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Don’t shift the blame for higher council tax
• FATHER Hawkins suggests (‘Zero council tax rise is bad news for some, 12 April) that the freeze on Camden’s council tax has come at the expense of services for the most vulnerable.
In fact, the Liberal Democrat-led council has put in some £10m more to Camden’s services this year, precisely because we believe in our responsibilities to support the most vulnerable in our society, to help people in their daily lives, and to create strong and safe communities.
Examples of this approach include: the extra £5m we are finding for the elderly and most disabled so we can continue our obligations as a society to those who need our help the most; the £600,000 for help transport children with special educational needs to school – children who need us all to work for them so they can fulfil their potential; the extra £50,000 for youth services in the borough to give more of our young people the opportunity to engage in constructive activities.
I’m pleased that Fr Hawkins recognises that, with the current unfair council tax system, those on the lowest incomes pay the highest proportion as tax. That is why, by holding council tax down, we have done everything we can to mitigate the impact on the 100,000 people who pay council tax in Camden, while continuing to invest the services that we all need.
Cllr KEITH MOFFITT
Leader of the Council
• FATHER Hawkins appears to blame Camden for the rise in business rates.
This is incorrect.
In the good old days, Camden set and kept its business rates, but then Margaret Thatcher nationalised them.
Now Camden has to collect an amount set by central government and hand it over, and Camden then gets back an amount, again set by Government.
In 2002-03 Camden collected £210 million and got back £60 million, a massive loss of £150 million. I sympathise with Fr Hawkins’ distress at the reduced funding to the Camden Community Law Centre, but he should be pleased to know that the council is making major improvements in vital services. For example, adult social care is getting an extra £5 million so that, possibly for the first time, the council will start the year with the funds to pay for all the people whose care it is responsible for. The council is also providing an extra £300,000 to fund 18 additional Police Community Support Officers
DUDLEY MILES
Belsize Park Gardens, NW3
• WHY do you publish letters you know to be factually wrong or deliberately misleading?
The one last week (Name and address supplied, Letters April 12) implying that Cllr Braithwaite was being dishonest when he reminded readers how Camden Council had honoured its promise not to raise council tax is typical of this annoying trend.
Most readers know the truth – our bills showed an overall increase, yes, but this was not down to Camden Council.
Rather, it was down to Mayor Ken Livingstone’s seemingly uncontrollable addiction to spending other people’s money. But in the hope that a few readers might be misled into joining in with this unjustified criticism, you print the letter – and give the correspondent the totally unjustified protection of anonymity.
Similarly, last week, your editorial rushed to criticise council planners (“aided at times by elected councillors”) who ordered a bicycle shed to be removed from a front garden in Primrose Hill, totally (and disingenuously) disregarding the facts as presented in your page 5 report of the incident, which revealed they were acting on neighbours’ complaints.
If they had not done so, you would presumably have run an editorial claiming that Camden Council was ignoring residents’ wishes.
Your search for sticks with which to beat this council is becoming less and less plausible and more and more laughable. When will the CNJ wake up and realise that a year ago the people of Camden – your readers – kicked Labour out of the town hall because they were tired of their profligacy, arrogance, disingenuousness and deception. Beware that we don’t begin to tire of the same qualities in your journalism.
ROGER HUGHES
Courthope Road, NW3
• YOUR correspondent (Name and address supplied, April 12) pointed out that he has been asked to pay more council tax this year and wondered why.
I am happy to explain that he has the Labour Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, to blame for this. Camden Council acts as the collecting agent for Ken Livingstone’s Greater London Assembly and while the Liberal Democrat-led administration in Camden has frozen the council’s part of the council tax, Ken Livingstone has put his up by over five per cent. I wrote to him asking him to keep down his increases, but he even didn't bother to reply.
Cllr JANET GRAUBERG
Liberal Democrat
Kilburn Ward.
• COUNCILLOR Paul Brathwaite should not get so carried away (Letters April 4): any old fool can freeze council tax if you slash services.
The Tory-Lib Dem coalition’s massive hike in meal charges for older people, closure of play groups, cuts in funding to numerous voluntary groups and voila.
So much more difficult to have a succession of very low, below inflation council tax increases at the same time as maintaining and enhancing services.
I respect the political choice that the electorate in Camden made last year – but it comes at a cost that we should recognise.
JANE ROBERTS
Countess Road, NW5
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