New councillor elected for Fortune Green

So Nancy Jirira won the Fortune Green by-election, maintaining the Liberal Democrats' long-standing dominance of West Hampstead.  Camden council's website has the full results.

Many thanks to all the candidates who answered our questionnaire.

Answers from Tulip Siddiq, Labour candidate for Fortune Green

Less than a week to go until the Fortune Green by-election.  Tulip Siddiq, the Labour candidate, has sent in answers to the Northwest 6 questionnaire.

You can also read answers from Heather Downham  and Nancy Jirira.

     

1.  What would you say is at stake in this council by-election?

A risk of further disengagement in the community. I've been canvassing a lot recently and communication between the Fortune Green councillors and the residents who live in the ward could be a lot better. I feel so strongly about it that I even made a video on my website, explaining how I would go about fixing it. Politics should be a two-way street, not a blind alley!

2.  What has motivated you personally to put yourself forward for election?

The desire to represent local residents. I want to voice the concerns of all residents, not just a selected few. I want proper consultation on topics that are important to locals, not just to the councillors. My website has had more than 2,500 visitors since the election began and constituents of all different ages and backgrounds have contacted me with their ideas. This is a clear sign that people are looking for different ways to communicate, but their voices aren't being heard.

3.  What impact would you say the change of control of Camden council has had in the two years since the last local elections?

Since the last local election, there has been a real lack of direction from the Liberal Democrat/Conservative council. Although it appears that there is a Liberal Democrat majority, the Conservatives seem to be running the show, so constituents are not really being represented by the people they elected. Also I am struggling to see what changes the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have made to West Hampstead since they've been in power. Most of the local improvements have taken place because of Labour's work on issues such as developing public transport and increasing local police.

4.  What would you say are the two or three most pressing issues for people in Fortune Green?

Where do I start!

1) Planning and Development - The current council's failure to control the major developments in West End Lane and the likely large scale developments in Maygrove Road and Fordwych Road make me think that local peoples' interests are not being considered. The Liberal Democrat/Conservative council needs to start listening to the residents whose lives will be directly affected by these planning and development proposals.

2) Environment - I'm concerned that recycling is taking a backseat with the present Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition. There are fears that recycling is being taken away from council estates in Camden generally. In Fortune Green we lost our garden waste collection. There is also an urgent need for a waste recycling facility in north west London. Residents have told me that they are tired of driving across the borough to recycle big items.

3) Transport - Under the Labour council, the public transport system improved dramatically in West Hampstead. More bus stops have been placed outside stations, the old Silverlink has become part of London Overground which means that I can now use my Oyster card on all railway services. I take the Jubilee line to work every day and the trains are always frequent which makes my journey very simple.

 
5.  What are your views on the following:

School provision for families who live in the ward?

Emmanuel School and Beckford school are both very good schools for our younger residents in Fortune Green. Hampstead School, a secondary school in the ward, is being improved thanks to a Labour government initiative.

The quality of play and recreational spaces for children in the ward?

The quality is simply not good enough. I've been to look at these play areas first-hand and was shocked by their disrepair and neglect. Many of the play areas for children in the ward are either unusable, locked up or ignored. We must concentrate on improving and maintaining the areas we have before we start planning new projects.

The state of Fortune Green itself (the park not the ward)?

It's a bit dilapidated and threatened by the large development nearby. Section 106 money has been given by developers to improve local community facilities and open spaces but we have had no voice in what is being spent. I suspect that it's not being spent in this area at all.

 

The problem of dog mess in parks and on pavements - particularly the railway path between Broomsleigh Street and West End Lane?

This issue needs managing. The previous council used to provide more pooper bags and bins but this has been reduced in the last two years. This is probably due to the number of cuts that the council has made to public services.

 

The way parking controls are administered by Camden council?

You may have seen my letter in the Camden New Journal about this topic. I'm seriously concerned about how parking has gotten so much worse under the current council, and yet their income from fines has risen. You can view all my concerns here.

 

The congestion, pollution and other difficulties caused by the installation of traffic lights at the junction of Mill Lane and Fortune Green Road?

