Council sending representatives door-to-door to press residents to vote and guiding them to vote in favour of council scheme, say campaigners – while leaked ‘traffic light’ table was used by council officers to identify residents opposed to scheme or malleable
Residents are calling on Haringey Council to call off a planned ‘vote collection’ visit by ballot administrator CES to the Love Lane estate in Tottenham this afternoon between 2pm and 6pm, where a demolition and gentrification ballot is in progress until next Monday.
The concept of collecting votes from residents – under a yes campaign – is problematic enough for democracy, when residents would normally vote at their discretion and how they wish. But local housing campaigners say that residents have already received visits from council officers pressing them to vote yes – and even helping them to fill in ‘yes’ votes that were then taken away.
And they say that a leaked ‘traffic light’ document shows council offers used a ‘RAG’ (red, amber, green) spreadsheet to help them identify where to focus their efforts.
A letter from Paul Burnham, with the Haringey Defend Council Housing group, to council leader Cllr Peray Ahmet reads:
Dear Cllr Ahmet
I am writing to you as Leader of the Council about the practice of vote collection in the Love Lane demolition ballot, and the planned visit of the ballot administrator to the estate this afternoon for the purpose of vote collection.
When the ballot began, residents were given clear instructions on how to vote. Each voter would have a ballot paper, and voting was to be by post, by telephone using security codes, or on line using security codes.
However once the ballot started, we heard that Haringey Council officers were door stepping voters insisting that they vote. On Sunday 22 August I was informed by two tenants separately, just a few minutes apart when calling at their homes, that officers had called on them three at a time on Saturday evening asking for ballot papers. They asked people to fill their ballot paper in (with yes, obviously) and let the officers take it away with them. One voter explained how he had gone along with this, and the other one how he had refused to co-operate.
Then on Tuesday 31 August, two vote No supporters spoke to a tenant who said that several council officers had come to her door and they had helped her to vote yes, at their initiative not hers, and this was by phone. They were there when she said the words to vote yes. She said she didn’t fully understand what she was voting on, she didn’t understand it properly.
In these cases, the free will of the voter is being deliberately compromised by the council, as is the secrecy of the ballot. It is intimidating to use several officers together. To ask people to vote in front of landlord representatives, and at their initiative, is a breach of normal balloting procedures based on democracy and the unrestrained free will of the voter.
We only have secret ballots in Britain to prevent landlord and employer intimidation and corruption of voting rights, which we are seeing here.
The use of confidential information by Haringey officers during the ballot is also a breach of normal democratic procedures.
It has come to our notice that Haringey Council officers carried out a pre-ballot survey of estate residents’ views on demolition, which was recorded on a spreadsheet and colour coded using a RAG analysis (red, amber, green) to show residents’ individual views identified by name, address and contact details, red meaning those who do not agree with the Council and Lendlease plans. This was part of an engagement exercise carried out by a joint team of Council and Lendlease officers, using the engagement consultants Soundings as one of their sub-contractors. It is inappropriate for any such landlord monitoring or data collection to take place at all. We have housing management in order to provide services, not to monitor the opinions of tenants.
The Council’s officers also have access to updated information about who has voted. The RAG analysis can then be used to target vote Yes campaigning activities towards those who are shown in the RAG analysis to be less well informed, or less securely attached to any disagreement they may have with the council or its plans.
Another concern is about undue pressure on vulnerable people who can be targeted by Council officers, as was the case when secure tenants were moved off the estate.
There is a gross disproportion between the resources available to the Council and to the community. It is normal democratic procedure is to have a limit on campaign spending, but in this case the spending to seek yes votes is virtually unlimited, and paid for from our rents via the Housing Revenue Account.
Then, following criticism of the council over all these issues, we have the ballot administrator Civica Election Services (CES) being brought onto the estate today, as advertised on posters containing partial and misleading vote Yes propaganda: because a yes vote for the Lendlease deal is NOT the only way to build new council homes. The posters say that CES will be coming because they are ‘qualified to collect your vote’, all in breach of the voting instructions issued to residents which state that it is the voter who may decide to vote, and not anyone else.
The recommendation is that the CES estate visit today should be cancelled, and the practice of vote collection ended. Let residents vote as they see fit, and only if and when they themselves decide to do so. I look forward to your response. I am copying this email to all Councillors.
Emphases added by Skwawkbox
Campaigner Paul Burnham told Skwawkbox:
In these cases, the free will of the voter and the secrecy of the ballot is being deliberately compromised by the council. It is intimidating to use several officers together. To ask people to vote in front of landlord representatives, and at their initiative, is a breach of normal balloting procedures based on democracy and the unrestrained free will of the voter.
We only have secret ballots in Britain to prevent landlord and employer intimidation and corruption of voting rights, which is what we are seeing here. The voting instructions issued to residents state that it is the voter who may decide to vote, and not anyone else.
