Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Skip Permit/Bay Suspension - Haringey Council's "new rules"
I phoned the Parking department on Tuesday, as I couldn't find the relevant Skip Permit/Bay Suspension application forms on the Haringey Council website, and I spoke to a guy who advised me that actually a Skip Permit would suffice. He kindly pointed me in the right direction and I was on my way.
I emailed our builder to relaythis information, only to be sent an email back from him last night which included an email from the Council's "Street Compliance Officer" (name witheld on here), which stated that a Bay Suspension was required IN ADDITION to a Skip Permit.
I called again this morning, looking to clarify, and was once again told that a Skip Permit would suffice. When I read out the email from the call-handler's colleague, I was put on hold for a few moments, and when she returned, she told me that she was wrong, there is a new directive effective NEXT WEDNESDAY, which means that a Bay Suspension IS requireD IN ADDITION to a Skip License.
I asked if I could speak to the "Street Compliance Officer" and was put through to a rather confrontational lady, and asked if they could give a reason why the new directive was being introduced mid-month (this does seem a bit strange), why there was no mention of it on the website, and why none of the call-handlers I'd spoken to were aware if it.
The website, will apparently be changed by next week, but on the other points I was told if I wanted to make a complaint, I could....
Now, I don't particularly want to make a complaint, they're just doing their jobs, but I'm very confused as to why the Council have done this with, seemingly, no publicity. I'm also confused as to why one would need BOTH a Skip Permit AND a Bay Suspension - surley these serve the same purpose?
I would like an explanation from a Councillor on that last point, and would also like to know when the directive was passed (incidentally, a Skip Permit is £82.70 for 30days, but a Bay Suspension is £17.30 PER DAY, plus a one-off charge of £80, so I know exactly WHY they passed the directive)....
Any thoughts...?
Tags for Forum Posts: Bay Suspension, Skip Permit
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I think you're being overly cynical thinking that they passed the directive to gather revenue. I personally know the head of this unit of the council and... oh wait. Sorry, as you were.
The residents of Tottenham were very compliant with the introduction of CPZs in Haringey compared with residents in the west of the borough and I suspect that the additional requirement is to stop people avoiding parking permits (much to the embarrassment of the council) by doing this:
I suspect that skips are just "unintended consequences".
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Sounds like a money-making racket as you suspect, Ed Gorman.
Now, there are sound practical reasons for regulating skips. This photo from DS on 9 July is an excellent example why.
Raising income from charges is reasonable as a way of paying for the licensing and monitoring function. In other words, I suggest it should be a service which pays for itself. Beyond that, in my view at least, it becomes a tax.
Do please ask Cllr Peray Ahmet the "Cabinet member" for the environment. Peray.Ahmet@haringey.gov.uk
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Permalink Reply by tigha on
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I don't know about this, but my builder sorted it all out for me, but we did have to wait about 2weeks for the hem to pick it up. And yes it was about £750
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For me there are several key questions. First and most important, is it being run as a service or a stealth tax?
Second is it a service where legally local councils are permitted to cover the costs of running it? [fair enough], but not to turn it into a money-making business. Obviously they are in the perfect position to do so, since they own the public highway and have a monopoly.
As I recall, as a former councillor, budget decisions were constrained by some charges being capped at the actual cost of a particular service. (I assumed that was because of the monopoly problem.) However this may have changed with the so-called "bonfire of red tape" by the Government. Which included some ripping-up of citizen protections.
Just as important is the issue of what skip licenses are actually for. Please have a look at this page on HoL from 2009. The link given then doesn't work. This one does. The topic came up again here.
The parking bay suspension issue is quite interesting. It's unclear on the Council's webpage. If it is actually legal, it certainly seems unfair. It would appear to mean that residents inside a Controlled Parking Zone must pay twice - as you suggest, Ed Gorman. And that residents in this position face a monopoly provider who can milk them for cash.
One comment I found particularly helpful from the previous threads was by Ian. He referred to the need for: "flexibility to allow people to conduct their lives without too much arduous stress if you need to organise parking space for a skip or special delivery at short notice."
And that:
"... short notice parking is sometimes needed and individuals with a good reason should have equal rights to special parking needs as well as big business ..." and that rules ought to be: "in-line with normal life".
For me that's the guiding principle. That local councils are there to meet and balance the needs of us all as residents and citizens in our normal lives.
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Permalink Reply by Ed Gorman on
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bumping this, as i've just been asked about this in an email, and i notice that the cost of a bay suspension has gone up to £25.85 per day since i posted this (a whopping increase of 49% !!!!), with the one-off fee rising to £103.30 (UP 29%!!!!) in just over two years. that is a phenomenal rate of increase.
a skip license has risen to £87.45, a far more reasonable increase of around 6%
i'll ask again: is there a councilor on here who can give a justification for the extortionate rates of increase?
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