'Riot' at Haringey Council over Wood Green CPZ (From Haringey Independent)

'Riot' at Haringey Council over Wood Green CPZ

4:38pm Wednesday 24th March 2010 in Your Local Areas By Elizabeth Pears

'Leave quietly, or get thrown out': newly-arrived chief executive Kevin Crompton, offered to show protesters the door

TOTAL chaos erupted at a Haringey Council cabinet meeting amid a row over the extension of parking restrictions in Wood Green culminating in the newly-arrived chief executive threatening to have residents thrown out.

Furious with council leader Claire Kober's "tactless" approval of the plans, enraged residents brought the meeting to a standstill calling on an end to the extension of the Wood Green Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) at the Civic Centre last night.

Cabinet members and council officers were forced to leave the chamber to help defuse the situation, while chief executive Kevin Crompton, who replaced Dr Ita O'Donovan, told the baying crowd to leave the quietly — or face being forcibly removed.

When protesters argued they would not move until councillors agreed to revise their decision even if police were called, Mr Crompton said: "That can be arranged".

The cabinet meeting was disrupted up to an hour, while councillors Claire Kober, John Bevan, Nilgun Canver, Lorna Reith, Dhiren Basu and Kaushika Amin, walked out, leaving council officers to try and appease the seething group.

The row broke out when Cllr Kober (Labour/Seven Sisters), after listening to two passionate deputations against the extension of the Wood Green Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) to Woodside ward, briskly approved the plans to move on to the next item on the agenda — without asking for a show of hands from her cabinet peers.

It happened so quickly, the packed public gallery did not even realise the plans they are opposed to had been approved. Once the reality of what happened dawned on them, the meeting went into meltdown.

Vivien Rodgers, of Perth Road, said: "I am disgusted. Totally disgusted. They are not even pretending to listen to residents. They have just pushed through another tax on residents by playing the comunity off against one another, street by street, neighbour by neighbour."

The Woodside CPZ has divided residents. Some have asked for the CPZ to combat commuters parking on their roads, but others in the area, say they simply cannot afford to pay for a resident parking permit or visitor parking.

Ray Grant, campaigning to buy some disused playing fields from Haringey Council, attended the meeting hoping to get a decision over Bull Lane and Pasteur Gardens after a 26-year fight.

Mr Grant, of Aversham Road, said: "Haringey Council are a disgrace. It was Claire Kober's actions that led to a near-on riot. It was clear that she had made up her mind about the Wood Green CPZ. There was no democracy. The public gallery was full of taxpayers who do not support the CPZ, but they didn't care.

"It makes me feel that there is nothing to stop them from doing the exact same thing to us. After all the campaiging, all the meetings, all the talking we have done, we are still in limbo. It is very wearying.

"They promised us they would make a decision that night, and they didn't. I think anyone who attended the meeting last night, now know the council will only do what they want."

Speaking outside the meeting as protesters chanted "no more CPZ", Cllr Kober denied underestimating the strength of feeling from residents.

She said: "The people in there represent one view. They do not represent the views of the entire community."