 33 to 43 per cent.
Now the council has announced we will be spending an extra £200,000 from April on repairing potholes, in line with the findings of a major On the Road to Improvement survey last summer. That’s almost twice our current spending in this area.
Nine per cent more think our street cleaning is good, from 47 to 56 per cent.
This follows the introduction of a twice a week clean up of every street in five wards, with both a litter pick service and street sweeping. The council now hopes to roll this out across the borough.
Eight per cent more think our parks and open spaces are good, from 57 to 65 per cent.
Last year Finsbury Park became the eighth park in the borough to win a prestigious Green Flag award. That’s the joint highest number in London.
And the council is now starting work on a multi-million pound makeover of Markfield Park in Seven Sisters.
Six per cent more think our recycling facilities are good, from 59 to 65 per cent.
The borough’s recycling rate has hit 25 per cent for the first time ever, meaning a quarter of household waste is now recycled rather than incinerated or sent to landfill. Even more homes will receive green recycling boxes, food waste boxes and communal recycling facilities over the coming months.
Cabinet member for environment and conservation Cllr Brian Haley said:
“It is very pleasing that people are starting to notice the extra money we are spending on the environment and the extra services we are providing.
“But we are still very much at the start of a long-term process to make Haringey one of the greenest boroughs in London. We believe that through continued investment, along with the commitment of residents and businesses, we really can make that aspiration a reality.”
What is Better Haringey?
Better Haringey is our top priority programme. We’ve invested £20m to make real, visible improvements to our environment, working with you for a cleaner, greener and safer borough.
- More about Better Haringey.
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