Why is this happening ? Because so many residents are standing firm and refusing to vote for the demolition of their homes. People know that Haringey Council’s promises might not be kept, because they their promises are not being kept now. And people think that the developer Lendlease, which would own the land after demolition and redevelopment, has its own agenda of profit, of new homes packed too closely together, and sky high service charges. So the NO vote is holding up under the Council’s pressure.
The truth is that this ballot is too close to call. This is a community standing up to the Council, the developers, and the Mayor of London, for a better deal. We will be at Love Lane between 2 and 6pm for a spot of election monitoring, with a bit of door-knocking and supporting residents who may be minded to vote NO to the demolition and gentrification plan. Campaigning will continue until the ballot closes on Monday. A digest of our canvass returns is attached. There are 304 people registered to vote in total.
Love Lane Independent Tenant and Leasholder Adviser Damian Tissier also has grave concerns about the ballot process. He said:
This is one of the more important decisions that residents will have to make in their lives. But residents were given only two weeks to consider the council’s Landlord Offer on incomplete and often confusing information before the ballot process started.
A previous Lendlease-council joint housing scheme – the controversial ‘HDV’ – dogged the tenure of right-wing former council leader Clare Kober. Kober was replaced following her resignation by left-winger Joe Ejiofor and now works as director of housing for a private housing management group. However, Ejiofor was recently toppled by the Labour right and the new regime appears determined to push another Lendlease scheme through and create yet another ‘gentrified’ London area at the expense of local council tenants.
Haringey Council was contacted for comment but said it would not be able to provide a response before publication. If one is received, it will be added here when available.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to without hardship, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
A right-wing Labour council using railroading techniques on behalf of a developer – Starmerism on view.
Mandelson gets his views. Evans & Starmer carries them out. Evans denied ALL support to Young Labour who crushed the parasites. Evans banned Young Labour hosting Jeremy at YL’s event🔺
Mandelson’s ticks & fleas know; IF Jeremy attends with or without their OK, they lose. Pure & Simple: Jeremy 333 – Mandelson’s Tory parasites NIL (own goals)🔺
I stated last week or two; Jeremy’s presence within “Wembley Stadium length” … PLUS some, will produce chants to drown ALL others. Priti Patel type parasites like SIR Starmer, know Jeremy’s nature. Without irony, they r trying to appease the EASILY appeasable Jeremy, to guarantee his FULL cooperation and withdraw his:
1️⃣ – The scale of antisemitism in Labour was dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party.✅✅✅
AND 2️⃣ – Not schedule any talk or appearance within at least one hour of any appearance of eg SIR Keith, Mandelson, Straw, Hodge, Streeting Smith, the Eagles or Invasion & bloodshed perpetrator in Afghanistan, Iraq & elsewhere – War Criminal Blair W.M.D. Because people will of course be queuing for hours to attend any Jeremy appearance. The parasites know their guaranteed HUMILIATIONS and every shade of embarrassments.
We NEED to rid this country of the parasites. We need them GONE🔺
My advice: Jeremy🔻YOU have the power🔻🔻🔻 Failing to use anything, does not mean you had no choice. Tell “them” where to stick their ‘concessions’ and “permission” to attend Conference.
As WE are ALL suffering, u will get much WORSE than nothing when CHOOSE to squander your CRUCIAL BASIC choices “FOR THE MANY”.
Turn up at Conference EVERYWHERE🔺🔺🔺
Everywhere a MAIN parasite is spotted or expected to crawl out; TURN UP 🔺🔺🔺
Stop fretting about what our opposites might think or do‼️‼️‼️
p.s. Main parasites = Mandelson, Evans, War Criminal & inveterate liar Blair and it’s wiggling SIR Keith Starmer stool worm.
🔺🌹🚩🔺🌹🚩🔺🌹🚩
So could you elaborate signpost as to the purpose of Jeremy ‘turning up’? Are you saying that he should just ‘turn up’ and THAT’S it? Or did you have something else in mind, and if so, what exactly?
So are you suggesting that if someone spots one of these ‘MAIN parasites’ that they should contact Jeremy immediately to let him know where they saw the ‘MAIN parasite’, and that Jeremy should drop whatever he’s doing and rush to said location as fast as he can, wherever it may be in the country?
Yes, I think yur on to something there signpost! Jeremy should open a special emergency line, and let EVERYONE in the country know that if they spot a ‘MAIN parasite’ anyWHERE, anyTIME, to let him know IMMEDIATELY so that he can TURN UP.
Yes, pure genius signpost, and very well thought out!
