BORIS JOHNSON NAMED BBQ ‘KILLJOY’
Fears about litter prompt Mayor to probe lifting of parks ban
Published: 3rd June, 2011
by PAVAN AMARA and ANDREW JOHNSON
LONDON Mayor Boris Johnson is to launch an investigation into Islington parks after the Town Hall last week lifted the controversial ban on barbecues.
While the ending of the ban has been welcomed by many looking forward to a summer of al fresco grilling, others are concerned about anti-social barbecuers leaving behind a mess of half-eaten food, empty cans and bottles, and scorched grass.
One resident who lives near Highbury Fields said that just last week Town Hall Labour leader Catherine West had agreed that barbecue litter did pose a problem – days before Australian environment chief, Councillor Paul Smith, lifted the ban.
Now, the Tory mayor of London – who lives in Islington – has waded in. Speaking exclusively to the Tribune, Mr Johnson said: “We want to protect green spaces. A balance needs to be struck.
“If people are careful to prevent scorching and rubbish then that’s something. [But] it will cause a nuisance for people, and it will spoil parks. We will look into this in depth.”
“Kulveer Ranger [Director of environment at the Greater London Authority] is in charge of putting the village back into this city, and I will get him to find out exactly what’s going on.
“In fact, I will make sure this matter is thoroughly investigated. It will be a park investigation – and as part of this investigation we will also be talking to the council. I promise this will be sorted out.”
But Cllr Smith last night (Thurs) hit back, accusing Mr Johnson of being a “killjoy”.
“Anyone who is opposed to barbecues is a killjoy,” he said. “I hope that during his investigation he talks to the people of Islington because the overwhelming majority think the parks belong to them and they would like to be able to use them to enjoy family picnics during the summer.”
He added that the ban had been “impossible to enforce” and that barbecuers would be encourage to take their litter home.
Not all residents support the lifting of the ban, however. Danny Michelson, who lives near Highbury Fields and runs La Fromagerie cheese shop in Highbury Barn, has been campaigning for several weeks after barbecuers left the park covered in litter over the hot Easter weekend.
“It was disgusting,” he said. “It wasn’t cleaned up for some time. It encourages rodents and pests and all the attendant problems. It is unbelievable the council should do this because it’s a massive problem.
“This has been a complete about-turn. Just last week the leader of the council appeared to agree that there was a problem. Last year they put signs up on Highbury Fields asking people to take their litter home, which helped. But over the winter they removed those signs.” In an email to Mr Michelson, Cllr West wrote: “I do agree with you that the park is very unsightly after a day of picnicking, etc. However, we are trying to avoid too many signs on and around the Fields. Also there are no fixed structures on the ‘Mother Fields’ to put signs up and we cannot put signs on trees or lamp columns.
“In the meantime, as a temporary measure, we are looking at putting a few notices on community notice boards and the signage panels asking users to not litter.
“Monitoring the use of the park is difficult as enforcement officers aren’t on-site all of the time and enforcing the ban can only happen when officers are patrolling the area.”
Four days later, after the ban was lifted, she said: “On balance, I feel the policy change on BBQs helps families who do not have outside space in their apartments to enjoy their local park during their leisure time.”
Islington Council says it is encouraging people to use stands to prevent the grass being scorched and to dispose of their litter.
A spokesman for Highbury Fields Association said the issue would be discussed at its next meeting. Members were generally in favour of lifting the ban as long as the litter was dealt with promptly.