Liberal Democrats continue to call for scrutiny of a five-year festival deal, despite negative signals from council legal officers.
On Friday 20 March, Labour Cabinet Member, Emily Arkell, approved a highly controversial agreement between Haringey Council and Festival Republic (Live Nation) to hire out Finsbury Park in June/July each year for five years from 2028 to 2032.
Councillors have a legal right to “call-in” decisions which have a significant impact on the council’s finances or the local community, but council officials claim that this deal isn’t covered:
The deal is believed to be worth around £6m, and involves the closure of large sections of Finsbury Park for multiple weeks every summer, along with road closures, crowds of up to 50,000 people, and loud music playing late into the night.
Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Luke Cawley-Harrison, wants the decision to be reviewed after it was revealed that none of the usual stakeholders responded to a consultation about the new contract.
“Groups such as the Friends of Finsbury Park have always been involved in previous decisions. It’s inconceivable that none of them would respond to a consultation which ties the Council into multiple festivals each year for the next five years. It’s also deeply undemocratic for an outgoing Labour administration to tie the hands of whoever wins the election in May.”
If the call-in succeeds, the decision could be frozen until after the election when a new administration may be formed.
Officers blocked a previous Liberal Democrat call-in request in 2023, claiming that councillors can only call-in decisions involving spending or saving money, but not those involving money being paid to the council.
Officers also claimed that there was “no significant impact” on neighbouring wards such as Stroud Green because the events are only temporary.
A request by Cllr Cawley-Harrison to see more financial information about the latest deal was refused on the basis that he did not have a legitimate “need to know” the details.
Cllr Cawley-Harrison has now written to the Council’s chief legal officer, calling for a more transparent approach to the deal, and requesting that it should be reclassified as a “key decision”, which would be eligible for a call-in to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. “Labour politicians are signing huge long-term deals without listening to the views of the people they affect, and council officers must not enable this secretive behaviour by blocking proper scrutiny. This is a perfect example of what needs to change at Haringey Council in May.”
“The Liberal Democrats are the only party in Haringey with a clear plan over the last few years to protect Finsbury Park:
That Finsbury Park is taken out of the hands of Haringey Council and given to an independent community trust, with neighbourhood and political representation from all areas surrounding the park.
A moratorium on all large events until proper public consultation can happen.
A local referendum to confirm any decisions made on the structure of how the Park is run.
The number of people that have signed our petition show that our position is well supported locally.”
