The councillors approved £23 million in budget cuts in 2007-8, with over £40 million in the next three years, affecting the following:
- 350 jobs slashed
- £3m cuts to children's services, including play scheme closures plus support to vulnerable children reduced
- £9.8m cuts to Housing and Adult Social care with 170 job losses
- 20% hike in community meals charges
- Cuts in Welfare Rights and Camden Language Services
- Cuts in funding to the voluntary sector
- Inflation-busting 5.3% rent rise for council tenants
- Major upheavals in hostels with 60 jobs to go in homelessness services
- end to door-to-door recycling schemes on council estates
- Enforcement initiatives in the planning department deleted.
- Slash street ‘gully cleansing’ team
- 3am street cleaning in entertainment hotspots such as Camden Town and Covent Garden cut.
- Reduction of posts in Youth Offending Team.
- Schools music service under review.
- Grants to voluntary services reduced by 12% in real terms over 3 years.
- Boulevard project scaled down.
The administration combined this with above inflation hikes in fees and charges:
- Meals on Wheels dinners for the elderly to rise by 50p each (or nearly £300 a year for a couple)
- Surviving play after school and holiday play schemes to be more expensive.
- Cemetery charges up.
- More expensive fees for pest control.
- Higher fees for hiring out the Camden Centre and other council buildings.
See press reports from the demonstration here:
http://libcom.org/news/town-hall-riot-over-cuts-camden-01032007
http://www.thecnj.com/camden/022207/news022207_01.html
Polly Toynbee: http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2037972,00.html
Saturday 20 October 2007
Vital advice services cut in Camden
In the 2006-07 budget passed in May 2007 out went Camden's nationally-respected Welfare Rights Unit, now broken up with key staff leaving and others split up across the council.
Since 2002 the Unit worked with other parts of the council and with local advice agencies, like the CABx, on income maximisation campaigns. These netted over £10 million in 4 years for local people in Working (Families) Tax Credit and extra money for carers and older people. Special projects took place in Highgate New Town and Kilburn which contacted hundreds of parents and pensioners, bringing them extra state money to help with bills or childcare.
Advice services (CABx, Camden Law Centre and others) long seen by the Tories as the bastion of urban trendy lefties and local trots, were the target in January 2007 just as it is now by the right-wing Tory administration in Hammersmith and Fulham, see here. yet the perform a vital function, giving needed advice to people who have no one to turn to.
Since 2002 the Unit worked with other parts of the council and with local advice agencies, like the CABx, on income maximisation campaigns. These netted over £10 million in 4 years for local people in Working (Families) Tax Credit and extra money for carers and older people. Special projects took place in Highgate New Town and Kilburn which contacted hundreds of parents and pensioners, bringing them extra state money to help with bills or childcare.
Advice services (CABx, Camden Law Centre and others) long seen by the Tories as the bastion of urban trendy lefties and local trots, were the target in January 2007 just as it is now by the right-wing Tory administration in Hammersmith and Fulham, see here. yet the perform a vital function, giving needed advice to people who have no one to turn to.
Wednesday 17 October 2007
Door-to-door recycling cut on Camden estates
In April 2007 the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition cut funding for door-to-door recycling for 4000 homes on council estates. The rationale was saving money, but on the same day (April 16) a new, 'elite' service was rolled out in Hampstead.
Camden Labour called this a "postcode lottery" for recycling, and argued that recycling should be for all, not just the wealthy. See here.
Council press release on removal of the pilot: http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/press/2007/february/changes-to-estate-doorstep-recycling-scheme.en
Concern expressed by Camden Friends of the Earth:
http://camdenfoe.blogspot.com/2007/04/rubbish-recycling.html
Camden Labour called this a "postcode lottery" for recycling, and argued that recycling should be for all, not just the wealthy. See here.
Council press release on removal of the pilot: http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/press/2007/february/changes-to-estate-doorstep-recycling-scheme.en
Concern expressed by Camden Friends of the Earth:
http://camdenfoe.blogspot.com/2007/04/rubbish-recycling.html
Monday 8 October 2007
Highgate Mental Health Day Centre faces surprise £190k cut
We have learned from service users at the Highgate Day Centre, and from the CNJ, that a two-thirds cut to the Centre’s budget is being proposed. This was announced by officers at a recent service users’ meeting. This was not flagged up in the budget process for 2007/8.
The surprise announcement that the Highgate Day Centre in Kentish Town will lose nearly two thirds of its funding (£190,000), has shocked patients and staff at the centre, who say it may have to close without the cash.
Care trust assistant director George Platts said the local authority had imposed 7.5 per cent cuts to the trust, amounting to £650,000. Tory Cllr Martin Davies has stated that this is a proposal by officers to balance the budget. Once again, vulnerable service users are being targeted for cuts to make the Council’s budget add up.
