Latest news with #HaringeyCouncil
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pub's licence under threat due to crime complaints
A north London pub could lose its premises licence over repeated reports of underage drinking and fights between customers. There were 40 callouts to North Eight pub in Hornsey between May 2024 and June 2025, of which 28 involved violence, and a further 16 in July. The Metropolitan Police and Haringey Council said the number of incidents were "shocking". A licensing consultant for the pub had previously said some calls ended with a "no crime" result and claimed they had been made maliciously due to prejudice against the pub's customers, many of whom are from the traveller community. The council held a meeting of its sub-licencing committee on 5 August to review the pub's licence, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Committee member Adam Small said the pub had "repeatedly and egregiously" failed to uphold "the most basic requirements set out in the Licensing Act". He added: "We are facing a sustained pattern of serious failings that have caused repeated and serious distress and fear to Hornsey residents." The Metropolitan Police called the pub a "hotspot for violence and public order", stating that the landlord had "failed to implement effective security measures and uphold licensing conditions". The pub was formerly named the Hornsey Arms and was taken over by James Kearns in 2021. The sub-licensing committee initially met last month to discuss revoking the pub's licence. However, this was delayed after licensing consultant David Dadds, acting on behalf of the North Eight pub, disputed the Metropolitan Police's claims, and said that some of the calls made had resulted in "no crime" and were "malicious". He also claimed that "indirect discrimination" was involved as many of the pub's customers were from the traveller community, accusing residents of not wanting "a traveller pub" close by. The police said that approximately 19 of the 40 callouts involved members of the traveller community refusing to leave or fighting inside the pub. They gave examples including a woman being served "to the point of vomiting" before being arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour, and a 16-year-old child being served until 02:55. The police noted that almost all callouts happened between 00:00 and 03:00. The July meeting also heard from neighbouring residents, who said their daily routines had been disrupted by the venue and disturbances could be heard until 04:00. Lowena Waries said she had changed her public transport routes and travel times after being verbally assaulted by patrons of the pub, with one customer climbing on to her balcony and throwing an object. 'Excessive noise' At Tuesday's meeting, licensing barrister James Rankin, representing the police, said the situation had worsened in July. He said there were 16 calls on nine separate dates between 4 and 30 July, made by residents, the alarm company, bar staff and security. PC Carey Denham from the Metropolitan Police said there had been a "substantial" amount of times when bar staff and security were concerned that a big group of people had "got out of hand". Mr Dadds asked again for the meeting to be adjourned, but this was refused, leading him to withdraw from the hearing. The council's noise and nuisance officer, Craig Bellringer, said that the premises had received an abatement notice and two fixed penalty notices due to "excessive" noise. He added that there had been four or five further noise complaints since June, and this was "one of the worst [pubs in Haringey]" for noise issues. Mr Bellringer, Mr Small and the Metropolitan Police all advised revoking the pub's licence entirely, following the evidence heard at the hearings. A decision will be published within five working days of the meeting, expected to be early next week. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to More on this story Plans for pubs to get greater protection from noise complaints Mayor could overturn council bans on late venues BBC secret filming shows pubs not enforcing safety scheme Related internet links Haringey Council Metropolitan Police
The Irish Sun
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Pregnant Katherine Ryan horrified as she's hounded by bailiffs over £10,000 council tax bill
KATHERINE Ryan has revealed she's been hounded by bailiffs and treated like a tax dodger after council blunder saw her wrongly held responsible for £10,000 in unpaid bills. 4 Katherine was paying the bill for her rented out property – which led councils to think she had a second home Credit: PA 4 The star said that she received notice of a 200% price hike by the council over the error Credit: Getty She paid the charge voluntarily - as a gesture of goodwill - to make things easier for her renters in the gothic church conversion in Crouch End. But she was shocked to then discover that Haringey Council believed she still lived there, classed the property as a second home, and hiked her council tax by 200%. When payments didn't match the inflated charge, they sent bailiffs to her house. Speaking on her podcast Telling Everybody Everything, Katherine said she sent them the tenancy agreement as proof that it wasn't her second home, and explained: "We pay the council tax because we want to make it seamless for everyone, but we don't live there.' READ MORE KATHERINE RYAN 'I never got a reply. I emailed four times,' she added. 