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Cllr Jill Fraser |
Town Hall ‘caught sleeping’ as recession grips borough
Coalition pledge: There won’t be any ‘gimmicks’ in tackling economic crisis
JOBLESS figures continued to rise as opposition finance experts accused Camden’s ruling Lib Dem and Conservative administration this week of “falling asleep at the wheel” by failing to introduce recession-busting measures.
After months in which finance bosses have refused to commit themselves to packages of recession relief like those launched by neighbours Westminster and Islington, the coalition is actually set to announce relatively low-key measures in the next two weeks.
The measures are expected to include a pledge to pay small business contractors faster and the bringing forward of some road and highway works to stimulate jobs – but there will be no headline-grabbing “gimmicks”, according to Conservative regeneration chief councillor Andrew Marshall and Lib Dem leader Keith Moffit.
Cllr Marshall said on Tuesday: “A big exercise of research and monitoring has gone on in the last few weeks.
“We’re making sure that everything we are doing in terms of capital works does not fall apart because of recession.
“We don’t believe in gimmicks – in a few weeks we will have what we think is the right budget.”
Camden’s ruling Lib Dem/Conservative coalition has yet to introduce a single new spending pledge tailored to meet the recession.
Neighbouring boroughs’ measures, including a £100m spending pledge claimed by Westminster Council, were announced as early as October. Unemployment in Camden is below the London average, but growing quickly.
The most recent benefits figures show that the numbers claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Camden took their largest jump in three years, to 4,224 in November. And starker figures obtained by Job Centres show that 11 big employers based in Camden made a total number of 677 people redundant in November.
Labour finance spokesman councillor Theo Blackwell accused the administration of lacking ideas.
“It is perverse to wait until the effects of the recession are upon us and then act,” he said.
“Are you waiting until you see boarded up shops in Hampstead, or do you act in anticipation of them?
“The coalition have fallen asleep at the wheel.”
Cllr Blackwell called for the Town Hall reserves to be used to distribute a one-off rebate to council tax payers of between £100 and £150 in April, to encourage spending.
But Lib Dem council leader Keith Moffit said a rebate was a “move to garner favour and impress rather than have an impact” and pledged a response to the recession in the next budget.
The debit bunch: Lib Dems slammed over councillors’ £5,000 pay rise
TIMES may be hard but three Liberal Democrat councillors are set to collect an extra £5,000 a year in their pay packets, writes Richard Osley.
While the gloomy economic conditions have meant bonuses and pay rises are off the radar in offices across the borough, the Lib Dems insist the workload of three of their members deserves to be rewarded with more money.
The special responsibility allowance will go to Jill Fraser, who chairs the council’s adoptions panel, Duncan Greenland, in charge of the general purposes committee and Alexis Rowell, the council’s eco-champion.
Lib Dem chief Councillor Keith Moffitt said: “It is not a decision we have taken lightly.
“We are not naïve about the timing of this and how it might look but we think this is belated because all three do a lot of work in their roles. Overall, Camden has one of the lowest levels of allowances in London.”
But the timing has been criticised elsewhere in the Town Hall.
Labour councillor Theo Blackwell said: “At a time when people are feeling the pinch, Camden should not be hiking councillors salaries for the ruling party or any other party.
“It seems strange when Camden hasn’t even come out with an economic plan for the borough that the Lib Dems come out with a new economic plan for their own councillors.” |
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