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FORUM: Opinion in the CNJ
 
Rid the lock of dealers

Cllr John Mills argues that Labour in Camden is different to Labour in Whitehall

IN May there will be local elections in Camden. Some voters appear to be tempted not to vote Labour in the council elections because of dissatisfaction with the Labour government at Westminster. There are two powerful reasons why this is neither fair nor reasonable – nor in the interests of Camden residents.
Camden Council should surely be judged on its own record. We are one of the relatively few top-rated councils in the country, an accolade provided by external assessors against exacting standards. All the council’s departments are doing well, constantly winning prizes for their performance, leaving Camden with more awards than almost any other council in the country.
Of course, it is impossible to satisfy everyone all the time, but compared to what others achieve, Camden’s record is excellent. How have we done it? By no means always by slavishly following government policy. While of course we broadly support having a Labour government in power, Camden has its own agenda which is not always the same as Westminster’s. Where we differ, we think ours is closer to what most people in Camden really want. We have one of the best Local Education Authorities in the country and we do not think that the situation will be improved by imposing new academies on us, rather than spending the same money on improving our existing schools. We have strongly opposed the government’s stance on providing insufficient funding to improve our housing stock, following the vote on whether an ALMO should be established in Camden.
We objected to the new licensing laws because we thought they favoured the drinks industry’s interests over those of residents.
To an extent the differences we have had with central government reflect a difference in style. Camden does not believe that the best way to improve services is constantly to change the way they are delivered. We think the answer is to improve the way they are managed.
We believe that this approach has enabled us to use our limited resources to the best advantage in achieving our goals, and want to do all we can to maintain Camden’s social cohesion, to minimise deprivation and to produce a green and safe borough.
We therefore think that Camden deserves to stay Labour, judged by its record of achievement and its aspirations. We are well aware, however, that there are those who may be tempted to vote for other parties because of the Iraq War or issues such as identity cards, which have got nothing to do with Camden Council, or because of education reforms which most council members oppose.
One big reason for not succumbing to this temptation has to do with an issue which goes much wider than Camden.
Over the last quarter of a century, the way Britain has been governed, by both Labour and Conservatives, has involved relentless centralisation. The powers exercised by Whitehall have steadily increased while everywhere the capacity of councils to take decisions has diminished.
Labour in Camden therefore asks you for your vote on two counts. The first is that the council has been exceptionally well-run over recent years and shows every sign of continuing to be so in the future.
The second is that Camden may be Labour, but it has its own agenda, overlapping but still separate from that of central government. A Labour vote in the local elections in May 2006 is going to be a vote for local democracy. We believe that it is for you to decide how Camden is run, not someone in Whitehall.

• Cllr John Mills is a veteran Labour councillor and the Town Hall’s former finance chief.
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