[news link] ‘Stolen goods’ cafe shut down nlnews@archant.co.uk 19 November 2009 A CAF: that had been taken over by dealers in stolen mobile phones has been shut down. La Roma in Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park, had become the hub of a stolen goods trade among north African men. And when police raided it on November 3, they found a stolen camera and three stolen mobile phones. It will now be sealed up for three months after Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court imposed a closure order. Sergeant Rob O’Connor, who leads the area’s Highbury West Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said: “There are a lot of young Algerian men in the area and a lot of them get pulled into handling stolen goods – some of them can’t get any work, others are asylum seekers and are not...

[news link] Islington Tribune – by PETER GRUNER Published: 4 September 2009 Hugh Grant Finsbury to feature in moody love story A NEW £1.5million feature film could do for Finsbury Park what the movie Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, did for Notting Hill. Broken Lines, due to be premiered in the UK next year, is described as a tense love story set in the moody cosmopolitan setting of Finsbury Park. It is co-written by actors Dan Fredenburgh and Doraly Rosa, who both star in the film alongside veteran actress Rita Tushingham and Paul Bettany. Dan Fredenburgh, 39, a former Highbury Grove pupil from Milner Square, said he was fulfilling a long held dream to make a film around Finsbury Park. “The area has a great atmosphere,” said Dan. “You...

[news link] WOOLWICH: Teenager claims he killed David Cooper in self-defence 10:28am Wednesday 8th July 2009 By Court reporter » A FAILED asylum seeker killed a man who was trying to rape him, a court heard. David Cooper was found dead in his flat in Sir Martin Bowes House, Calderwood Street, Woolwich, in November last year. Mossab Belhocine, 19, from Walthamstow, is alleged to have kicked 28-year-old Mr Cooper so hard he left an imprint of his trainer on his face. At the Old Bailey this week, the Algerian national denied murdering the sales assistant and said he was defending himself against a sexual attack by Mr Cooper. But the prosecution deny there was any attempted rape and say Belhocine murdered Mr Cooper in order to rob him. Belhocine,...

[news link] slington Tribune - by PETER GURNER Published: 26 June 2009 Paul Morris: ‘Bitterly disappointed’ Row erupts over who takes clean-up credit Community group dismisses politicians’ claims AN embarrassing row has blown up in Finsbury Park over who is responsible for major environmental and anti-crime improvements to rundown Blackstock Road. FinFuture – an independent, community-led body representing residents and businesses – has written a stinging letter to Hackney Labour Party accusing it of “giving a false impression” that its three ward councillors were responsible for the work. The letter, from FinFuture chairman Paul Morris, owner of the Business Design Centre in Angel, called on Labour councillor Brian Bell to set the record straight. Hackney...

Wednesday, April 01, 2009 April update - MORE AWARDS! Most improved council Last Wednesday Hackney was recognised as the most improved council at the Local Government Chronicle awards. The work of our local strategic partnership Team Hackney was also highly commended. Beacon Awards A fortnight previously, we had been awarded beacon status in two categories. This is the first time Hackney has been acknowledged in this way. The two areas in which we were recognised as beacons of good practice were –  Strategic commissioning of services from partners and the commercial and voluntary sectors  promoting more active communities in the lead up to the 2012 Games Transport Hackney has also been crowned the best borough in London for transport. The council won the top prize at the London...

[news link] New police group to hunt most wanted nlnews@archant.co.uk 23 April 2009 A NEW unit has been set up to hunt down Islington’s most wanted offenders - and detectives have released pictures of the latest people in their sights. The new police Wanted Offenders Unit was set up this year to investigate cases where suspects had disappeared, or where previous lines of inquiry have proven unsuccessful. Already the new team has made more than 100 arrests, and around 80 people have been put before the courts. Officers have recovered many items of stolen property as well as bringing to justice offenders who have been wanted for a number of years. One offender - an Islington man in his 30s had been wanted for six years after he failed to appear at court for sentencing, having...

Thursday, March 05, 2009 Our report to March Councillors Report for March 09 Budget and council tax 2009/10 The council meeting to set the budget took place last night. As intended, we were able to freeze the Hackney element of the council tax again, for the fourth year in a row. Hackney is the only major council in the country to be able to do this. Residents are on average £256 better off. In addition the GLA/Mayor of London are intending to freeze their element this year. Despite this, through better use of resources we plan to * Increase schools spending 3.9% per pupil * Reopen Stoke Newington Assembly Hall and offices * Invest a further £0.576m in recycling * Open 1 new and 1 completely refurbished library * Put an additional £0.5m into cleansing * Further expand statutory youth...

Thursday, February 05, 2009 Your councillors’ report Councillors Report for January 09 Council performance and budget 2009/10 We intend to freeze the Hackney element of the council tax again, for the fourth year in a row. As far as we know, we are the only council in the country to be able to do this. Residents are on average £256 better off. Despite this, through better use of resources we plan to * Invest a further £0.5m in recycling * Put an additional £0.5m into cleansing * Recruit more environmental health officers, including ones specialising in noise pollution and food standards * Offer free swimming to children and seniors all year round The council commissions annual research from MORI into levels of satisfaction with public services in the borough. In 2000, overall...

