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The fight for funds can spark a revival of real politics
IF Parliament, full of flummery and MPs weirdly out of touch with the nation, doesn’t get it – does Camden Council?
We realise the predicament facing the council, along with most other local authorities. They are being starved of finances by central government.
This goes back, principally, to the 1980s, when Mrs Thatcher decided to snatch back much of the revenue-raising powers of local government.
Hemmed in by a stingy Treasury, their only defence has been to raise funds by every means possible, and that often meant selling off the family silver. The borough’s Labour council did it in the 1990s – and today the Lib-Dem-Tory coalition are doing the same thing.
That’s why they are indulging in a fire sale of their properties. This week they raised nearly £3million at an auction.
And that’s why they are selling off the town hall annexe in this week’s edition of the Estates Gazette.
In their spin they rationalise the whole exercise by arguing that the maintenance of the annexe has become a drain on public finances.
However, they have not produced any checkable figures. There are no reports by council surveyors open to public scrutiny – only a report.
Although cogently argued and bristling with conviction, it lacks one essential quality: cold, financial figures.
Councillor Jonathan Simpson was shown the door by the majority parties when he asked for evidence.
We, however, will continue to knock on the Town Hall door with a Freedom of Information request.
Put aside the fact that this is the worst possible time to sell a site for commercial use.
That even if, in principle, there are sound arguments for a sale – should it be done in a falling market?
Surely, you would wait until the market picks up again.
Turning to the £2.6m gained from this week’s auction, where will the money go?
Won’t it disappear in the Town Hall kitty like water on sand?
People are accused of disenchantment with politics. In fact they are disillusioned with the behaviour of politicians.
Many people in Camden are challenging councillors to start lobbying Whitehall with them for more funds for housing.
They are trying to bring politics back to life.
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