Thursday, 30 June 2011
187-199 West End Lane Community Planning Day this Saturday
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This Saturday there is an exhibition and community planning day - ie workshops and site visit - for this site - the long sliver of land between the tube line and the rail line, with the bike shop for example on it at present. It's owned by Network Rail and the Ballymore Group and they're planning to redevelop it with a residential scheme. This is their event, which they say will inform their eventual planning application. The event runs from 11am-4pm at Emmanuel Primary School, 101 Mill Lane.
Obviously this is in the neighbouring West Hampstead ward, but it is very relevant to many of our constituents who use West End Lane.
Following the community planning day, there is a report back meeting on Wednesday 13th July at 7.30pm at St James Church, Sherriff Rd. We will keep a close eye on these proposals, though this is still an early stage.
Cycling in South Hampstead
The Camden Cycling Campaign is reporting on a run four of their number undertook in May through South Hampstead, from the theatre through to West End Lane. They highlight a number of difficult areas for cyclists, and that's something we'll have to look at as councillors. A lot has been done in recent years to improve cycle lanes but often there are gaps in provision. Clearly there is a lot less money now to put in further measures for cyclists, but it's important to Boris, and important to all parties on Camden Council, and hopefully we can resolve some of the problems identified here.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Brian Coleman out in Swiss Cottage on his 50th birthday
Our GLA member Brian Coleman was out and about with the three of us this morning on what turned out to be his 50th birthday - many happy returns to Brian.
We looked at a wide variety of street and transport problems, including the Broadfield site, where we think the Council is wrong to be considering development, the Waites site, the Network Rail land on Broadhurst Gardens, and the High Speed 2 ventilation site.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Charles Tannock MEP comes to Swiss Cottage
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Camden Summer University: Over 100 free activities for young people
Once again this great scheme is providing a huge variety of free activities for young people in Camden:
Camden Summer University (CSU) is now open for bookings, offering a wide range of courses across the borough from Monday 25 July to Friday 26 August 2011.
The activities are for young people aged 13 to 19-years-old, or for people up to 25-years-old who have learning difficulties, or a disability.
CSU aims to help people unleash their creativity, learn new skills and make new friends. This year’s programme includes: Bollywood fusion, parkour (free running), Kung Fu, master chef, music production and fashion design.
There is also the opportunity to gain accreditation on some of the courses, leading to a nationally recognised certificate.
This year it’s even easier to register and book courses with a brand new online booking system and improved website. Visit: www.cmdn.co.uk/summer.
Monday, 20 June 2011
More outdoor gym equipment at Swiss Cottage Open Space
We've just heard that NHS Camden have provided further funding to increase the amount of outdoor gym equipment within Swiss Cottage Open Space. The equipment is designed for use by children, and consists of the following items:-
1 Hand Bike
1 Junior Recumbent Bike
1 Junior Cross Trainer
Works to install the equipment next to the existing outdoor gym will begin on Monday 27th June and be completed by Wednesday 6th July. The existing outdoor gym equipment should be unaffected by the works. Notices will be put up in Swiss Cottage Open Space to inform park users about the works.
1 Hand Bike
1 Junior Recumbent Bike
1 Junior Cross Trainer
Works to install the equipment next to the existing outdoor gym will begin on Monday 27th June and be completed by Wednesday 6th July. The existing outdoor gym equipment should be unaffected by the works. Notices will be put up in Swiss Cottage Open Space to inform park users about the works.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Libraries cuts "called in" by Cllr Don Williams and colleagues
Conservative Cllrs Don Williams, Andrew Mennear, Kirsty Roberts and Claire-Louise Leyland have "called in" the administration's libraries proposals, which means that the Culture & Environment Scrutiny Committee will need to reconsider the proposals and consider whether to recommend changes to the Council's decision-making executive.
Here's the full text of the call-in:
Reasons for Call In (The request must state whether or not you believe that the decision is outside the policy or budget framework)
We believe that the decision, as taken, was both outside the policy and the budget framework. Camden undertook an extensive consultation exercise to find out local residents' priorities for savings within the library service. It was not a surprise to find out that our residents do not desire library closures or a cut in library opening hours. However to find that a large proportion of the respondents were prepared to volunteer a considerable amount of their own time to keep the libraries open was a very new finding - in particular, that 1200 people (20% of respondents) were prepared to volunteer at least 10 hours a month. This finding provided Camden with an opportunity to look again at the options that had been placed before the public during the consultation, and did allow a proposal to be put to the Cabinet which took account of this willingness to volunteer.