This is actually a dangerous problem. The Lib Dem council said they would 'sort it out' but nothing has been done about it since they took power. This is typical of a complacent administration that makes false promises before an election and then doesn't deliver afterwards.

 

The impending arrival of Tesco in West Hampstead?

Small businesses may suffer as a result of this, but there is clearly a demand by some local residents for this type of shop in the local area. It is the job of our local councillors to make sure that any objections from locals are acted on before developments are given the green light. It is just not good enough to act like they are powerless, they need to stand up for our rights. That is what they have been elected for.

Answers from Nancy Jirira, Liberal Democrat candidate for Fortune Green

Northwest 6 asked all candidates in the Fortune Green by-election to answer a questionnaire. 

We've heard already from Heather Downham, the Conservatives' candidate.  Now it's the turn of the Liberal Democrats' Nancy Jirira.

   

1.  What would you say is at stake in this council by-election?

One of the things I think is important is to maintain a hardworking team for Fortune Green with a strong, local community based voice.

2.  What has motivated you personally to put yourself forward for election?

I met popular former Councillor Jane Schopflin many years ago at the old Community Health Council. She enthused me with her passion for public services and fighting for the local community. I’d be really honoured to follow in her footsteps. I’ve long been involved in local community issues – but have only recently put my name next to a party label as this is the best way to get issues heard on the council.

3.  What impact would you say the change of control of Camden council has had in the two years since the last local elections?

I’ve noticed a real change since May 2006. To be honest, although Labour neglected the area, I never thought they’d be voted out across Camden after so many years. There has been a new approach to issues which were forgotten by the former Labour administration such as housing repairs, the parking regime, the streets seem cleaner and the council has generally become more responsive. Almost best of all – our West End Green toilets were reopened and they seem much cleaner and better looked after!

4.  What would you say are the two or three most pressing issues for people in Fortune Green?

Its been clear from going around talking to people that there are big concerns about the potential closure of local post offices such as Mill Lane and Cricklewood. The response to the campaign has been overwhelming with hundreds of signatures and lots of envelopes hand-posted every day through my door.

The management of traffic and parking is also important to local people – such as the Mill Lane traffic lights; and there are ongoing concerns about large or inappropriate developments that threaten the character of the area.

5.  What are your views on the following:

School provision for families who live in the ward?

I know many families from my daughter’s primary school had to make massive changes in their life in order to secure a place at a good secondary school. The stress and worry of that time really takes its toll. From my work as a school governor I know that the problem has been just as bad in recent years. Children at the five local primary schools have no guaranteed secondary place in a Camden school. So I’m pleased the council has finally noticed that families living here need more school places. I welcome the planned new secondary school for north Camden and the major investment proposed for Hampstead School.

The quality of play and recreational spaces for children in the ward?

Much of our area has always suffered from a lack of open space – for example, if you live at the top of Richborough Road there is literally nowhere local to take children to play!  West End Sidings and Templar House are both provided with Sure Start (as well as play areas) and I would like to see Fortune Green itself have its own Sure Start. Meanwhile, the play area on Fortune Green will be improved later this year.

The state of Fortune Green itself (the park not the ward)?

When the work on the Sager development is finished, work will be carried out to restore that side of the Green.   But more is needed. It is certainly better looked after than it was, say, ten years ago and looked very good at the time of last year’s Jester Festival. I was sad that the replanting with Japanese shrubs a year or so ago didn’t seem to last - many shrubs being dug up or trampled on. I welcome the newly formed 'Friends of Fortune Green' and I look forward to working with them.

The problem of dog mess in parks and on pavements - particularly the railway path between Broomsleigh Street and West End Lane?

The problem lies with dog owners – not with dogs. We need to encourage owners to become more aware of their responsibilities or the problem – with all its attendant health risks – will simply continue. With reference to the 'Black Path', the Spotlight team have asked the Council to make special efforts to keep it clean.

The way parking controls are administered by Camden council?