The previous Labour administration carried out a careful study of Mental Health Services, under the Best Value Review. The proposal for Highgate Day Centre, under this Review, was to transform it into a service for people with personality disorders. Now all of a sudden, we hear that another such service has been opened elsewhere by the NHS, and the Highgate Centre may be subject to this draconian two-thirds cut.
What is going on? Isn’t this closure, disguised as a cut? We assume the Lib.Dem/Tory administration would like to flog off the building as soon as possible, regardless of principle, as they did with the Jamestown Centre on taking office. We all remember the passionate defence of vulnerable service users at Jamestown by Lib Dem.councillors in opposition, only to sell it off on taking office. It is well known that people who use mental health services get exceptionally distressed by proposals to cut their services. A vague conversation with a service manager is a wholly inappropriate way to announce such a proposal.
Lib Dem councillor David Abrahams, health scrutiny committee chairman said to the CNJ: “I find the two-thirds cut very difficult to support. I accept no service can stay the same forever and that everybody in the health service is being asked to find efficiency savings. I don’t think it makes sense to suggest that the budget might be cut by two thirds without having an enormously damaging impact on the centre. Both myself and members of the health scrutiny panel will be looking very closely at this.”
The fact is that this cut only came about because of Camden Council. It makes their support in opposition for the Jamestown Centre (and subsequent U-turn when in power) totally bogus and a disgrace. Cllr. Abrahams scrutiny panel has done nothing about this and service users will be left out in the cold while our intentionally toothless scrutiny system points finders at others, when it should be blaming Camden’s ruling Executive. The Tories and Lib Dems should hand their heads in shame.
The surprise announcement that the Highgate Day Centre in Kentish Town will lose nearly two thirds of its funding (£190,000), has shocked patients and staff at the centre, who say it may have to close without the cash.
Care trust assistant director George Platts said the local authority had imposed 7.5 per cent cuts to the trust, amounting to £650,000. Tory Cllr Martin Davies has stated that this is a proposal by officers to balance the budget. Once again, vulnerable service users are being targeted for cuts to make the Council’s budget add up.
The previous Labour administration carried out a careful study of Mental Health Services, under the Best Value Review. The proposal for Highgate Day Centre, under this Review, was to transform it into a service for people with personality disorders. Now all of a sudden, we hear that another such service has been opened elsewhere by the NHS, and the Highgate Centre may be subject to this draconian two-thirds cut.
What is going on? Isn’t this closure, disguised as a cut? We assume the Lib.Dem/Tory administration would like to flog off the building as soon as possible, regardless of principle, as they did with the Jamestown Centre on taking office. We all remember the passionate defence of vulnerable service users at Jamestown by Lib Dem.councillors in opposition, only to sell it off on taking office. It is well known that people who use mental health services get exceptionally distressed by proposals to cut their services. A vague conversation with a service manager is a wholly inappropriate way to announce such a proposal.
Lib Dem councillor David Abrahams, health scrutiny committee chairman said to the CNJ: “I find the two-thirds cut very difficult to support. I accept no service can stay the same forever and that everybody in the health service is being asked to find efficiency savings. I don’t think it makes sense to suggest that the budget might be cut by two thirds without having an enormously damaging impact on the centre. Both myself and members of the health scrutiny panel will be looking very closely at this.”
The fact is that this cut only came about because of Camden Council. It makes their support in opposition for the Jamestown Centre (and subsequent U-turn when in power) totally bogus and a disgrace. Cllr. Abrahams scrutiny panel has done nothing about this and service users will be left out in the cold while our intentionally toothless scrutiny system points finders at others, when it should be blaming Camden’s ruling Executive. The Tories and Lib Dems should hand their heads in shame.
Welcome to the cuts in Camden Blog
This blog will detail the Tory/Lib Dem track record on cuts to our local public services.
How to use this site:
It's easy! Follow the instructions here or on the side of the screen. If you want to know about what's a happened in your ward just enter the name (e.g. Highgate ward) in the search engine above and you will get the results. Otherwise, at the bottom of each post just clik on the tag to get a fill list of news items relating to your theme or area.
Usually the article will have links on them to relevant local newspaper articles, council papers or letters.
Want to know what ward you are in?
Just click here to find out from Camden Council.
I hope you find this site useful.
How to use this site:
It's easy! Follow the instructions here or on the side of the screen. If you want to know about what's a happened in your ward just enter the name (e.g. Highgate ward) in the search engine above and you will get the results. Otherwise, at the bottom of each post just clik on the tag to get a fill list of news items relating to your theme or area.
Usually the article will have links on them to relevant local newspaper articles, council papers or letters.
Want to know what ward you are in?
Just click here to find out from Camden Council.
I hope you find this site useful.
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