Need for vigilance on community safety

Published: 8 July, 2010

• LABOUR’S local manifesto didn’t say anything about continuing Camden Town’s 18-strong team of dedicated Police Community Support Officers, but referred to “reorganising the existing street warden service to ensure its focus is on areas like King’s Cross and Camden Town”.

So I’m pleased that Labour have bowed to calls to ensure long-term policing here to keep drugs off the streets, and credit goes to my colleagues councillors Pat Callaghan and Thomas Neumark for campaigning on this.

But we must stay vigilant on this. Our Liberal Democrat community safety chief first hired in the 18 PCSOs in 2007, then in 2009 I got commitment to continue for another two years to 2011.

So come on Labour, finding funding for 2011 to 2012 isn’t such a big triumph to boast about! We committed for four years in total, you’ve only committed for one.

On another point, you printed a letter (Crucial questions about Arlington House, July 1) challenging me to explain more about Camden’s role in securing Arlington’s completion.

All I can say is, our job was to ensure the £25million extra investment Camden had secured from government was properly spent, and we did so 100 per cent.

The relaunched Arlington is proof of this.

Along the way other funds Novas was supposed to invest were no longer forthcoming, it could not honour its part of the deal.

Hence One Housing stepping into the breach.

As a key part of Camden’s acclaimed Pathways programme to help the homeless, Arlington will, I’m sure, make a major contribution.

But this will be up to One and the new Labour administration on the Council to take forward.

CLLR CHRIS NAYLOR
Liberal Democrat, Camden Town and Primrose Hill