Islington Town Hall

• “PERSONALLY I have made a significant [sic] contribution to many scrutiny reports in the council”, (Why we believe scrutiny of the council is so important, April 1).

Clearly no shrinking violet, Cllr Gary Heather tells us his efforts have included – though were not limited to – “improv[ing] waste management and increas[ing] our recycling rate”.

With Islington still recycling less than 30 per cent of its locally-generated detritus, there’s much to do and no time to waste (pun intended).

What to make, then, of the Finsbury Park ward member’s repeated failure to account publicly for how his household disposes of some everyday items which regularly find their way into landfill: mercury-filled light bulbs; unreusable textiles; and small electricals, for example, broken cables / toothbrushes, (So… what to do about the mercury-filled light bulbs? December 24 2021 and The council itself must address some basic recycling issues, February 11 2022)?

Contempt for public scrutiny is hardly a sensible way to win support in next month’s local election. Giving a lead in matters for which the good councillor expresses his concern just might.

And here it’s worth reminding ourselves that Cllr Heather supports the Edmonton incinerator rebuild, along with his environmental boss Cllr Rowena Champion.

London’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, does not: “I have been clear that London is facing a climate emergency and an air pollution crisis, and I will continue to oppose new incineration capacity in London” (October 2021).

His words were amplified by Islington North MP and former Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn: “In north London, we have poor rates of recycling, and that must improve. Burning is not recycling” (Roadblock protest as green light is given to incinerator, December 17).

This is, of course, precisely the stand taken by Green Party councillor Caroline Russell but which was opposed by Islington’s Labour-led Town Hall.

The correspondence of elected members Tricia Clarke and Gulcin Ozdemir, also attacking Caroline Russell, does them no favours: “…over the past eight years, we [sic] have ensured Cllr Russell has [had] her pick of scrutiny committees to sit on, despite the fact that she was the only opposition councillor elected”, (Green Party councillor Russell is wrong to say the system is ‘broken’, April 1).

What an anti-democratic give-away in their attempted demolition job of a fellow councillor. Arrogant, ugly, and party-politically self-serving.

MEG HOWARTH
Ellington Street, N7