'I called and was on hold for 40 minutes - then they just sent me back to the switchboard.' Katherine, who is 'I finally spoke to a woman who said, 'Oh yeah, we didn't receive any of your letters.'' Most read in TV She was then told that, legally, landlords aren't responsible for council tax if the property is tenanted - unless it's classed as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). Because the tenancy agreement hadn't been logged, the council wrongly billed her and added the second-home premium. Katherine Ryan pregnant with FOURTH child after hiding last pregnancy from BBC 'She goes, 'We can't go after you for council tax because you don't live there.' And I was like, 'Well, apparently you can - I've paid you ten grand and you've sent bailiffs to my house. Twice.'' Katherine was told she could apply for a refund but that the council would now send her tenants a backdated bill for the entire period. 'I was like, 'What!? You're going to send my tenants a bill for ten grand dating back two years?' She's like, 'Yep... Sometimes this causes problems - tell them not to freak out.'' She asked if the credit could be transferred but was told the tenants were 'just going to get a big bill.' 'Luckily, I'm in contact with the tenants,' she said. 'They trust me... But the bureaucracy! What if English wasn't my first language? 'Navigating all of this, there's got to be a better way.' 4 Katherine has called for an "easier way" to deal with council tax issues Credit: Getty 4 Katherine has shared that she's in communication with her renters over the issue Credit: Splash
Scottish Sun
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Pregnant Katherine Ryan horrified as she's hounded by bailiffs over £10,000 council tax bill
The star has opened up about the ongoing issue with her council tax bill TAXING PROBLEM Pregnant Katherine Ryan horrified as she's hounded by bailiffs over £10,000 council tax bill Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KATHERINE Ryan has revealed she's been hounded by bailiffs and treated like a tax dodger after council blunder saw her wrongly held responsible for £10,000 in unpaid bills. The comedian, 42, says she was footing the council tax bill for her tenants at a London flat she owns with husband Bobby ever since they rented it out in October 2023. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Katherine was paying the bill for her rented out property – which led councils to think she had a second home Credit: PA 4 The star said that she received notice of a 200% price hike by the council over the error Credit: Getty She paid the charge voluntarily - as a gesture of goodwill - to make things easier for her renters in the gothic church conversion in Crouch End. But she was shocked to then discover that Haringey Council believed she still lived there, classed the property as a second home, and hiked her council tax by 200%. When payments didn't match the inflated charge, they sent bailiffs to her house. Speaking on her podcast Telling Everybody Everything, Katherine said she sent them the tenancy agreement as proof that it wasn't her second home, and explained: "We pay the council tax because we want to make it seamless for everyone, but we don't live there.' 'I never got a reply. I emailed four times,' she added. 'I called and was on hold for 40 minutes - then they just sent me back to the switchboard.' Katherine, who is pregnant with her fourth child, was forced to take matters into her own hands last week and travelled to the council's Wood Green office herself. 'I finally spoke to a woman who said, 'Oh yeah, we didn't receive any of your letters.'' She was then told that, legally, landlords aren't responsible for council tax if the property is tenanted - unless it's classed as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). Because the tenancy agreement hadn't been logged, the council wrongly billed her and added the second-home premium. Katherine Ryan pregnant with FOURTH child after hiding last pregnancy from BBC 'She goes, 'We can't go after you for council tax because you don't live there.' And I was like, 'Well, apparently you can - I've paid you ten grand and you've sent bailiffs to my house. Twice.'' Katherine was told she could apply for a refund but that the council would now send her tenants a backdated bill for the entire period. 'I was like, 'What!? You're going to send my tenants a bill for ten grand dating back two years?' She's like, 'Yep... Sometimes this causes problems - tell them not to freak out.'' She asked if the credit could be transferred but was told the tenants were 'just going to get a big bill.' 'Luckily, I'm in contact with the tenants,' she said. 'They trust me... But the bureaucracy! What if English wasn't my first language? 'Navigating all of this, there's got to be a better way.' 4 Katherine has called for an "easier way" to deal with council tax issues Credit: Getty
Metro
09-05-2025
- Metro
Judge scolds barrister for using 'made-up cases' in her court arguments
