Letter to the Editor: Barnet’s parks are not for sale. Time to call time on Coleman!
Dear Editor,
So Cllr Coleman’s latest wheeze is to exclude the local community so he can rent out for three days at time our public parks for the benefit of private parties.
Who is going to supervise these events, make sure they finish on time, don’t destroy the plants and shrubs, and that everyone leaves quietly? Cllr Coleman has already decided to axe the park keepers! Environmental health noise teams when the parties get out of hand a night? Forget it, they aren’t staffed for the calls they have already.
What about the impact on local hotel and restaurant businesses who stand to lose vital trade as functions switch from established properly run and licensed venues to Coleman’s capers in the park? Hasn’t he damaged them enough with his outrageous car parking charges, to suffer this loss of trade as well?
And most important of all, what about everyone who wants some quiet enjoyment of the park in the Summer, snoozing on a bench, walking the dog, or giving the kids some fresh air? All banned by edict of Cllr Coleman in his fenced off, private party lots. No thought of the poor neighbours living nearby, who won’t be able to have their windows open on warm Summer evenings without disturbance, or park near their homes due to revellers’ cars taking all the available spaces.
This is yet another example of just how out of touch are the Conservatives who run Barnet Council. There is one rule for them and one for everyone else. Cllr. Coleman says he wants “first class parks”; but what he really means is first class for those who pay and third class for everyone else. This is a real con trick because we all pay for the parks already, through the Council Tax. So even though we have paid for the parks, we are to be excluded from them unless we pay all over again for the privilege.
Where will all this end? “Pay by phone” for picnics? Parking tickets for prams overstaying their allotted time? It is time to call time on Cllr Coleman.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Dismore
Labour Candidate for Barnet and Camden
