04/05/2026
A Message for Tower Gardens
Dear Neighbour,
You may have recently received a campaign flyer from Haringey Labour titled "A message for Tower Gardens." While we welcome the focus on our neighbourhood ahead of the May 7th elections, we must ensure the community’s hard work is accurately represented.
100 Tower Gardens Road
The Claim: Ward councillors "worked with the community" to "halt the sale". The Context: The Council cabinet originally approved the sale of our old estate office to plug a budget deficit. Residents discovered this in redacted Cabinet minutes and challenged our councillors to get to the truth. Then, after three months of persistent pressure, we secured a temporary window to submit a community proposal. Currently, the Council remains focused on a market-value sale rather than a "social value" handover. Residents have funded the feasibility studies, surveyors and are doing all the work—all while not being allowed to use the building other than for the odd meeting, despite it being vacant.
The Park
The Claim: Labour has "secured funding" for our play area. The Context: The adventure play area was removed without notice after years of neglect. The Friends of Tower Gardens campaigned for over a year, engaging park officers, Councillors, and our MP. This funding was finally allocated following the NCIL public consultation and a community-wide vote. We acknowledge the support of our representatives, but the community’s persistence was the primary driver.
Housing
The Claim: "Dozens" of homes will be renovated this year. The Context: While we welcome the work, these plans stem from a 2022 survey identifying defects in 77 homes. Of the Council’s £570m housing budget that is mentioned, only £3m is currently officially allocated to Tower Gardens. We are still waiting for a plan to address the massive maintenance backlog and the many vacant – both boarded up and less visible un-boarded – houses across the estate, and broader maintenance issues across the aging estate.
Next Steps and Events
We know the real work happens after elections, not in the run up to them. If you'd like to work with your neighbours to make our area better, get involved - there’s power in numbers! We have a park gardening and litter pick session on Sunday 10th at 10AM, and we’ll schedule a residents group meeting as soon as we have the election results.
We are also really looking forward to our upcoming community events:
Jumble Trail Sunday 17th May 10AM-2PM
Community Picnic Saturday 27th June
Best wishes,
TGCC, FoTG, TGRG
