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Brixton news, rumours and general chat - January 2017

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State of the high street around Midnight. I love me some merriment and revelry but, felt like covent garden with mass hen and stag party going on. Maybe this is middle age creeping in.
 
DietCokeGirl said:
State of the high street around Midnight. I love me some merriment and revelry but, felt like covent garden with mass hen and stag party going on. Maybe this is middle age creeping in.
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No, it's how Brixton has changed into Any Shitty Town over the weekend. Loud, nicely well off lads with cash to spend everywhere. 15 years ago they would have been as timid as a mouse walking down Coldharbour Lane (if they even dared venture into Brixton at night) but It's their town now.
 
editor said:
No, it's how Brixton has changed into Any Shitty Town over the weekend. Loud, nicely well off lads with cash to spend everywhere. 15 years ago they would have been as timid as a mouse walking down Coldharbour Lane (if they even dared venture into Brixton at night) but It's their town now.
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I came back from a quick break via Liverpool Street at 12.30 am last night. The behaviour up there might be worse. (Not a connoisseur of CHL at 12.30 am anymore). There was near traffic jam conditions on Bishopsgate, drunken people waiting for late night buses and walking across the road shouting, ignoring ped crossings. To cap it all there is a 24 hour Tesco Metro - for those short of a bottle of wine etc.

I am clearly getting old - but to me Bishopsgate last night was like an evil merger of Coldharbour Lane and Brixton Road outside Woolworths.
 
CH1 said:
When will this hit the Barrier block I wonder? (maybe its been going on for a while unauthorised)

Ex-council flat owner seeks permission for £95/night AirBnB lets
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According to the planning application documents, allowing the change of use will "benefit the host financially, the guest by providing an authentic living experience, and the borough by allowing tourism to continue to flourish in the London Borough of Southwark".
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"authentic living experience" :facepalm::rolleyes:
 
editor said:
"authentic living experience" :facepalm::rolleyes:
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My dad lived on the rockingham estate for 20 odd years. He called it many things but never used "authentic" , a real shithole was the nearest he got i think.
 
Has anybody responded to a Sport England survey on recreational habits?

I just had my third letter asking me to co-operate this morning - giving a final deadline of 3rd February, so I decided to see what it is all about.

The survey is being conducted online or by phone by MORI on behalf of the Sports Council the Arts Council and Public Health England.

The most sensitive question seems to be about how much you use library services - but it then goes on to ask all sorts of things about exercise taken and eating fruit & veg. The exercise seems to require that you have quickened breathing etc. There are the usual questions about your job, rank, health condition and so forth.

I was wondering whether this was all to do with the libraries and the \Brixton Rec, but it is so general I doubt it. Probably yet another example of mis-spending the NHS budget on market research and dietary advice.

"This study was commissioned by Sport England with funding from Public Health England, Arts Council England and the Department for Transport. One or more of these government agencies may wish to carry out follow up research on this topic sometime within the next two years. If you agree we will pass your name and contact details, together with your responses to this survey to these organisations."
 
CH1 said:
Has anybody responded to a Sport England survey on recreational habits?

I just had my third letter asking me to co-operate this morning - giving a final deadline of 3rd February, so I decided to see what it is all about.

The survey is being conducted online or by phone by MORI on behalf of the Sports Council the Arts Council and Public Health England.

The most sensitive question seems to be about how much you use library services - but it then goes on to ask all sorts of things about exercise taken and eating fruit & veg. The exercise seems to require that you have quickened breathing etc. There are the usual questions about your job, rank, health condition and so forth.

I was wondering whether this was all to do with the libraries and the \Brixton Rec, but it is so general I doubt it. Probably yet another example of mis-spending the NHS budget on market research and dietary advice.

"This study was commissioned by Sport England with funding from Public Health England, Arts Council England and the Department for Transport. One or more of these government agencies may wish to carry out follow up research on this topic sometime within the next two years. If you agree we will pass your name and contact details, together with your responses to this survey to these organisations."
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All the info on this is freely available online, it's a national survey - nothing to do with Brixton Rec. Nothing to do with NHS budget either.
The Active Lives survey | Arts Council England

Interested to know why you suggest it might be mis-spending?
 
I'm up from Cardiff for a few days, and having a wander around Brixton. I see that Rosie's is to become an Iranian deli/eaterie run by Saaja and Sam Noor :):thumbs:. The deli will stock some of the same products as in the main shop, but you can also grab an Iranian coffee or fritada in lovely surroundings. The wallpaper is awesome - if you look closely, you'll see old photos of the Noor family and of old Brixton. They're planning to open on 31 Jan. Guess I'll have to try it out when I'm next up from Wales.
 
Chatted with a few market traders/workers yesterday, boy they're really struggling to hold on, especially the Saturday markets on Brixton Station Rd. They reckon foot-fall lost due to the closure of railway units is about 500+ and this is having an impact on the stalls on Electric Avenue too. I said I feel torn about whether to return (once my mum-caring comes to an end), and they're like, don't bother, its awful here now, no longer as friendly,community going, etc. Sad to hear.
 
