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Services did not grind to a halt because of the snow
• I REFER to your article ‘No buses, no school, no parks: How Camden came to standstill’ (February 5).
I can reassure you that council services did not grind to a halt. We endeavoured to provide normal services as far as possible, with a particular emphasis on essential services for vulnerable people.
A third of our staff made it into work despite disruption to the transport system while another 1,500 logged on remotely from home thanks to the massive progress in technology made since the last big freeze in 1991, a far more efficient use of their time than spending wasted hours trekking into the office in icy conditions. This made a total of nearly two-thirds of our staff working, well above the London average of one in five who made it into work.
Yes, it was a shame that we were unable to open our locked parks because of staff shortages, as our parks contractor’s employees could not physically get to work; not everyone lives close to their place of work and the transport difficulties throughout London last Monday are well known.
We understand residents’ disappointment but many other open spaces including our own ungated parks were accessible. All our gated parks were open again on Tuesday.
There were many examples of staff going the extra mile to deliver services, such as gritting teams working through the night and our emergency duty team providing an overnight service.
Our children’s safeguarding team maintained their service throughout and we also managed to get meals to everyone that absolutely needed them.
Although our highest priority during this emergency was to make sure we maintained our services to vulnerable residents, we also kept open a range of other services including libraries, leisure centres and district housing offices.
I’d like to thank those residents who contacted us to say they thought we were doing a good job in exceptional circumstances.
I was also pleased to receive a number of comments from residents letting us know how they wanted to help too, so the community spirit was still shown to be alive and kicking with neighbours checking on elderly residents and people clearing snow from the pavements in front of their homes.
This is to be welcomed, not because we are abdicating our responsibilities in any way, but because looking out for each other is what makes for stronger communities and can be shown at its best in times of adversity.
In the case of schools, the final decision to close is one made by the headteacher and chair of governors, not the council, although they may, of course, seek our advice. Once again, many of their staff will not have been able to travel to work due to the transport disruption.
Camden Council was one of many councils in London and across the south-east that was affected by last Monday’s extreme snowfall.
Under the exceptional circumstances I believe that our staff responded professionally and with dedication to serving our residents.
We will, of course, be reviewing how well our winter maintenance plan and other special arrangements worked, and if there are any lessons to be learned we will want to look at those.
Regular updates about our services are available on our website, camden.gov.uk and I encourage people to always visit this site for the very latest information.
The customer service centre also operates a 24/7 service on 020 7974 4444.
CLLR KEITH MOFFITT
Leader Camden Council
Why so ill-prepared?
• BY claiming he’d rather be criticised for not opening the parks, than for a child dying in an icy pond, Councillor Keith Moffitt shows little respect or no understanding that human beings have their own common sense (No buses, no school, no parks: How Camden came to a standstill, February 5).
Besides the incredibly obvious fact that a minority of parks in Camden have ponds or lakes (none at all here in King’s Cross ward), the decision to close parks forced children (and adults) out on the streets to play.
Would he rather he was criticised for causing a child’s death on icy roads (or an adult’s, for that matter)?
In the wider sense, the “weather event” we experienced was well forecast more than five days before it happened. There was no excuse for Camden to be so ill-prepared for the weather we had, and once again I wonder where our council staff are going so badly wrong in their contingency plans.
So few roads were gritted in the ward that only Euston Road was really all that passable, but that was done by Transport for London.
The UK has an international reputation of being obsessed with the weather, with updates widely broadcast and publicised 24/7, meaning the snow was no surprise.
The snow could have been a blessing in disguise, as now that we know how a Liberal Democrat/Conservative-controlled council has prepared for a minor emergency, we can gauge how well-prepared they would be for a major emergency, and worry.
From the knee-jerk, nanny-state reaction of our council, I get the impression I should be rather proud that I’ve managed to live for four decades. I should be congratulated. I’ve made it this far without being wrapped in cotton wool.
In stark contrast to the nanny state of Camden, the Somerton House Tenants’ Association organised a bag of salt from caretaking services well in advance of the “adverse conditions”, so that our tenants, some of whom experienced their first snowfall, could at least get as far as Camden’s icy pavements without slipping.
SIMON LAMROCK
Somerton House, Wc1
No parks!
• PEOPLE around Talacre Gardens could be forgiven for questioning Camden Council’s wisdom and judgment.
Your article (No buses, no school, no parks: How Camden came to a standstill, February 5), seems to indicate that they used the all-encompassing health and safety excuse to keep our park locked on February 2.
Health and safety reasons ring hollow at Talacre Gardens. This is the same council which, until recently, seriously entertained having a dangerous lorry route cut across our park to assist overseas developers with building their Dalby Street scheme. Another reason given by Camden was the shortage of staff. Here at Talacre Gardens, our park-keeper was in the park on the dot and indeed was photographed in a landscape of pristine and untrampled snow.
He then was nowhere to be seen locally for the rest of the day. So much for the “no staff available”argument.
With no ponds, streams or hills, Talacre Gardens is not noticeably hazardous.
Throughout the year there are numerous occasions during normal opening times when park attendants are diverted elsewhere than Talacre Gardens. Excluding park users, great and small, from a snow-covered park means many play on the highway. Council liability for injury claims persists on such highway.
Therefore, any argument they might care to put forward that park closure assists keeping the burden on the emergency services to a minimum falls by the wayside.
Meanwhile, the children of Haverstock, one of the more deprived wards in Camden, where many residents are tenants in social housing and have no garden of their own, were prevented from using their park to enjoy the snow in a safe environment.
Hopefully there will be another snowfall before long. Let us hope that the council will then have a change of heart and open the park gates.
Parks can scarcely exist for the convenience of the council, but rather for the benefit of local residents.
CELINE LA FRENIERE
Talacre Road, NW5
Tenants’ day
• FEBRUARY 2 was the day we were due to hold an information event for Camden’s private tenants at the Swiss Cottage Community Centre.
Unfortunately it was also the day we had the heaviest snow we had in London for almost 20 years.
The many people who were due to staff the stalls – from the council to the credit union – were unable to get into our offices, never mind up to Swiss Cottage, owing to the lack of public transport.
We were also informed that the community centre itself had to be closed for the day.
Therefore I can only apologise to everybody who was intending to come to the event.
However, rest assured that we will do our very best to find the money required to run this unique event once again for private tenants.
ROBERT TAYLOR
Camden Federation of
Private Tenants
Camden Street, NW1
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