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In an emergency... just hold on and on
• JUST over a week ago, a serious fire completely gutted a flat in one of the blocks in King’s Cross ward, leaving a family of four without a roof over their head.
Police and fire service are investigating, but it is believed the fire could have been caused by an arson-related attack. This is clearly extremely worrying and I hope police and the council will work in close partnership to find whoever caused this wicked criminal act which put a number of lives at risk.
What I found most worrying, however, was how difficult it was to get hold of the council on the emergency phone line on the day of the fire.
After waiting for nearly 30 minutes to get through to the Town Hall, residents gave up and called me as their ward councillor to ask if I could help.
I similarly found it impossible to get a response from the Town Hall switchboard, so went physically to the lobby in the hope that someone would come and speak to me. Thankfully, as it was a Saturday, the Town Hall lobby was open to the public.
I have taken up with the council chief executive the lack of an emergency response line.
Given that this fire took place in council-owned properties, I would have expected a far better response from Camden, especially as the welfare of so many residents was put in danger.
As this Lib Dem-Conservative administration introduces yet further cuts to services, I hope the emergency phone response line is protected and also receives some serious investment in coming months.
CLLR JONATHAN SIMPSON
(Labour) King’s Cross ward
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