Race Equalities meeting at Haringey Council. This is the first meeting of this body since I was appointed to it – despite being ten months through the year. I made enquiries some months ago as to why there were no meetings for so long – and was told nothing formally as usual.

Informally – I was given to understand that there hadn’t been meetings as Labour wanted to avoid them. Anyway, at the meeting the Labour Executive Member for Regeneration was unable to be there. So the Chair simply said to the attendees (representatives of Haringey’s many communities) that they should send in questions which would be answered.

One of the representatives objected saying that as this was the only place they ever got such a line-up of Council Executive members to discuss these issues in public, it was outrageous that no-one – not Labour member nor officer – was at hand to answer questions, particularly as there had not been a meeting for about 10 months.

Hear! Hear! My point exactly. So I raised it – thus bringing down the wrath of Labour members and Chair who said that as the community reps had meetings with them privately if they needed to I should basically mind my own business! Perish the thought of having some openness and democratic accountability! Roll on 2006 I say. (Next local elections).