[news link] Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER Published: 6 February 2009 Katherine Wratten Sit down, have a cuppa… and get to know your neighbour Pubs, cafés and churches offer warm welcome as community draws closer THE solid citizens of Highbury will “celebrate their neighbours” tomorrow (Saturday) in the first of a planned series of events to help people cope with the recession. Dozens of events are taking place, involving individuals, voluntary organisations, churches and North London Central (formerly Finsbury Park) Mosque. To help create community spirit, pubs, cafés and shops will be offering food and drink, often free or at reduced prices, for the day. At the same time residents are being asked to look out for the lonely, the elderly or disabled...

[from Islington Gazette] Traders’ power cut showdown nlnews@archant.co.uk 14 January 2009 Mark Adolphus, from EDF, MP Jeremy Corbyn and Despina Johnson, of FinFuture OUTRAGED traders plagued by 18 months of massive power cuts met with electricity bosses to demand compensation on Monday - only to suffer another blackout the very next day. More than 50 businesses and residents in Finsbury Park vented their anger at a public meeting chaired by Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North, on Monday after suffering repeated power cuts lasting for up to 10 hours at a time. Bosses from electricity supplier EDF Energy said they had spent £60,000 trying to fix six “highly unusual” faults in the area since September 2007 - and admitted their service had fallen...

[from Islington Tribune] Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER Published: 09 January 2009 Student Katherine Wratten When times are hard, turn to your neighbour for help, urges student A GOOD neighbour network, described as the antidote to New Year “recessional gloom”, is being launched in Highbury by a 25-year-old university student. The bold idea aims to bring together people who may be facing the hardships of old age, unemployment and financial insecurity. Katherine Wratten, a former public relations worker now back at university studying psychology, is behind the scheme. “I suppose it’s a bit dreamy, but I think it would be nice if everyone got to know their neighbours,” she said. “This is a time when we should all help each other.” Katherine, who lives in...

[from Hackney Gazette] FACE TO FACE hg.editorial@archant.co.uk 09 January 2009 Residents and traders frustrated with a spate of power cuts in Finsbury Park can meet energy bosses face-to-face on Monday (January 12). Householders and businesses have complained that power cuts of up to four hours have disturbed the run-up to Christmas. The charity, FinFuture, is hosting the meeting at Finspace at 225 Seven Sisters Road from 7pm to 9pm. Mark Adolphus, the head of customer operations for EDF Energy, will be attending, alongside Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn.       ...

[from Islington Gazette] Parking rules killing business, say traders nlnews@archant.co.uk 10 December 2008 MORE than 1,000 people have joined a campaign against parking rules which traders say are killing their businesses. Residents and shops in Highbury and Finsbury Park are calling for parking restrictions in and around Blackstock Road to be relaxed as traders in the area continue to struggle as the recession looms. Stephanie Wilson, 52, who runs the Sandwich Box, in Gillespie Road, said: “I have a sandwich shop in Highbury. When the parking restrictions came into force the whole area fell apart. “If they were less stringent it would make more space free and bring people back to the area.” In the last month more than 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for...

[from Islington Tribune] Islington Tribune - by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS Published: 28 November 2008 Man police want to interview Victim ‘scarred for life’ A YEAR after a street attack left a “nice family man” scarred for life, police have reissued an appeal for witnesses. The married victim – who was 38 at the time of the attack and does not wish to be named – was on his way home after watching Arsenal play Wigan at the Emirates Stadium on November 24 last year when the incident took place. He needed 50 stitches inside his cheek and another 50 outside after the knife assault in Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park. A suspect was caught on CCTV the same day. Detective Constable Abbie Warde, from Islington CID, said the young father was “scarred for life, physically and...

[from Islington Gazette] Rise in parking costs slammed nlnews@archant.co.uk 26 November 2008 ANGRY drivers say Liberal Democrat-run Islington Council is squeezing more cash out of them with new wardens and higher charges. It has recruited another 30 parking wardens and increased the cost of pay and display machines. In Finsbury Park the cost for a two-hour stay has risen by 150 per cent - from £2.40 to £6, causing local community group FinFuture to write to the council in complaint. FinFuture chief executive Despina Johnson said: “We were extremely alarmed to learn that the cost of using parking meters has risen. It is an outrageous increase in charges of over 100 per cent. People’s livelihoods and local jobs depend on Islington’s decision on this.” The changes...

[from Islington Gazette] Traders in petition bid over parking zone hours nlnews@archant.co.uk 19 November 2008 David Meyers, of Highbury Butchers A CAMPAIGN to save businesses around Blackstock Road is building momentum as many fear parking restrictions are forcing customers away. Shop and café owners have gathered a petition with more than 900 signatures demanding a change in parking controls, which have left many firms on the brink of closure. Stevie Wilson, 52, of The Sandwich Box café, in Gillespie Road, Finsbury Park, started the petition three weeks ago, and handed it in to Islington Council on Friday. Ms Wilson says business has plummeted since the restrictions were put in place. She said: “This area is dead and it is down to parking. I have been here 17 years....

[from Islington Gazette] Locals strike back at ‘warts and all’ guide nlnews@archant.co.uk 12 November 2008 A NEW “warts and all” guidebook threatens to “let the cat out of the bag” about London - and Islington comes in for some serious abuse. The Not For Tourists Guide to London calls Archway “grimy”, Holloway “grotty” and one of the area’s best-known pubs “pretentious”. But local residents have come out fighting - and say the authors have not got a clue what they are talking about. The guide says of Holloway: “The borough of Islington is supposed to be either a byword for liberal middle-class cosiness or else grim inner city deprivation, depending on who you talk to. This bit has neither. Instead...