Haringey, London Borough of

Haringey, London Borough of, administrative region, London, England. Haringey was created in 1965 from the former metropolitan boroughs of Hornsey, Tottenham, and Wood Green. It is bordered by Enfield, Barnet, Camden, Islington, Hackney, and Waltham Forest. Large parts of the borough are residential, such as the suburbs of Muswell Hill, Highgate, and Crouch End in the west, but it also contains areas of inner city decay and regeneration where former manufacturing industries are being replaced by service, technological, and clothing and textiles industries.

Haringey contains several celebrated green spaces, such as Highgate Wood, Finsbury Park, and Alexandra Park. The latter is famous for Alexandra Palace, the birthplace of television and now a national exhibition centre. Also in Haringey are the College of North East London and two Middlesex University campuses, at Bounds Green and Tottenham.

In 1965 Greater London was created under the jurisdiction of the Greater London Council. This council was abolished in 1986, and each inner and outer borough and the City of London itself had its own governing council as the sole administrative authority from then until 2000. The borough councils consist of councillors elected every four years, who in turn annually elect their presiding official. Councils are responsible for the provision of most local services including education, housing, social services, local planning, roads, refuse collection, recreation, and culture.

On May 4, 2000, the people of London voted in a new London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, and 25-strong cross-party Assembly, together known as the Greater London Authority. A new mayor will be elected every 4 years, and although he or she has limited budget-raising powers, the position includes responsibility for the police, fire service, health, and public transport. However, the Home Secretary (a senior government minister) is still ultimately responsible for many areas, including London's Metropolitan Police Service (see Scotland Yard). Population 216,510 (2001).