I had a bad experience in the new Middle Eastern resto on CHL yesterday eve. Maybe its because they're new and anxious about how they're going to do there, but I found the main guy unwelcoming and unfriendly. I only wanted to have a coffee there, so popped in with my son who had just finished work on the Guiness site. Ok, so his jeans were dirty, but he didn't have his work boots on, but perhaps we shouldn't have gone in there like that. I was having a look round, mainly by the counter, saying how nice it looked, he was having none of it, and rushed us over to a table. That pissed me off a bit. Anway, I fancied some bakclava with my coffee, but didn't want as many as 6 (which is what was on offer), so asked if I could have 3 instead. He wasn't happy but agreed to it, then charged nearly as much as I would have paid for 6. The bakclava was tops, but for £2.50 for 3 very small bites felt a bit steep (or have I just got too:hmm: used to Cardiff prices). At the end, I was trying to discuss the bill, but the guy wouldn't even look at me, just kept waving his hands saying, ok, no problem. I saw red and told him not to shut me down and that if he wants to make a go of it, he needs to be friendlier and more polite with people. I left more or less shouting, "Carry on, you'll last long". Not my most dignified moment, but I couldn't believe how rude he was. When we went passed later in the eve, there were lots of smiley-faced customers in there, so maybe they're doing something right.
 
shygirl said:
I had a bad experience in the new Middle Eastern resto on CHL yesterday eve. Maybe its because they're new and anxious about how they're going to do there, but I found the main guy unwelcoming and unfriendly. I only wanted to have a coffee there, so popped in with my son who had just finished work on the Guiness site. Ok, so his jeans were dirty, but he didn't have his work boots on, but perhaps we shouldn't have gone in there like that. I was having a look round, mainly by the counter, saying how nice it looked, he was having none of it, and rushed us over to a table. That pissed me off a bit. Anway, I fancied some bakclava with my coffee, but didn't want as many as 6 (which is what was on offer), so asked if I could have 3 instead. He wasn't happy but agreed to it, then charged nearly as much as I would have paid for 6. The bakclava was tops, but for £2.50 for 3 very small bites felt a bit steep (or have I just got too:hmm: used to Cardiff prices). At the end, I was trying to discuss the bill, but the guy wouldn't even look at me, just kept waving his hands saying, ok, no problem. I saw red and told him not to shut me down and that if he wants to make a go of it, he needs to be friendlier and more polite with people. I left more or less shouting, "Carry on, you'll last long". Not my most dignified moment, but I couldn't believe how rude he was. When we went passed later in the eve, there were lots of smiley-faced customers in there, so maybe they're doing something right.
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That's put me right off going in there and made me real angry. Didn't form know it was there until I walked passed it last week.

Been hearing some other shitty things about businesses along there and prices/treatment of staff.
 
shygirl said:
I had a bad experience in the new Middle Eastern resto on CHL yesterday eve. Maybe its because they're new and anxious about how they're going to do there, but I found the main guy unwelcoming and unfriendly. I only wanted to have a coffee there, so popped in with my son who had just finished work on the Guiness site. Ok, so his jeans were dirty, but he didn't have his work boots on, but perhaps we shouldn't have gone in there like that. I was having a look round, mainly by the counter, saying how nice it looked, he was having none of it, and rushed us over to a table. That pissed me off a bit. Anway, I fancied some bakclava with my coffee, but didn't want as many as 6 (which is what was on offer), so asked if I could have 3 instead. He wasn't happy but agreed to it, then charged nearly as much as I would have paid for 6. The bakclava was tops, but for £2.50 for 3 very small bites felt a bit steep (or have I just got too:hmm: used to Cardiff prices). At the end, I was trying to discuss the bill, but the guy wouldn't even look at me, just kept waving his hands saying, ok, no problem. I saw red and told him not to shut me down and that if he wants to make a go of it, he needs to be friendlier and more polite with people. I left more or less shouting, "Carry on, you'll last long". Not my most dignified moment, but I couldn't believe how rude he was. When we went passed later in the eve, there were lots of smiley-faced customers in there, so maybe they're doing something right.
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So, you asked for something that wasn't on the menu (a half-portion), didn't confirm the pricing when doing so, then got shitty when you didn't like the final price? I'm not surprised he had an attitude with you.
 
I'm not sure the manager was there, as the two who seemed to be managing could barely speak any English. Or perhaps we were a bit too scruffy for a resto. I should have thought of that before-hand, but it really didn't occur to me, and it was very quiet in there when we went.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed it :).
 
3Zeros said:
So, you asked for something that wasn't on the menu (a half-portion), didn't confirm the pricing when doing so, then got shitty when you didn't like the final price? I'm not surprised he had an attitude with you.
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I kind of intimated in my post that I was probably an awkward customer, but it was much more than that. I'm not used to people shutting me down by speaking over me and waving their hands dismissively. I've worked in bars, clubs, cafs and restaurants when I was younger and no matter how awkward customers were, I was never rude and certainly never dismissed someone like they were beneath me. Its not okay. My point to them was that if they wanted to do well, they need to listen and be more polite.

