The leader of Islington Council refused to be drawn into the Highbury Fields barbecue row last night – because of the legal action which has been taken against the town hall.
At the full council meeting, Alastair Hazell handed in a 1,200-strong petition calling for barbecues to be banned, saying: “This is an outrage. The fields are being destroyed. The barbecues are for the pleasure of a few people and not the benefit of the majority of Islington residents.”
But when questioned about pollution by Joanna Greatwich, a Highbury Fields council tenant of 19 years, Islington leader Cllr Richard Watts said: “It’s always regrettable when people threaten legal action as it curtails debate. It’s all I can say – sorry.”
As reported in the Gazette last week, Save Highbury Fields is taking the council to Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court over its policy allowing barbecues on the fields.
They claim the barbecues poison Islington’s air and causes health problems for people living on the Fields. But the council says barbecues should be allowed because many people in the borough don’t have a back garden.
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