Controversial Camden Council HQ wins backing
But only half of Labour group say Yes
Published: 21st April, 2011
by RICHARD OSLEY
THE highly-contentious plan to build new Camden Council offices in King’s Cross has cleared a vital hurdle after the ruling Labour group finally agreed to press ahead with the project.
But, the New Journal can reveal, it did so with only 50 per cent of councillors actively voting in favour.
In a see-saw debate within the group of 30 Labour councillors who have the final say on council policy, backers of the project emerged victorious from a crisis meeting held in private on Friday evening.
It means there is now little to stop Camden from building its new headquarters planned for land near St Pancras International station.
Dissenting voices who stuck to their objections asked for their opposition to be remembered.
To pay for the deal, the current Town Hall annexe building will be sold, along with other council office blocks, including the Crowndale Centre in Eversholt Street and the former social services base in St Pancras Way, both in Camden Town.
The Labour leadership has been warned repeatedly over the past fortnight by its own backbenchers that building offices at a time when public services are being cut could prove catastrophic and damage relations with residents. Newham Council recently scored a PR own goal by cutting the ribbon on plush new offices,
On Friday, at a meeting called by branch secretary Councillor Milena Nuti, five of the 30 Labour councillors did not turn up to the meeting, despite the importance and sensitivity of the debate.
Fifteen voted in favour, some of whom had been wavering over the wisdom of the move but said they had their minds swayed by a late briefing from council officials last week, which more or less amounted to a warning that there is no financial alternative for the council. That left ten councillors standing firm in opposition.
Labour finance chief Councillor Theo Blackwell said that he understood the sensitivity of the issue, but added: “The fact is we are not just looking at savings now, we are looking how we are going to manage with less money from government over six years. The alternative to not doing this would be to lose money on council offices that are in poor condition or no longer used because we have had to cut the number of staff due to government cuts.”
The Town Hall annexe is specifically considered a drain on council resources with claims that the bill for repairs to lifts and plumbing is spiralling out of control.
“We are trying to consolidate what we have to meet our needs,” Cllr Blackwell said. “We have had a debate in the group, there were some councillors who were cautious but we will now move ahead.”
Opponents of the plans within the Labour group feel the money raised from selling buildings like the Crowndale Centre should be used on public services hit by funding cuts.
The sweetener promoted by backers of the scheme is that the new office block will include a swimming pool.
The project was originally proposed by the Lib Dem and Conservative coalition which ran Camden between 2006 and 2010. Current Tory leader Councillor Andrew Mennear is against the building of council offices, although his group too has a divided opinion.
“This shows Labour is a divided group,” he said. “I’ve got qualms about whether this project makes sense at this time and would rather they were thinking about spending money on services.”