Nevertheless, this proposal, subsequently adopted by the Cabinet on 8 June, was flawed and lay outside the policy or budget framework for the following reasons: 1) Camden's Strategy for the future development of the service (4.1 in the Executive Summary) states that 'Camden's libraries should be at the heart of their communities'. Proposal A states that 'The building to no longer be a Camden Public Library supported by the Council'. If Heath, Belsize and Chalk Farm libraries are no longer to be 'a Camden Public Library supported by the Council' it is not clear that Camden's libraries will be at the heart of their communities in Hampstead, Belsize Park or Primrose Hill. At the Cabinet meeting, Cllr Siddiq was asked what it meant to be a library 'that is no longer a Camden Public Library supported by the Council'. She did not give an answer and there is no clear definition. Until this is explained - and it is demonstrated how these three libraries will remain 'at the heart of their communities' - it is clear that the decision lies outside the policy framework of the Council; 2) 4.2 of the Executive Summary states that Camden will achieve its strategy for the future development of the service by 'ensuring we invest in libraries that are well-located', 'reviewing the service regularly to ensure value for money and setting challenging performance targets for each library'. If the strategy is to have libraries located in the heart of their communities, then that surely defines the libraries that are well-located as libraries in the heart of their communities. It is therefore outside the policy framework of the Council to say that libraries shall 'no longer be a Camden Public Library supported by the Council'.
With regard to reviewing the service regularly and setting performance targets for each library, once more Cllr Siddiq did not clarify how this could happen if the libraries are no longer Camden public libraries supported by the Council - again, outside the policy framework of the Council; 3) It is not at all clear that the Corporation of London, which owns Keat's House, will allow a library to continue to remain at the premises if it 'no longer be a Camden Public Library supported by the Council'. It has been indicated to us that they will not in fact allow a library to remain there unless it is clearly a Camden Public Library. If so, then clearly the decision is outside the policy framework of the Council with regard to the library remaining at the heart of its community; 4) The decision causes the Camden public library service to cease to function in Regents Park. While the building remains and services are offered through it, there will clearly be no library at the heart of the local community and therefore this decision is outside the policy framework of the Council; and, 5) while the decision on the Local Studies and Archives service was amended welcomingly to retain the service in the borough, no comment was made regarding the suggestion that Camden had failed to account for the fact that we may, as an authority, need to pay to access our own archives in future. There is a budgetary impact from this and therefore it is clear that the decision was outside the budget framework of the Council.
Proposed Alternative Course of Action 1) Clarify the status of Heath Library with the Corporation of London; 2) Ensure that the budgetary implications of the outsourcing/shared service provision of the Local Studies and Archives services are properly investigated and accounted for; 3) Clarify exactly what is meant by 'Camden's libraries should be at the heart of their communities' in the context of Proposal A; 4) Clarify exactly what is meant by 'The building to no longer be a Camden Public Library supported by the Council': eg, why should Heath, Belsize and Chalk Farm libraries not continue to exist as 'Camden Public Libraries' even if run by volunteers? Will it still be possible to access the Camden central library database from these libraries? Will these libraries keep their computers? Will members of these libraries be able to use their library cards at other libraries in Camden? etc; 5) Consult separately on the plan for Regents Park Library; 6) Arguably it's not possible for any library to remain a Camden Public Library without the consent of the Camden Public. Therefore we propose that full account is taken of the deputations to the Cabinet by both the Heath & Hampstead Society and CPLUG. Both organisations embraced the results of the consultation and proposed ways of using the offer of volunteering made by the respondents to the consultation in a way that might more readily lead to the savings being achieved in a way which is supported by the Camden Public. Therefore we propose that a delay is granted of six months to investigate fully the options they have outlined and have them compared against Option A; 7) Finally, we would note that this six months delay is warranted to develop both the CPLUG/H&HS business plans and also those of the volunteer-led projects for Heath, Belsize and Chalk Farm. After all, the team working up a proposal for Belsize Library had been told by the Head of Camden's Library Service to stop work on their proposal in the months leading up to the decision!
Here's the full text of the call-in:
Reasons for Call In (The request must state whether or not you believe that the decision is outside the policy or budget framework)
We believe that the decision, as taken, was both outside the policy and the budget framework. Camden undertook an extensive consultation exercise to find out local residents' priorities for savings within the library service. It was not a surprise to find out that our residents do not desire library closures or a cut in library opening hours. However to find that a large proportion of the respondents were prepared to volunteer a considerable amount of their own time to keep the libraries open was a very new finding - in particular, that 1200 people (20% of respondents) were prepared to volunteer at least 10 hours a month. This finding provided Camden with an opportunity to look again at the options that had been placed before the public during the consultation, and did allow a proposal to be put to the Cabinet which took account of this willingness to volunteer.