When I worked as a health visitor I got a huge number of parking tickets from parking wardens who missed the ‘heatlh emergency badge’ that I always carefully displayed. I paid hundreds (if not thousands!) in unfair charges.  I was particularly pleased that on-street clamping was abolished by the Lib Dem-led administration and that it’s now easier to find out about parking suspensions. I shall be keeping a watchful eye to make sure that the parking regime doesn’t slip back into its bad old ways.

 

The congestion, pollution and other difficulties caused by the installation of traffic lights at the junction of Mill Lane and Fortune Green Road?

I have received countless complaints about this from local residents, particularly those with children and those attending Emmanuel school. This scheme, installed by the last labour Council and paid for largely by Transport for London, has been a disaster from the outset. I know the local councillors Flick Rea and Keith Moffitt have been trying to find ways to get it changed ever since. I promise to add my voice to this to secure changes.

 

The impending arrival of Tesco in West Hampstead?

Whilst some may welcome the proposed Tesco store, I am concerned for the future of our small local shops just when West End Lane shopping seemed to be at the beginning of a renaissance. I’m worried about the prospect of identikit high street chains filling West Hampstead. A councillor’s powers in respect of this proposal are limited. Tesco does not need permission for 'change of use', as it was already a retail shop, but the council can look into conditions to deal with the likely problems of parking, loading and unloading and traffic congestion that other areas in Camden have experienced. I will certainly use whatever influence I have to make the Council do all it can.

Answers from Heather Downham, Conservative candidate for Fortune Green

 

Answers have started arriving to the questionnaire sent by Northwest 6 to all candidates in the Fortune Green by-election.

First up, Heather Downham - who's standing for the Conservatives.

 

 1.  What would you say is at stake in this council by-election?

West Hampstead and Fortune Green have a very particular quality. They are very comfortable and relaxing areas in which to live. The future of our area is at stake, because of the ongoing battle to stop inappropriate planning applications succeeding, and thus devastating our green open spaces, play areas, and over-populating the area, with all the ensuing consequences, i.e. lack of places at schools, no policing, and an increase in crime. We must be vigilant.

2.  What has motivated you personally to put yourself forward for election?

As I said before, I want to preserve the character of our area, and I want the necessary changes to be good for all of us. I have lived here for over 25 years, and I want to fight to keep our amenities, i.e. the post offices, to preserve dust bin and recycling collections on at least a weekly basis, and to try and improve the parking problems. I have a wide experience of life, and know how to deal with a lot of day-to-day problems, i.e. noisy neighbours and rogue freeholders and developers and I should like to help others in the neighbourhood who are finding their own problems difficult to solve.

3.  What impact would you say the change of control of Camden council has had in the two years since the last local elections?

I think the change of control at Camden council is having a very positive impact.

i) Parking problems are now much better handled. No clamping, and more realistic notices of parking suspensions.

ii) Libraries open much longer.

iii) Plans for a new secondary school in Swiss Cottage, and improvement to Hampstead School.

iv) The free removal of graffiti, an excellent idea.

It seems to work having a Liberal/Conservative partnership – different ideas and thinking.

4.  What would you say are the two or three most pressing issues for people in Fortune Green?

i) Control of inappropriate planning applications.

ii) Crime is rising again in Fortune Green, so more police patrols, and if possible dog patrols in the cemetery.

iii) Fight to make sure post offices and the police station remain open.

5.  What are your views on the following:

School provision for families who live in the ward?

Two very good primaries – Emmanuel School and Beckford school – which get very good OFSTED results. Both very high teaching standards. In terms of secondary schools, Hampstead School is about to be improved by the council with new facilities for sport, science and drama, and I am sure it will continue to improve.

The quality of play and recreational spaces for children in the ward?

There is a shortage of play areas in the ward. Fortune Green is there, but in the west and north of the ward there is no park or play area – it is much needed.

The state of Fortune Green itself (the park not the ward)?

Fortune Green has lost a lot of its appeal since the Sager Building has gone up. It needs some refurbishing with new trees and maybe flower beds. In summer there is always a problem with football players interfering with peaceful people.

The problem of dog mess in parks and on pavements - particularly the railway path between Broomsleigh Street and West End Lane?

