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Published: 13 September 2007

Pen-pushers are Town Hall’s true ruling class

PEEL away the debate over who pays for the wall that tragically killed a two-year-old boy in Gospel Oak (See page 3) and you will find it reveals an age old problem centring on the question: Who runs the Town Hall – politicians or the officials?
At present, it seems officials have – however provisionally – decided to charge leaseholders for that part of the wall that collapsed in January.
You could say that the officials are acting precipitately because, as yet, the investigation by the Health and Service Executive into the tragedy has not been concluded.
Until it is, surely the question of cost cannot be calculated or apportioned.
For instance, if the council is found responsible for neglecting essential repairs to the wall, would it not be grossly unfair then to expect leaseholders to foot the bill?
Leaseholders have rightly made this point.
And then is it not insensitive for officials to even publicly bring up the issue of costs before an inquest into the death of the little boy is held?
This can be seen, therefore, as being more than a piece of petty accounting or keeping the ledgers nice and tidy.
As for our councillors, who are charged with the responsibility of running the council, they appear to be in the dark as much as the leaseholders now possibly facing expensive bills. It is the officials who have so far done all the talking. But the voices that should be heard are those of the councillors.
After all, they are elected to run the Town Hall administration.
But do they?

When will the Lib-Dems admit that we’re right?

SLOWLY, albeit a bit laboriously, our campaign to keep the land behind the British Library in public hands and used completely for social housing appears to be making headway.
The MP Frank Dobson is behind it. And now, too, is the Labour group. They have followed our example and shot off a pleading letter to the housing minister Yvette Cooper.
Every bit helps of course. Gordon Brown may have much bigger things on his mind but his advisers may well have pointed out to him that the strategy to build housing on every available square metre of urban brownfield land doesn’t quite make sense if it makes an exception of the sizeable library site.
The yahoo exchange on Monday between the Lib-Dems and Labour (See page 8) belittles both parties. Labour should keep their powder dry for more and yet more campaigning.
While the Lib-Dems shold have the grace to admit our campaign makes sense.

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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