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Who to fund is a tough decision
• WE read that the coalition now running Camden is desperately looking for ways to save money by cutting services. Could I suggest one way in which some money could be saved?
There is currently a consultation exercise being undertaken. This has already involved the publishing of (no doubt) thousands of glossy booklets 'Camden Together'. Reading the summary I began to wonder if what was being described in the section entitled 'Our starting Point' was actually meant to describe the Camden of today.
There is no reference to the all pervasive problem of drug dealing and the plethora of crime that this produces. There is scant mention of the problems caused by youth anti-social behaviour which makes the lives of many of citizens, especially the old, a misery.
Indeed, the elderly - one in five of the borough seem to be ignored - whatever did happen to the elderly persons' long term care strategy?
Next year the new Eurostar terminal will be opening in King's Cross and there will be a start to the massive associated developments in that area.This will have a profound effect on the borough, yet is ignored.
I see little point in asking people to comment on a picture of Camden that is so out of touch with reality. I am not sure how much is being, and has been, spent on this exercise - perhaps a councillor could enlighten us?
MICK FARRANT
Oak Village, NW5
• FOLLOWING your recent coverage of the council's voluntary sector funding review, in particular in terms of potential impact on advice services, I'd like to set out some background.
Next year, despite financial pressures, we're making the same amount of money available as this year, given the importance we attach to the good work the voluntary and community sector undertakes in Camden.
We do want that funding to be more aligned with the new council's priorities: we want improved monitoring and accountability, and we want to give currently unfunded groups the opportunity to put themselves forward for funding.
Most importantly, we are seeking to make room in the budget for new priorities we also think important, including supporting young people in keeping out of crime; providing people with low-cost finance so they can avoid loan sharks; helping young people understand about the environment; and enhancing our open spaces.
I recognise that for many organisations this new approach is an unsettling time. That is why we are undertaking a comprehensive consultation over the next two months on our approach, giving all voluntary sector organisations the opportunity to put their points, before the executive takes decisions in January.
This includes a consultation meeting for advice agencies where we would expect the CAB and the Law Centre to play a major part. The final allocations to the different priority areas will only be made by the council's executive once we have had the benefit of this detailed consultation exercise.
The easy and superficially popular thing for us to do would simply have been to continue funding the voluntary sector exactly as before, but the Lib Dem-Conservative partnership believes we have to take the bigger opportunity to improve the way we work with the voluntary sector.
CLLR ANDREW MARSHALL
Executive Member for Equalities and Community Development
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