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The refuse collection and street cleaning services of
Hackney have been privatised. A £10 million contract for an initial period of 12 months
from 1 September 2000 has been awarded to Serviceteam Ltd. They undertake similar work for
the boroughs of Camden and Lambeth. Both the Labour Party and Conservatives have welcomed
the move. Labour Councillor John Hudson said, 'we're fed up with Hackney being an island
of rubbish in a cleaner London.' The Council's workforce have been told that their jobs
will be transferred to Serviceteam but the unions reckon that there may around 40
redundancies.
The Clissold Leisure Centre opening looks like being postponed yet again.
Although it was provisionally booked for September, the contract for running it has not
yet been awarded. This was due to be announced on 1 July but the Director of Hackney
Leisure and Learning, Kevin Crompton, has left the Council. This has created a delay in
decision making. He was also the reigning Stoke Newington 'champion' who succeeded Sarah
Ebanja only three months ago. Our champions seem to spend only a little more time in the
ring than Mike Tyson's opponents.
Stoke Newington Tenants and Leaseholders complain about Council services
more than their counterparts in other areas of Hackney, according to a survey carried out
by the Director of Estate Management of the Clapton, Hackney & Dalston, Shoreditch,
Stamford Hill and Stoke Newington Neighbourhoods. On the 'balance of satisfaction'
criterion only 3 per cent of those responding were satisfied with the way phones were
answered (happiest was Shoreditch with 39 per cent), on speed of repairs 3 per cent
(Shoreditch 37 per cent), 52 per cent wanted to make a complaint in the last year and
overall satisfaction was 4 per cent (south Hackney 40 per cent).
A mystery hacker recently sent a very rude message purporting to come
from the organisers of the Stoke Newington Festival. It was e-mailed to the Festival's
friends and supporters and the language was so explicit that it was obvious that it could
not have been mailed by the nice festival people. This was confirmed soon after when they
told the recipients not to open any e-mails sent in their name. They feared someone was
attempting to spread a computer virus.
Congratulations to Steptoes manager Alan Honeyman who was the only
Charles Wells London publican to be presented with the Casque Mark award, a nationwide
mark of quality for serving a perfect pint of real ale every time. And a fine pint of
Bombardier it is, too.
The saga of the development of the former Defoe Road Council re-cycling depot
continues. Two applications for planning permission by Goldcrest plc 'affordable
luxury' have been turned down by the Council. The latest involved 45 flats, 10 live/work
units, a gymnasium and 33 car parking spaces.
Top rock band Dodgy, whose drummer Mathew Priest lives on Church Street,
made national headlines earlier this month when they landed on the BBC Castaway island of
Taransay in the Western Isles of Scotland in the middle of their 'Dingwall to Dingwalls'
tour. Mathew says that they only wanted to entertain the castaways, but the inhabitants
held a meeting and asked the band to leave, stating that rock music was one of the reasons
they became castaways in the first place. Nothing daunted, the lads left the island, full
of praise for the friendliness of the castaways.
Stoke Newington Town Hall is not to be sold off according
to Councillor John Hudson who issued a statement at the June meeting of the local
Neighbourhood Committee. He denied the accuracy of an article published in a well-known
satirical magazine (not this one) that Labour and Conservatives had stitched up a deal to
ease the Council's financial problems. Strangely, the minutes of the meeting did not
report on the commitment given by Councillors at the March public meeting that a working
party comprising business and community representatives would be set up to examine the
options.
However, a meeting of those concerned about the future of the Town Hall, including
Councillors, met in late July and drew up a list of organisations who should be
represented on the working party. It also considered a paper prepared by Robbie Richards
that raised some of the questions which should be asked. This will be submitted to the new
Director of Learning and Leisure.
Stoke Newington foodies are insatiable. Yet another food outlet has been
approved at 18 Church Street and will become a 'restaurant/hot food take-away shop.' It is
currently the 'Wash and Dry' launderette and is situated towards the junction with the
High Street. Over half the 17 neighbours consulted objected on grounds including rubbish,
loss of an essential service and smell. They were unsuccessful.
The Clissold Park Cafe has a new manager, George Welshman. He was
previously the manager of a cafe/bar in Clerkenwell. Mr Welshman is a Scotsman.
If you've been away for a while, drop into the Auld Shillelagh and be
prepared for a surprise. The old, comfortable, if cramped, pub has been completely
transformed and it is now one of the finest drinking spots in the area. The bar remains at
the front but the tables and drinking space now extend right through the building to a
south-facing beer garden at the back. The toilets, likewise, have been revamped to a high
standard, and overall the impression is of a sophisticated, modern bar designed to appeal
to a wide cross-section of customers.
Owner Aonghus Leyden commented: 'It has been three and a half years since the initial
planning application, and I am very pleased with the refurbishment. We will soon be
holding an official opening event featuring guest performers'.
Regulars and evening sun-seekers will be relieved to know that the outside table remains
in its usual place on Church Street. Some things cannot be tampered with. |
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