Traders welcome Council leader Peray Ahmet
Cllr Peray Ahmet, a lifelong Haringey resident, was appointed as the new Leader of Haringey Council in May 2021. Having been brought up in Wood Green, Cllr Ahmet attended Woodside High School and understands the value of the diverse community across Haringey. She has been a councillor since 2014 and held several senior posts at Haringey Council, including Cabinet Member for the Environment, and Adult Care.
As leader she made an official visit to Harringay High Street and met the traders. Green Lanes traders talked about Harringay and Green Lanes with the leader who was joined by cabinet members Zena Brabazon and Ruth Gordon. Cllr Peray Ahmet, answered some questions after her visit.
You took over the post of Leader in a difficult time. What are your priorities?
My priorities are tackling serious youth violence, making sure that we make the borough the best place to grow up in for children – I have an 18-month-old daughter Saffy and know the challenges that young families experience so I want to ensure that everyone has the best possible start in life. Tackling climate change is also a big priority for my cabinet. I also want to give back more power to residents so that we work together and the council does things with residents, not to them, that’s why I have been so happy to work alongside Green Lanes Traders to help make Green Lanes a destination for visitors to Haringey. There is no place in the world outside of Turkey and Cyprus where you can get such great food and I want everyone to know that.
What were the key issues in Haringey that you identified during your seven-year council term?
I want to make Haringey a borough where all our different communities feel that they belong and where they feel that the council does things to make their life better. That’s not always been the case. We need better housing which is why we have committed to building 3,000 more council homes over the next 10 years – and why we’ve committed to better quality and design standards for all our council homes. We need people to feel safe which is why we want to make sure the streets have enough police, that the police are anchored in and accountable to their communities, and that young people believe they have a future here. And I want to support businesses like the ones here on Green Lanes. I have lived in Haringey all my life and went to school here (Earlham Primary and Woodside) and I am bringing my family up here, so the borough means everything to me.
(Left - Right) Shef Mehmet, Cllr Peray Ahmet, Rob Tao
What has been the impact of the Covid pandemic on Haringey so far?
How did the pandemic affect local council services? Covid has had a serious effect on Haringey. We are really worried about local businesses in the run up to Christmas when this should be their busiest week. Lots of people had to go on furlough during the pandemic last year and we still have high unemployment rates, particularly among our young people and single mothers. They are also affected badly by the cuts to Universal Credit. We are doing all we can as a council to support them. Haringey Here to Help is helping people to access local services and Haringey Works has expanded its job training and support programme.
Can you provide some figures about deaths, cases, and vaccination rates around the borough?
The uptake is higher in Haringey than other boroughs and we have a very active vaccination programme. Last weekend at Lordship Lane Primary Care Centre doctors held a “Jabathon” where people could go in for their jab throughout the night. The Spurs stadium has also been used as a vaccination centre. And we have buses going out to where people actually live. Some 29% of those eligible have been jabbed for a third time; 181,334 people had been given a first dose by the end of 18 December 2021 and 163,987 people had been given a second dose by the end of 18 December 2021. There have been 565 deaths recorded as a result of Covid since the beginning of the pandemic. More detailed figures are available here https://www.haringey.gov.uk/ social-care-and-health/health/covid19-local-outbreak-managementplan/covid-19-cases-haringey.
How has Covid impacted work and businesses in Haringey?
Of course, Covid has had a huge effect on businesses and employment in Haringey. We are particularly worried about businesses in this wave of the pandemic being so badly hit over Christmas which should be a bumper week. Many businesses around Green Lanes were also affected and received both support from us and from the Government. We recently awarded a grant of £20,000 to Wood Green BID, in recognition of the continued impact on their levy income because of Covid, additionally impacted by a reduction in business rates for some businesses in the BID area because of rating revaluations.
What are your thoughts about Harringay High Street, do you visit the area often?
Yes – I come here all the time. It is a wonderful area and we want everyone in London to know about it and to come here to sample the delicious food. I would like to see another food festival in the street here in the next couple of years. It’ll be an enormous undertaking but well worth it. After the pandemic I think it’s exactly what’s needed.
Harringay Green Lanes has changed dramatically in recent years. What changes have you noticed and which are the most significant for you as a long time Haringey resident?
Crime is down and local businesses are thriving – that’s the big change in recent years. It didn’t happen by accident. There was a major collaborative effort through the Ladder Community Safety Partnership, with joint work between residents, traders, councillors, the Police, the Gardens Residents’ Association and others to co-design where lighting and greening and other changes were needed. It was a 10-year programme – and one that didn’t just co-design plans, but worked together to implement them. That’s not the end of it though. We want to see Green Lanes recognised as one of the great food destinations in London, just like Brick Lane or Chinatown. We want to see more opportunities for young people in the area, more apprenticeships with the businesses that are taking off, more community ventures alongside commerce. We need to make sure Green Lanes remains an inclusive community, where everyone has a chance.
Harringay Green Lanes traders and residents have some security concerns; What can you say about this?
We want Green Lanes to be a safe and thriving place for people to come shopping. We are working closely with the police to tackle anti-social behaviour on the streets and new CCTV is being installed by Green Lanes station (in addition to the cameras we already have on the high street). We are also working with the Somali and Turkish communities so that we can intervene early before young people get pulled into crime and putting money into youth services. I am absolutely determined to make Green Lanes as safe a place as possible. We are trying to help also to make the public realm better including cleaning gullies and mending pavements!
(left) Azad Ayub, Cllr Zena Brabazon, Cllr Peray Ahmet, Cllr Ruth Gordon, Sally Grimson.
(right) Shef Mehmet, Sabri Barackilic, Veli Aksu, Veysel Yavuz
Are there any transport schemes such as LTN (Low Traffic Neighbourhood) which will affect walking, parking and cycling in the Harringay Green Lanes neighbourhood?
We will make sure that we have extensive consultation with traders before any LTNs are introduced. We hope this will mean more people will come to Green Lanes on foot and cycle here, shop and spend time in the amazing restaurants.