Tribal?

Published: 22 July, 2010

• COUNCILLOR Theo Blackwell has highlighted the need for Camden to explore the sharing of services with other London boroughs.

I and other Conservative councillors support this approach.

However, he has added an additional rider that these boroughs must be ones that share the same “values”.

The same values as whom?

For Cllr Blackwell seems to have decided that Camden, a top-performing council, has similar values to Islington, Haringey and Hackney rather than other councils with top-performing services such as Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.

Our residents are used to four-star services. 

Camden should be looking to share environmental services with Westminster, not Islington; social services with Kensington & Chelsea, not Haringey; and, education with Hammersmith & Fulham, not Hackney.

I am left to lament that when he spoke about sharing services with councils sharing “our values” he was meaning his own tribal Labour values rather than those of our local residents.

It’s impossible not to conclude that Camden’s Labour leadership has decided to prioritise its own doctrinal comfort over the quality of local services and local residents have every right to be feeling extremely worried by this.

CLLR ANDREW MENNEAR
Conservative, Frognal & Fitzjohns ward  NW3