I suppose the most obvious thing would be for Jeremy to have a separate ’emergency’ mobile with an easy-to-remember number, like 333 333 333, so that members of the public can contact him the moment they spot one of the ‘MAIN parasites’, and let him know where they spotted them. And it would obviously be good if he always has a helicopter standing by to get him there – wherever – as quickly as possible.
The only thing I’m not clear about is what you think Jeremy should do – assuming the ‘MAIN parasite’ is still there – once he gets there. So could you elaborate. I mean would you have Jeremy menacingly standing close by and giving them dirty looks, or what? Thankz
Great idea though!!!
Buzz off white flag man Allan Howard you are like a persistent fly when you’re “Off the meds” You nasty gutless wonder.Hows the little “Grotto” to corbyn going on in the backyard?and whens the book ready?.How many years will we have to wait sunshine 🌞..And more importantly for you seek help from a qualified psychiatrist as soon as possible because your stalking as been unstoppable by now even if we ignore up you pop with your insane adoration of a leader and your gutless snipping at posters.You know the drill by now piss off to bed.
Thanks for the additional material Joe! Much appreciated!
Says it all really!!!
Yep, signpost spouts complete idiotic nonsense and Jokeefe comes to his defence!
What a joke Joe!!!
Absolutely right.
Given UK imperialism, rampant bribery being spun as lobbying and a MSM operating the Goebbels playbook, this is probably not the most extreme example of Britain slowly being forced down the road of corporate fascism but is certainly bad enough. What has happened to secret ballots?
And why isn’t the electoral commission intervening?
The electoral commission is a bit like the police investigating the police.Party worthies are dumped on the commission by party leaders and they are paid for and “expenses,but usually the criteria is burned out ,pliable mind dead or geriatric who doesn’t rock the boat.At the moment they are rejigging the electorate in N.Ireland’ as their are worrys over the demographic growth of the underclass Catholic voter? The gerrymandered colony has been a problem with peskey Catholics finaly given the vote in the late sixties.(all started when the banning on reading and writing was lifted )still with the conservative and unionist party in the driving seat and a compliant unionist Labour party leader all should be well and boundrys can be rejigged.Unfortunately for them Sinn Fein are watching?
Didn’t the left take control of Haringey after the 2018 local elections? I remembered many of Haringey incumbent Cllrs failing to be re-elected and the leader Cllr Claire Clover given the boot pre 2018 local election.
Aren’t Emina Ibrahim and Seema Chandwani Cllrs in Haringey? Sad to see that the right has raised its head and once again, has taken over the running of Haringey
Labour Party members need to deselect the right wing Cllrs as they did in 2018 and select socialist candidates. Otherwise, they should consider voting for independent socialist candidates to defend their homes.
I had an argument with Wolfie Penny on here about tower blocks. I live in one that is still council owned and I like it very much. There is a sense of community, it’s like living in a village but the land on which it’s built is worth a fortune. Luckily for me, my council decided not to sell the land to developers, instead we are having new sprinkles, balconies, insulation, windows and cladding. The block itself is sound, it’s a great place to live with wonderful views and big spacious rooms so unlike the hutches built today.
Most tower blocks still have a lot of life left in them. They can be made to look good and are, imo much better than modern hutch constructions. As ever it’s all about money.
Sprinkles huh? No hundreds and thousands?
I jest. As an ex council block tennant myself, I’d agree with your comment about community. Unlike many in their houses, neighbours had time for one another (mostly) and looked out for each other too.
Happy times:)
As for the labour council above…bastards!
It’s shameful to hear a Labour council trying to push through an uncertain future for council tenants. These tenants will be moved away while the demolition goes ahead with probably no prospect of them ever having the right to return or afford the rents.
If this is going to be a mixture of council, private and affordable housing in many cases once the developers have received permission they start whinging saying they can’t afford the promised council properties originally on offer and very often they get away with reneging on this.
I do hope council tenants reject this proposal and I do hope Robert Jenrick doesn’t get involved.
The political economy of capital is the entrenched common sense of New Labour (which is as strong as ever).
Emotional blackmail.
What the hell has happened to The Labour Party? Haringey Council seems to be filled with time-servers, with little imagination.
Or, perhaps, there may be a few brown envelopes, waiting to be handed out? Surely, not?
Not a bit of it : ‘corruption’ of the mind (as I argued above).
