Camden New Journal - Comment: The disjointed state of our government is exposed by passing the library buck

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Camden New Journal - COMMENT
Published: 23 August 2007

The disjointed state of our government is exposed by passing the library buck

WHEN Tony Blair came to power 10 years ago the mantra from No 10 Downing Street was: The work of all departments at national or local level needs to be joined up.
Again and again and again that phrase was repeated by the Blair machine – parroted by their acolytes at local level.
This week the Camden New Journal finds itself in the extraordinary position of trying to ‘join up’ the work of the government Department for Culture Media and Sport and that of Camden Council’s housing department.
Until this newspaper recently warned the public of the impending sale of Camden’s largest government-owned brownfield site – the land behind the British Library – to a private speculator, neither local politicians nor government ministers evinced any interest in the future of this piece of land ripe for development.
Then came Gordon Brown’s green paper that at long last recognised that Britain faces a severe housing crisis – and that the provision of local authority housing may help to solve it.
Thus, we wrote to the DCMS pointing out that they owned nearly seven acres at the rear of the British Library – and wouldn’t it be in line with the government’s new policy if that were used for social housing, preferably built by Camden Council.
The culture secretary James Purnell replied that it was up to Camden Council as to what happens to the land!
This week we wrote to the highest office in the land, that of Gordon Brown’s, asking him to keep his pledge to use publicly owned land for public housing.
The Prime Minister’s reply through the housing minister Yvette Cooper appears to be passing the buck – again (see page 4).
In effect, she said she approved of the council’s planning guidelines for the site. She didn’t mind whether private developers, housing associations or the council built on the land – as long as the guidelines were adhered to.
What buck-passing!
As for the council’s housing chief Chris Naylor, he appears to be in the same league of make-believe politics!
It’s a simple matter. Public housing should be built on this giant piece of public housing! No ifs. No buts.
Will Gordon Brown please take an interest? Will Cllr Naylor instruct his officers to draw up a blueprint for the site, for the first piece of council housing in Camden for decades?
And will he then please bombard Mr Brown with it?

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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