Congratulations Labour, but questions remain

Published: 22 September, 2011

• I’D like to say a big thank you to everyone who voted Green in the Highgate by-election, to all those who helped with our inspiring campaign and to the many residents who spared us time to talk on the doorstep or on the phone.

Congratulations also to Sally Gimson for winning the by-election. I’m sure she’ll make an excellent councillor.

However I do think there are a number of things the community needs to keep asking Sally and Labour in the months and years ahead.

1. Why did Sally and the Labour group claim to have saved the Highgate Safer Neighbourhoods Team police sergeant? Other wards in Camden have had to share sergeants as part of the Mayor of London’s unacceptable cuts to community policing. Labour’s own cabinet member for community safety said that keeping the Highgate sergeant was solely a policing decision. The Borough Commander said the same. The chair of the Safer Neighbourhoods Panel was reported to be apoplectic about the Labour claim.

2. How can Sally and the Labour-run council claim to have saved Highgate Library when its budget has been cut by more than 50 per cent and the community have been asked to find someone to share the space? The Camden Public Libraries Users Group (CPLUG) say the library is still at risk. The chair of CPLUG has suggested that if it wasn’t for the by-election the Labour-run council would have tried to close the library.

3. Why did Sally and the Labour group claim to have saved Kentish Town Library when it was never under threat?

4. Why did Sally and the Labour group claim to have saved the Holly Lodge Community Centre when the Labour-run council has actually cut its core grant to zero? The management committee of the community centre – who felt obliged to put up posters to correct the misleading impression given by Labour’s leaflets – say it will have to close if they can’t fund-raise enough to replace the Camden Council grant.

5. Why did she and the Labour group claim that the £200k planning gain from the redevelopment of the Holly Lodge bedsits would definitely be spent on rebuilding the Holly Lodge Family Centre? Before the
by-election was called the council’s planning department had been refusing to confirm that this money would go towards the family centre rebuild. And there’s still nothing in writing except a Labour election campaign leaflet.

I understand that Labour wanted to win. After all Highgate ward is where Ed Miliband lives.
But I also know that, after all their campaign claims, the community is now watching Labour extremely closely.

If Highgate Library is closed or reduced to a token facility, or if the Holly Lodge Community Centre goes under, then residents will know who to blame.

ALEXIS ROWELL
Green Party
by-election candidate