Council forces closure of community stall outside Budgen's

[CrouchEnd Cupcake]

I saw this reported on Harringay Online and felt suitably outraged by its contents.  The copy is taken from an email sent out by the Stall4All co-ordinator. I know the Budgen's team are on the board, so it would be great if someone could comment and let forum members know how we could register our disapproval and help in anyway.

http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/council-force-closure-o...

"Stall4All outside Thornton's Budgens in Crouch End has been shut down by a Haringey council officer last Thursday the 7th of June on the grounds that our stalls needed to be licensed. When enquiring how I could go on about getting a license I was told we couldn't apply for one as the space (Budgens' own private space) in question is not considered a designated trading area.

This is extremely upsetting and frustrating for the stall holders we have been supporting for a whole year at a time of economic uncertainty. Stall4All is a not for profit organisation which has been supporting local residents in going back to work by providing them with a space to showcase and sell their work. In addition, we have been supporting local charities and community events such as the Crouch End Festival where children built their versions of the supermarket and the stalls outside, displayed at the library. Funnily enough, we have recently had an enquire from a council department to hire one of the stalls to help promote their services. How ironic, to say the least! Well, we will have to decline their application.

A big slice of our stalls' income goes to Pennies for Plastic which has been helping several charities in the area. By stopping us trading, the council is stopping money going to these causes which is just very unfortunate (and wrong).

We have been using the stalls for a year and I don't understand why they have caused a problem now and with no chance to sort it at all, even though we immediately ceased trading when told to and were willing to pay for a license to trade in our own pavement. I feel that my hands are tied and that I am letting down a lot of locals. Is there any way out of this situation?

I have copied a few media contacts into this email. I can only hope someone will see how unfair the situation is and make it public.

Thank you for reading."

[Adrian Essex]

Well spotted Cupcake.

The council has a long history of arse about face decisions.For instance the decision to close the athletics track at Finsbury Park in London's Olympic Year. There have been many attempts at markets in the Town Hall Square all of which have come to nothing.

While it is tempting to blame council over zealousness for this closure there may be another motive. There is always some conflict between shopkeepers and market stall holders, and many of the objections to having market stalls does come from local traders.

Perhaps the council official was put up to it by a trade who felt his trade was being under cut.

[Jacqueline Osley]

I doubt very much that local traders could object to the Budgen's Stall4All people as the goods they offer are often not available elsewhere in Crouch End. Handmade jewellery, for example or Ndulge's handmade cosmetics. Several artists have sold their prints there and  the Pereine Press has been there with its exquisite books. The goods on offer at the stall enhance Crouch End's shopping offer so why would shop traders object

The closure is far more likely to be the result of Haringey's strange street trading laws - are we the only borough in London which does not have a street market? Think about it - apart from a couple of stalls in Tottenham, where are the street stalls that make London the vibrant place it is? It seems the spirit of Reg Hart lives on!

[OpinioN8 Administrator]

Reg Hart (Editor's note, for those as unaware as I)

[Adrian Essex]

If you want to do something about this maybe emailing your local councillor would be a good start.

[e-mail]  , [e-mail]  or [e-mail]

[Adrian Essex]

Councillor Winskill has already written to Councillors Canver and Kober at Haringey, to the following effect:

 

Dear Nilgun and Claire

 

 

Please see below some correspondence from Budgens in Crouch end.

 

A notice has been served asking Budgens to stop their Stall4All from operating.

 

This stall has been operating successfully for many months and has been giving the opportunity to dozens of small scale entrepreneurs and charities to set out their wares and sell to shoppers in Crouch End. It is an ideal test bed to allow people to try out marketing and sales at low cost and little risk. The stalls are invariably well managed, tidy and leave no litter or mess. They are cited on Budgens' land and do not create any obstruction to pedestrians. They are popular with the public and, in their own right, are acting as a magnet to bring people to the Crouch End Town Centre

 

Haringey is positioning itself as a small business friendly borough: this action is baffling. The Budgens initiative is exactly the sort of thing that we should be going out of our way to encourage and not stifling with red tape.

 

I am sure that this has been an over zealous application of the rules and would be grateful if you could arrange for officers to immediately suspend the notice and take no further action. If the A-boards are causing an obstruction, I am sure that Mr Thornton would be delighted to meet with Kem and myself to see if a more appropriate position can be found.

 

Regards

 

 

 

David