On the pavements most people now clean up after their dogs, or the street cleaners do a wonderful job of removing dog mess. It is still in the parks, you have to be careful, but maybe a few fines could stop the nuisance. I must have walked down the path from Broomsleigh Street to West End Lane on a good day as there was no obvious mess, but I am very aware of the problem and I want the council to use the new fixed penalty powers it now has available.

The way parking controls are administered by Camden council?

The administration of parking controls has improved. Now that clamping has been banned, it stops cars being targeted. Also, clarification of ‘a day’ – now 8.30-18.30 – has saved much trouble. Attendants now seem to be more reasonable in their attitude.

 

The congestion, pollution and other difficulties caused by the installation of traffic lights at the junction of Mill Lane and Fortune Green Road?

The traffic lights at the junction of Mill Lane and Fortune Green Road are a disaster. They cause pollution in the Emmanuel School playground, and affect the pedestrians waiting to cross the road, and waiting parents. The traffic jams are extraordinary. The traffic backs up down Mill Lane, you can waste an extra five minutes, the 139 bus gets stuck, the C11 gets stuck as well, and the 139 should not even be in Mill Lane. It also has created a ‘rat run’ down Hillfield Road, where traffic is moving much too fast for the area.

The lights are a menace; they do no good, and cause havoc going south and north along Fortune Green Road and West End Lane. But we must make sure there are safe crossings, so it’s not an easy question – I would want the council to look at this afresh together with local residents and see what all the options are.

 

The impending arrival of Tesco in West Hampstead?

Tesco is a difficult question and I know there are different views locally on this – and of course the council’s powers are limited as there is no planning ‘change of use’.  Although we want to keep West End Lane unique, with diverse shops, wine bars and speciality boutiques, bakers etc, there are a lot of young people living in the area, students and more elderly folk whom I think have suffered from the lack of affordable food. We have some wonderful delicatessens and specialist bakers, but the existing supermarkets are expensive, and do not have a huge range of goods. We have a lot of charity shops in the High Street, and the site Tesco will occupy is not very convenient. It is close to the station, but people in the north of the ward will still shop at their local corner shop. The sad thing is that the existing traders have left a gap in the market, which Tesco has been able to exploit. I wish this was not so, but it is unfortunately a fact.

The Tesco backlash

Unease is surfacing about Tesco's planned move into West Hampstead. It's taking over the premises of the Woods & Woods furniture shop on West End Lane.

 

Tesco will open here in the summer

 

Two groups have been started on Facebook to oppose the move. (If you're a Facebook member, you can find them here and here.) And there's a bit of a discussion taking place on Cityneighbours.

Over on the new blog about West Hampstead, Alisa says:

"We do not need another convenience store and we have long liked the fact that we were not another high street. Our shops (if not our coffee ones) are unique and local to our area and what makes West Hampstead what it is. Realistically there will not be enough custom for those shops and the lower prices of a new multi store chain."

This negative sentiment is not shared by all, however. One of the contributors to Cityneighbours says:

"There are too many independent food stores selling rubbish on WEL (West End Lane), so maybe Tesco would keep them honest."

And comments left on this site were enthusiastic - including this one from Grumpyboots:

"At last we will have something other than crappy corner shops and rip-off organic shops."

It's not entirely clear at whom campaigns trying to stop Tesco's arrival are directed. Since Tesco doesn't need planning permission to take over existing retail premises, there's no particular role for the council to reject or approve Tesco's move into the area. Nonetheless, the development could add an interesting dimension to the Fortune Green by-election campaign.

Fortune Green by-election

In the local elections of 2006, Northwest 6 sent a questionnaire to all the parties contesting the two West Hampstead wards - and received a pretty good response with all but the Green Party replying.

We're repeating the exercise again for the Fortune Green by-election.  Responses will be published as (and if) they are received.

More candidates for the Fortune Green by-election

Tulip Siddiq has been chosen as the Labour Party candidate for the Fortune Green council by-election.  She tells Northwest 6:

"I am 25 years old and I live on Finchley Road. My main concern is that the current council have stopped listening to the residents in Fortune Green and in Camden as a whole. I'm going to work hard to make sure this changes."

