With the Olympic and summer takeover of Victoria Park already underway (the hoardings, stage and tents for next weekend’s Field Day are up; see the list of events June, July and August here), it’s worth asking the question of whether the council can cope.
I went for a run in the park at about 11am on Sunday. Many families were also there, looking for a space among the litter and debris for somewhere to sit. Plastic cups, crisp packets, empty bottles of spirits and cider and cans of lager simply left where Saturday’s visitors/vandals had left them.
A bit further along on my run, I spotted two park rangers with a mini-garbage collection van. I think it was too hot for them. One was leaning against the van, playing on his mobile while the other chatted to a mate on his phone.
To be fair to them, they didn’t leave the mess (and it really is the visitors who are at fault) but I couldn’t understand why at 11am the litter was still there. As soon as Whitechapel and Bethnal Green markets finish for the day, a whole fleet of bin workers move in: the operation is genuinely impressive and effective. Why can’t that happen in Victoria Park?
And when there is hot weather, why can’t Tower Hamlets Council place large temporary bins in the park? The smaller bins simply can’t cope with the entirely predictable increase in visitors during warmer weekends. The extra picnic tables they’ve installed are great, but picnics leave litter–and there’s nowhere to put it.
If we’re not careful, our fabulous East End park will begin to resemble north London’s loathsome Finsbury Park. If Tower Hamlets can’t cope, maybe they should hand back control to Hackney council and its Mayor Jules Pipe.
I’ll leave this thread open for your suggestions for Mayor Lutfur Rahman.
In the meantime, here’s some photos I took this morning at 10am (the rangers seemed to have started work much earlier today; maybe they’re under pressure to save overtime at weekends).
Trial by Jeory 
Not half as disgusting as the toilets in Brick Lane: 2 broken unmanaged uncleaned stalls between 100,000 visitors! Worse than the worst third world, Worse than Kabul airport. And it’s called an Olympic borough? Toilet Hamlets more like.
He’s absolutely right. Unless those cretins who run this borough want the “capital of curry” to become better known as the CAPITAL OF SLURRY I have to say again – where are the public conveniences? Tens of thousands of people visit this street every weekend who are unaccustomed to having to squat in flower beds but quite simply there is nowhere for them to go when they need to go.
The associated guff and wind on the council website that promotes “High Street 2012” says it is “a £10 million project aimed at creating a world-class high street in the heart of the East End” which will bring “vast improvements”. Well “world class” presumably implies a street not running with piss and shit? If so then they MUST use this money to provide public conveniences using the powers they have to do so under the 1936 Public Health Act.
Failure will result in someone painting the word “toilet” on the side of Lutfur’s celebrated “brick lane cultural tower” (which cost as much as permanent toilets) and encouraging everyone to go there.
The mini rubbish trucks were doing rounds of the western part on Saturday afternoon at least, but they seem to have knocked off before the park closed. Visitors really seem to think they’re doing the right thing by leaving their bags by a bin, they need to be educated out of that.
Sunday was as you said and this morning was actually no better on my side of the park. By that time the rubbish had been strewn around the picnic benches at the pagoda and elsewhere. The sudden appearance of broken glass is the worst. TH really need educate and increase the rubbish collections or it’ll only get worse.
Bring back ‘Airwick’ Flounders and the Liberal Focus Team…
Have you tried leaving the same comments (or a link to this piece) with the Friends of Victoria Park – maybe on their Fbook page? Then you might get an answer esp about extra/larger bins.
Will do that
There is already a discussion here
I talked park managers this morning, they are well aware that with the huge numbers of people (Approx 40,000 a day) in the park last weekend there were serious problems with the litter collection and they are making changes, including changes to how Fountains collect litter, the installation of ‘Festival Bins’ at weekends and Rangers are going to circulate in the park offering rubbish bags to people having picnics.
With Field Day / Apple Cart this weekend it will be different again, to those not attending I commend the West Park up by St Agnes Gate there are some lovely new picnic benches and it will be less busy.
Well done, Richard – that’s v good news.
So it seems bigger bins with separation of recyclables where feasible would be good. I’d also like to see them use electric vehicles where possible.
Surely all the proposals are simple common sense? One wonders why it has therefore taken so long to implement them!
Let’s see how they do this weekend. It’ll be a great shame if the Jubilee festivities in the parks in Tower Hamlets this weekend are spoiled by litter not being collected.
Maybe Victoria Park could lobby for some extra input from those who have been sentenced to community service? I seem to recall seeing a picture of Boy George wielding one of those pick up litter sticks when he was doing his.
Off topic but local. Page 11 of The Sunday Times this morning has soe interesting news about where Baroness Uddin got the £120 000 from to repay the expenses she falsely claimed and to be allowed back into the Lords for more bites of the cherry.
It seems she has important and rich business friends including one who on an Interpol list as a terrorist.
I saw that too and cried a little tear of woe.
I think it sadly underlines the inherent flaws in the Life Peerage system which is a shame because we need an assembly of experts to scrutinize legislation who aren’t another bunch of MPs just with grander titles and less power.
I think the reformed Lords should either be (a) an indirectly elected body whose members are the Leaders or the Directly Elected Mayors of each local authority in the UK, only ennobled for as long as they hold that position locally OR (b) a genuine chamber of experts chosen by a politically neutral body from worthy people among academia, former ministers, the civil service, the judiciary, armed forces, etc.
What it should not be is a means to reward dismal party hacks and failed politicians… I mean, Baroness Oona King… what great things has she ever achieved other than being born the supreme embodiment of political correctness.
On your point, Manzila Pola Uddin (I don’t acknowledge her as a “lord”, sorry) is now indebted to some quite nasty people who subsequently have bought influence over our legislature, however small. No doubt the people bailing her out are profound imbeciles that have been deceived by The Grand Uddin of Watney that she is far more important than she really is. Perhaps she told them that she was the Princess of Wales or the President of the European Commission? Does anyone remember the glory years of Ghulam Mortuza arriving in Sylhet with the LBTH Mayoral Chain and the people there all hailing him as the “Mayor of London”?
God only knows what Mucky Manzila offered her benefactors in return for their cash…let’s just hope it didn’t bring any more shame on her family and that she had protection.
I believe that the only reasons why Manzila Pola Uddin wants to be able to continue visiting the House of Lords can only be personal and selfish. Perhaps she wants to take advantage of the subsidised canteen? I mean, I cannot imagine her doing this altruistically for the people of LBTH – there must be something in it for her otherwise why does she bother?? No law maker there is going to pay any attention to her whatsoever and she has nothing to contribute to any debate. Precisely what expertise does she bring other than a talent in completing benefit application forms? After all, she was only a local councillor for a about four years and is proven to be a conniving cheat?
If that’s all it takes then maybe they should ennoble Shelina Akhtar next!
So bad , we should improve it.
it support in littleborough