Oh, the attitude was there as soon as we walked in, btw. I was happy (had just met my son), I was smiley and friendly but sadly the guy wasn't. So shove it lovey.
 
shygirl said:
I kind of intimated in my post that I was probably an awkward customer, but it was much more than that. I'm not used to people shutting me down by speaking over me and waving their hands dismissively. I've worked in bars, clubs, cafs and restaurants when I was younger and no matter how awkward customers were, I was never rude and certainly never dismissed someone like they were beneath me. Its not okay. My point to them was that if they wanted to do well, they need to listen and be more polite.

Oh, the attitude was there as soon as we walked in, btw. I was happy (had just met my son), I was smiley and friendly but sadly the guy wasn't. So shove it lovey.
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I'll concede that there was probably no need for him to be so dismissive, but it does sound like there's a lesson there on not being an awkward customer...
 
I mean, asking for 3 instead of 6 isn't that much of a deal, is it. But I'm willing to accept a little bit of the blame ;)
 
Maharani said:
No I don't think you need to. It's just half the amount on offer. They can still charge you half of the original price rather than the offer price. What's the big deal?
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That's not how restaurants work though. The difference in cost between delivering a plate of 3 to your table compared to a plate of 6 is going to minimal as the cost of the ingredients is low compared to the other overheads involved. The till is likely to be pre-programmed with the dishes and pricing, meaning it's difficult or even impossible for the server to adjust pricing. Couple that with the fact tailoring dishes to specific requirements increases the cost and time of production and service and you can see why restaurants (especially those at the price-point of Ya Hala) rarely allow for "off-menu" orders.

I haven't worked in a restaurant since I was much younger, but this is all common sense stuff. If you don't want 6, either don't order, share with your fellow diners, or take home a doggy-bag.
 
From the other side of the cash register - the owner/chef/manager's POV - unfortunately shygirl blundered into making some of the most common requests that café/restaurant businesses hate:

- taking up a table but not consuming a full meal or a large, profit-ridden order
- asking for off-menu food or portion size (nearly always a real hassle for staff, it's not just as simple as "well give me a half portion and charge me half")
- quibbling the pricing at all (you might be justified or not, but you can't expect a business owner to love this)
- comparing London pricing to Cardiff pricing (and £2.50 for baklava is really, really not all THAT expensive for London even if the baklava was tiny ... if you want value-for-money baklava you'd buy a proper wedge at a bakery, not go to a restaurant and then only eat a half portion of baklava)

None of that justifies treating a customer with contempt or disrespect, but I can see all too easily how this kicked off a bit, without anyone involved being 100% evil ;)
 
discobastard said:
All the info on this is freely available online, it's a national survey - nothing to do with Brixton Rec. Nothing to do with NHS budget either.
The Active Lives survey | Arts Council England

Interested to know why you suggest it might be mis-spending?
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I guess I have a jaded attitude. I mean it irritates me when I have perfectly respectable illnesses and the GP wants to know how much you drink and smoke - repeatedly over the years.

So I was kind of wondering was this NHS money devoted to a lifestyle survey. Are you saying Public Health England is not part of the NHS then?
 
CH1 said:
I guess I have a jaded attitude. I mean it irritates me when I have perfectly respectable illnesses and the GP wants to know how much you drink and smoke - repeatedly over the years.

So I was kind of wondering was this NHS money devoted to a lifestyle survey. Are you saying Public Health England is not part of the NHS then?
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Fair enough. And as a disclaimer, I work in the research industry :)

Public Health England is a separate agency of the Dept of Health whose remit is to 'protect and improve the nation's health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities'. So will have separate budget from the NHS (some of which I imagine will come from taxes on tobacco and alcohol - though that is just speculation - how much they ringfence/hypothecate different taxes and duties could be anybody's guess).

These agencies need some evidence of public attitudes and activities in order to be able to plan health and wellbeing policy and spending at a national and local level. And so it makes sense that it is co-sponsored by Sports, Arts and Health/Wellbeing bodies.

Because of data protection and patient confidentiality, they won't be able to take respondent level data about how much one drinks/smokes or what other illnesses one may have from existing NHS records - and obviously this changes over time, even year by year. But they will need that info if they are to make sense of the data (e.g. correlating sports activity with prevalence of illness), and so will need to ask those questions as part of the survey. [If that's what you meant by your first sentence]

I make no comment on how well they *do* protect the nation's health or make evidence based decisions, but the kind of data they collect here is pretty much essential to make policy decisions and allocate funding. And from experience, most of the public sector work I've been involved in/seen has been methodologically sound. And the margins made by research agencies on these kinds of studies are pretty low on the whole.

ETA: this gives detail on the grants provided to local authorities and will in part be decided upon by the data gathered by these surveys.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...4/PH_allocations_and_conditions_2016-17_A.pdf
 
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