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An absence of consultation?

Two consultation tales in one City – raising questions about the willingness to consult ?

One City – London. And two news stories within days of each other giving rise to interesting debates that matter right across the country.

One news story is distorted by the involvement of the local MP – none other than the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn. According to the Islington Gazette he has jumped into the row about trampolines at the Sobell Leisure Centre. Basically, this is a decision by Greenwich Leisure Services (GLL) to build a new facility by using space currently used by about 500 five-a–side footballers, who claim that GLL – or the Council – should have consulted them before taking such a decision. Mr Corbyn is quoted as saying “  …for many years … their voices have not been sufficiently heard ..” and this is taken to suggest he agrees that consultation should have been undertaken.

Next door, at Haringey, there’s an all-out battle over regeneration plans for several council estates. In some ways, this is a re-run of the Lambeth case concerning Cressingham Gardens which led to two High Court cases on the law of consultation. In the first, the Bokrosova case, unhappy tenants won their challenge when the Council withdrew the refurbishment options mid-consultation. Despite the Council winning its case the second time around – the subsequent consultation being declared lawful, London Boroughs are left pondering about how much and what kind of consultation may be needed over major housing regeneration schemes. Haringey’s campaigners now claim that the Council wants to transfer £2bn of public assets to the ‘Haringey Development Vehicle’ without adequate consultation.

 

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