Cllr Peray Ahmet on the 'Haringey Deal'

We are living in extraordinary times. Our communities are grappling with the fallout from Brexit, the trauma of Covid and the fuel crisis triggered by the invasion of  Ukraine.

The resulting cost-of-living crisis is hurting all of us, and my colleagues and I are doing everything we can to ensure that Haringey residents are supported through this difficult winter.

Our Haringey Here to Help campaign is at the heart of our response. As part of this we delivered a Cost of Living pamphlet to every household in the borough.

This booklet outlines the financial and other support there is in the borough. This includes our Household Support Fund which will deliver £2 million to some of the borough’s most vulnerable households and we are also run a financial helpline for ongoing support as well as face to face advice through our Connected Communities programme.

Cllr Peray Ahmet says Haringey Council is doing everything it can to support residents during the cost-of-living crisis (Image: Haringey Council)

We launched our Warm Welcome spaces at Hornsey Central Café where residents can come and have a free cup of tea and find out about the other support available. Or you can simply relax and just have chat in a warm environment. We aim to have one in every ward in the borough and there is a full list of where you can go on our website.

I was clear when I was elected that the council must be responsive. I want us to be radical, competent and collaborative. I want to lead a council that truly listens to you, our residents, and works with you to meet your needs.

That is why we launched the Haringey Deal.

This document establishes a new contract between the council and its residents.

We need to focus on getting the basics right, but we have also pledged to learn from our mistakes, to empower our communities to make change happen for themselves, and to find innovative ways to share power with our residents and communities.

One of those conversations is already happening around our three trial Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

These are new, experimental schemes, and I am meeting regularly with a host of stakeholder groups to see how they are working and what might need to change. I would encourage residents to provide their views via our dedicated LTN inboxes which can be found on our website.

Finally, I want to wish all Haringey residents a happy festive season, however you are celebrating and let’s work together to make 2023 a year we can all remember.

Cllr Peray Ahmet is Labour leader of Haringey Council.