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Three things about Alexandra Palace - and another thing

1) A news item suggesting that the Board of Trustees will be going "cap in hand" for £100,000 to Haringey to fund yet further schemes, this time to "secure an outside operator to run the Palace primarily as a music venue - while still allowing it to open up for sporting events and exhibitions."

One wonders where such an application sits in the hierarchy of requests for money when old folks' clubs, youth provision and sports facilities face closure

2) The Alexandra Park and Board carried out a survey recently and got their best response for a long time - 11 replies - all from members of the board. So, actually nobody cares. Or maybe they should have asked us..

3) Lydia Rivlin continues her campaign to set up a riding school in the park. Her letter appears in thei week's Hornsey Journal (is the letters page empty on your computer too?). Contact her at rideinharingey@btinternet.com

4) The proposal to elevate the broadcasting studios at AP has received formal backing from The Mayor of London

Tags: alexandra palace

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Hugh from Harringay Online on June 30, 2011 at 17:37

Adrian, following my post about the survey on Harringay Online at the beginning of the week, I contacted Mark Evison, the Park Manager, and offered to use our 4,000+ member base to try and elicit a few more replies. Mark sent me a link to the survey which I've now published along with a few lines of personal context. Some Opinion8 members may like to complete the survey.

Permalink Reply by Adrian Essex on June 30, 2011 at 19:08

Thanks Hugh - I have created a separate thread.

Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on July 1, 2011 at 10:34

THE ratepayers' cash sought would be spent in part, on the latest of a long, long line of consultants, stretching back to the consultants hired to explain the council's massive re-building over-spend following the 1980 fire (the PMI Report).

Sometimes consultants tell the council what they want to hear; and sometimes consultants give good advice, which the council ignores.

Our trust (I chose these words carefully) our Charitable Trust, needs professional, independent and expert legal advice.

At least every twelve months, some of the Board members – all politicians – rotate, which is a recipe for discontinuity.

Even the agenda for the meeting (which I attended) admitted there was a risk of the (latest) proposals "stalling". Any "outside operator" whom the council wishes to "secure" needs only to take one look at the recent history to see the nature of what they could have to deal with.

Since the three Walklate Reports, the mantra of "improving governance" has been much repeated. But so far, they're empty words. There can be little confidence in this or any other schemes originating from the council, while the sole trustee is the London Borough of Haringey.