The Council’s Corporate Committee have deferred their decision on the proposal to rename Black Boy Lane and announced that more engagement needs to take place with residents following a meeting that took place on March 17.
The renaming consultation is part of the council’s Review on Monuments, Building, Place and Street Names, aimed at ensuring that our public spaces across Haringey are reflective and respectful of our wonderfully rich and diverse borough. 64% of those who participated in the consultation exercise (mostly Haringey residents from across the borough) supported the proposed change, although 72% of respondents living on the street itself objected to the specific proposals.
The Corporate Committee, which has a legal obligation to take into account any objections, particularly including the residents and organisations who live on the street, agreed that, in the light of the anticipated easing of the COVID restrictions, the Council should undertake further engagement with the local residents, before it makes a final decision on the renaming of Black Boy Lane. Councillor Diakides, Chair of the Corporate Committee, said: I” extremely grateful for your response during this difficult time and I want to assure everybody that the council takes seriously all the views expressed.
“I know that many Haringey residents and councillors, are keen to see progress made as soon as possible and, also, to properly respond to any concerns expressed.
The renaming consultation has prompted a number of important discussions about race, equality, diversity and representation across the borough. These issues, and conversations, matter.
“This would be the first initiative of its kind and scale in the country, with other councils working on similar proposals and watching us to learn from our experience; it is therefore imperative that we get it right and maximise public support and consensus, in order to minimise the risks of misunderstandings, unnecessarily alienating people, or doing more harm than good.
“The Committee members are aware that, despite the heroic efforts of our staff and the fact that the council has gone well beyond the minimum consultation and support requirements of the legislation, it proved impossible to carry out direct face-to-face communication with the affected residents, due to the current lockdown restrictions. This is why we took the view that we should allow some more time for further engagement, using the opportunity created by the forthcoming easing of the COVID restrictions.”