ITs not corruption of the mind but out and out corruption of the council and you know it smiffy.This council and many others have fallan for the usual tactics that are rife amongst council officers first and then chair and leader.Meals, presentation of preliminary planning( lots of talk about “affordable housing” planning gains,meaning a cash flow boost for the council(still legal)and then finaly group jollys for the committee to spot any numpty that might not be fully on board ,and finaly pick out any trouble maker from the tennants and offer them “incentives” to come on board such as chair of the residents committee and expenses naturally, seperate entrances for the residents and affordable housing tennants,.Anything promised dumped in the final stages and weve got a resettlement grant and plan to move the unwashed out of the city Up Norf “)very popular stoke city,Bolton,Burnley and its anywhere but London or the home counties mate” ..No corruption of the mind,but corruption of the officers,chair of planning,leader and deputy through the whole process and bugger all for the victims but a cleansing of the city and home counties of the unwashed…I spent years on commitees as a councillor and could tell you storys that would make your eyes pop but then I would have to flee the country wouldnt I.Wake up smiffy and other clowns in the Labour party at just how dangerous and ruthless the people you put in parliament and the council’s are and have been for the many years I was a member of the Labour party and a prominent Labour councillor in Surrey with a fringe on top.. .bloody cretins.?…Corruption of the mind?Go back to sleep comrade!
George, I hate to say it but most of us knows that this is most probably the case. I don´t live in London but I heard of Nicky Gavron having all inclusive holidays in the South of France paid by developers. while she was the Deputy Major to Ken Livingstone.
Yes and Right Wing MPs and Councillors want just enough votes so these ‘Little Big Men and Women’ can take the power for themselves and make the decisions.
They believe they know best as top down paternalists who may have no problem in interfering to get their way; bit like the Right Wing media?Meanwhile left wing democratic socialists want to politicise the masses to empower them and genuinely to give diverse citizens a say.
Shame on this Labour Council.
Yes and Right Wing Labour MPs and councillors …
What IS keef’s policy for social housing (as well as everything else)??
I think we should be told.
We’ll, I just read a load of guff on Labour list about it what red wall voters think, which is probably close to what Starmer currently thinks. So, they (elderly red wall voters) think they’ve been left behind in house price rises so you can forget all the pre leadership talk of fair house prices and homes being primarily somewhere to live, as opposed to a nice little earner.
Toffee I think we know what keefs policy is..!.We are part of the problem not the solution comrade…!
Bad news for our knight and enforcer Evans help us “Guardian reporting young Labour fallout,miss barnard is becoming a nuisance for the knight and enforcer Evans.Corbyn allowed inside the conference and can speak at fringe mtgs.and all he has to do is apologise for acting like a leader of the Labour party.and the whip can be restored(pigs will fly).Lookout miss Barnard you are in the naughty corner now and they might just “fit you up” with the usual AS scam or something equally worrying.Well done ✔and Squawkbox as well for showcasing the degenerate crooks running the Labour party into the gutter.
She and her twitter followers are currently being hounded by a particularly nasty piece of dog shit by the name of Oliver Kamm ‘Journalist’ for Murdoch.
I hereby declare that I will happily rejoin the party on the proviso that I am to become the appointed rather than elected general secretary of the party and am given total autonomy, regardless of who wins the next leadership contest.
The tenure will last for the entire term of the next leader.
Better hurry up Toffee,and “fight back” before they go bankrupt.ITs tough at the top don’t you know ask our fawlty towers hq(lower case)in the gutter leader.I notice you are on the night shift again,keep well and wouldn’t you love the recognition from the government for being one of the many exploited care givers.Send your invoice to “Holidays in the sun 🌞” care of Conservative leaders office Drowning street wc 1 toilet enterprise LTD…send copys to Leader of the Sun 🌞 Opposition elephant and castle towers gone southside London WC.
Thanks Joseph. I’ve had a bit of a night of it tonight but should get a few hours now.
Things could be worse, I guess. There are poor souls out there far worse off than meself; those having to put their parent(s) into care homes which results in them losing their inheritance on order to foot the bill, and they end up in insecure accommodation themselves.
For me, it should be the case that anyone finding themselves in that godawful position should be guaranteed the offer of secure (social) accommodation, protected by covenant, for the double whammy they’ve endured.
Right then, I’m away to me pit. Night all.
Where ya goin Toffee ,I havnt even got to Civica the cheif election riggers notoriously connected to Lord mal Brown of the notoriously known Dominion election software systems that allows you turn predictions into votes counted..Ok another day another doller?youve got to sleep somtime or you will turn into WFM night stalker.
Delegates from my Constituency Labour Party have just learned that they have been suspended just in time for Conference. They have no idea what the accusations are or who made them.
Steve Richards, exactly the same happened to me prior to a previous conference. However because I had already booked my accomodation I still went and attended many of the fringe events instead.
Wonder how many copped that for the 2019 conference? That’s without all the hoo-hah about the right stitching up delegations within CLPs (pederast protector/enabler Hodge deciding who was eligible – in someone else’s constituency!)
I also remember wee fella saying keef got thunderous rapturing applause from his precious 70% but then skwawky posted a video which showed a fair few delegates either not applauding him or still sat down, or both…
I expect stammer’s first (hopefully only) conference to look the the toerag one from a few years back….full of empty specs.