A High Court judge has condemned a team of lawyers for basing arguments on five cases which turned out to be 'made-up'. Barrister Sarah Forey was instructed by solicitors at Haringey Law Centre to act for a homeless man who was claiming priority housing from Haringey Council in London. Ms Forey cited a number of cases – examples of previous legal rulings used to support an argument – in written submissions to the High Court. Lawyers for the council said they could not find five of the cases, suggesting the only explanation would be that Ms Forey used Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. They asked for clarification from Haringey Law Centre, who dismissed the issue as 'cosmetic errors' and said any problems were 'easily explained'. Haringey Law Centre lawyer Sunnelah Hussain suggested the council lawyers raised the matter 'as technicalities to avoid undertaking really serious legal research'. The presiding judge, Mr Justice Ritchie, blasted Haringey Law Centre's response as 'grossly unprofessional'. In his ruling on the case, he said the solicitors and Ms Forey had shown 'appalling professional misbehaviour'. He said he was unable to reach a verdict on whether they did use AI 'because Ms Forey was not sworn in and was not cross examined'. But he accused them of 'misleading the Court' by submitting 'fake cases' and then trying to 'finesse them into being 'minor citation errors''. The judge also dismissed Ms Forey's claim that the error arose from filing and photocopying mistakes, saying: 'I do not accept that it is possible to photocopy a non-existent case and tabulate it.' He said the team had presented a 'reasonable and fair' case, suggesting they would have had a strong chance to win if they hadn't used the fake cases. More Trending Mr Justice Ritchie continued: 'The submission was a good one. The medical evidence was strong. The ground was potentially good. Why put a fake case in? 'On the balance of probabilities, I consider that it would have been negligent for this barrister, if she used AI and did not check it, to put that text into her pleading.' The judge ordered his ruling to be sent Bar Standards Board and the Solicitors Regulation Authority, saying Ms Forey and Haringey Law Centres should self-report to the watchdogs. The case was settled in favour of the homeless man, Frederick Ayinde, but ordered Ms Forey's team to pay wasted court costs. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Mum wins court appeal to stop daughter having to stay overnight with rapist dad MORE: Harry claims police protection withdrawn to 'trap' him and Meghan in UK
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
John Sisk begins restoration of Haringey Civic Centre in London
Ireland-based construction firm John Sisk & Son (Sisk) has initiated the restoration of the Haringey Civic Centre in North London, a Grade II listed building. A groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the start of construction. The project includes the construction of a new annexe, office spaces and the restoration of civic spaces that will be accessible to the community in Wood Green. Sisk UK managing director Ger Hayes said: "A lot of pre-planning has got us to this stage and we look forward to delivering new high-quality offices and restored civic spaces for the community in the heart of Wood Green. Both the new build and major refurbishment of the Grade II listed building will prioritise sustainability and eco-friendly design. It is a really exciting project that will create local jobs and opportunities." Due to be completed in late 2026, the redevelopment is timed to precede Haringey Council's tenure as the London Borough of Culture in 2027. Haringey Civic Centre has been central to the borough's political and civic life since 1958 and first listed by English Heritage in 2018. The building was shuttered in spring 2020 after 'serious safety and structural issues' were uncovered, 'requiring major repair work'. The restoration has garnered positive feedback from residents, who have actively participated in engagement events. The design of the redevelopment includes a central courtyard and landscaped areas, in addition to the upgrades planned for the current building. This project will focus on sustainability, featuring energy-efficient revamps such as insulation and solar panels. Sisk is the project's main contractor. The council's Planning Sub-Committee approved the project in September 2023. Haringey Council leader councillor Peray Ahmet said: 'Steeped in a proud and important local history, this truly iconic building holds a special place in the hearts of many people. I'm thrilled construction has begun. This project will re-establish the building as the focal point for public life in the borough and create a dynamic and inclusive space for future generations.' 'It will provide high-quality, accessible, and sustainable office accommodation for up to 900 staff, as well as a hub for civic and community activity with green credentials helping us move towards our commitment to a zero-carbon estate.' In February 2025, John Sisk & Son was selected by regeneration developer ION Property Developments and Wirral Council to carry out site remediation works for a new urban village project in Birkenhead, England. "John Sisk begins restoration of Haringey Civic Centre in London" was originally created and published by World Construction Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