Nevertheless, this proposal, subsequently adopted by the Cabinet on 8 June, was flawed and lay outside the policy or budget framework for the following reasons: 1) Camden's Strategy for the future development of the service (4.1 in the Executive Summary) states that 'Camden's libraries should be at the heart of their communities'. Proposal A states that 'The building to no longer be a Camden Public Library supported by the Council'. If Heath, Belsize and Chalk Farm libraries are no longer to be 'a Camden Public Library supported by the Council' it is not clear that Camden's libraries will be at the heart of their communities in Hampstead, Belsize Park or Primrose Hill. At the Cabinet meeting, Cllr Siddiq was asked what it meant to be a library 'that is no longer a Camden Public Library supported by the Council'. She did not give an answer and there is no clear definition. Until this is explained - and it is demonstrated how these three libraries will remain 'at the heart of their communities' - it is clear that the decision lies outside the policy framework of the Council; 2) 4.2 of the Executive Summary states that Camden will achieve its strategy for the future development of the service by 'ensuring we invest in libraries that are well-located', 'reviewing the service regularly to ensure value for money and setting challenging performance targets for each library'. If the strategy is to have libraries located in the heart of their communities, then that surely defines the libraries that are well-located as libraries in the heart of their communities. It is therefore outside the policy framework of the Council to say that libraries shall 'no longer be a Camden Public Library supported by the Council'.
With regard to reviewing the service regularly and setting performance targets for each library, once more Cllr Siddiq did not clarify how this could happen if the libraries are no longer Camden public libraries supported by the Council - again, outside the policy framework of the Council; 3) It is not at all clear that the Corporation of London, which owns Keat's House, will allow a library to continue to remain at the premises if it 'no longer be a Camden Public Library supported by the Council'. It has been indicated to us that they will not in fact allow a library to remain there unless it is clearly a Camden Public Library. If so, then clearly the decision is outside the policy framework of the Council with regard to the library remaining at the heart of its community; 4) The decision causes the Camden public library service to cease to function in Regents Park. While the building remains and services are offered through it, there will clearly be no library at the heart of the local community and therefore this decision is outside the policy framework of the Council; and, 5) while the decision on the Local Studies and Archives service was amended welcomingly to retain the service in the borough, no comment was made regarding the suggestion that Camden had failed to account for the fact that we may, as an authority, need to pay to access our own archives in future. There is a budgetary impact from this and therefore it is clear that the decision was outside the budget framework of the Council.
Proposed Alternative Course of Action 1) Clarify the status of Heath Library with the Corporation of London; 2) Ensure that the budgetary implications of the outsourcing/shared service provision of the Local Studies and Archives services are properly investigated and accounted for; 3) Clarify exactly what is meant by 'Camden's libraries should be at the heart of their communities' in the context of Proposal A; 4) Clarify exactly what is meant by 'The building to no longer be a Camden Public Library supported by the Council': eg, why should Heath, Belsize and Chalk Farm libraries not continue to exist as 'Camden Public Libraries' even if run by volunteers? Will it still be possible to access the Camden central library database from these libraries? Will these libraries keep their computers? Will members of these libraries be able to use their library cards at other libraries in Camden? etc; 5) Consult separately on the plan for Regents Park Library; 6) Arguably it's not possible for any library to remain a Camden Public Library without the consent of the Camden Public. Therefore we propose that full account is taken of the deputations to the Cabinet by both the Heath & Hampstead Society and CPLUG. Both organisations embraced the results of the consultation and proposed ways of using the offer of volunteering made by the respondents to the consultation in a way that might more readily lead to the savings being achieved in a way which is supported by the Camden Public. Therefore we propose that a delay is granted of six months to investigate fully the options they have outlined and have them compared against Option A; 7) Finally, we would note that this six months delay is warranted to develop both the CPLUG/H&HS business plans and also those of the volunteer-led projects for Heath, Belsize and Chalk Farm. After all, the team working up a proposal for Belsize Library had been told by the Head of Camden's Library Service to stop work on their proposal in the months leading up to the decision!
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Canfield pavement blocked by builders
Today saw some really unacceptable behaviour from builders at 44 Canfield Gardens today, with cement mixing machinery completely blocking the pavement all day, forcing everyone onto the road. This was not approved by Camden in advance. Cllr Roger Freeman chased senior street officers for some action throughout the day. It is frustrating to us that Camden officers gave the offending builders some hours to use their cement, and it was only around 5pm that the pavement was finally cleared up. We will seek answers on this, we really think this kind of activity by contractors need to be brought under much tighter control.
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