She has a campaign website at tulipsiddiq.com.

The Greens' candidate has been named as Tim Wilmott, who lives in the ward.

Candidates for the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives were announced previously.

Two candidates named for Fortune Green by-election

The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have confirmed their candidates for the Fortune Green by-election - to be held on 21 February.  Both have picked people who live in the ward and who have been active in the community for some time.

The Liberal Democrats - defending the seat - have chosen Nancy Jirira who is a health visitor and a governor at St Mary's primary school (presumably the state school in Kilburn and not the fee-paying school with the same name in Hampstead).

The Conservatives are fielding Heather Downham, an actress, who stood for the party in Fortune Green in the 2006  council election and who is also a school governor, at Beckford primary school in Dornfell Street.

There is no word yet on who Labour are putting up or whether there will be other candidates.

The by-election is generating interest beyond West Hampstead. You can find blog commentary on the campaign here and here. There's even been coverage in Zimbabwe.

Fortune Green by-election

A notice has been issued advertising the vacant seat on Camden council following the death of our local councillor, Jane Schopflin.

This is the first formal step in inviting candidates to put the names forward.  The most likely date for the by-election is Thursday 21st February, but this hasn't yet been confirmed.

Jane Schopflin

One of our councillors, Jane Schopflin, passed away over the Christmas period.  She'd represented Fortune Green since 1990.

Her colleague in the Liberal Democrats, Ed Fordham, has posted an obituary which charts a life given to journalism and public service.

Going native?

It's almost a year since Labour lost control of Camden council after decades in power. Part of the reason was residents' anger at the authoritarian nature of parking controls in the borough. The incoming Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition promised to take a more sensitive approach.

A year on, how are they doing?

A recent report in the Ham & High suggests parking controls are as extreme as ever. A resident of Fitzjohn's Avenue returned from a trip abroad to discover that the council had removed and crushed her car after suspending a parking bay while she was away.

Far from seeking to ensure that officials take a more sensitive approach, the Conservative councillor in charge of parking, Mike Greene, gives the impression of condoning such behaviour. As quoted by the Ham & High, he did not appear to regard crushing a car, which was displaying a valid permit, as an extreme and reasonable sanction seeking. Instead he sought to blame the owner of the car. He said residents should get a neighbour to check on their car whenever they are away - as if inner-city London was some halcyon idyll where people are intimately familiar with their neighbours and in the habit of leaving their car keys with them.

Closer to home, residents of Westbere Road recently found that they had been given about fourteen hours notice of a parking bay suspension. That is to say, notice was given at around 6pm the day before the suspension was to come into effect. By this time many people had retired to their homes for the evening and were unaware of the need to move their cars. Parking officials were out early the next morning ticketing vehicles and preparing to tow them away. One resident, who reached her car just in time, found the officials rude and abrasive and not at all concerned that insufficient notice of the suspension had been given.

A more sensitive approach to parking control? You have three years - until the next local elections - to make up your mind.

New council

The local election results are available on the Camden website. Liberal Democrats took all six seats in our two wards: Fortune Green and West Hampstead. Your new councillors are:

Fortune Green: Flick Rea, Jane Schopflin and Russell Eagling
West Hampstead: Keith Moffitt, John Bryant and Duncan Greenland

What is more, Keith Moffitt - who leads the Liberal Democrats in Camden - looks like he will also be the new council leader. For the first time in 35 years, Labour has lost over-all control of Camden. The Liberal Democrats emerge as the biggest party and are likely to be calling the shots - unless, as is theoretically possible but hard to imagine, the Conservatives go into coalition with Labour.

The contest in our neighbourhood didn't quite turn out to be the two-way fight between Labour and the Liberal Democrats that I had predicted. While Labour came second to the Lib Dems in West Hampstead, they were pushed into third place by the Conservatives in Fortune Green. The Greens, who stood candidates but did not campaign in the area, came fourth in both wards.

So what does the change of control at the town hall mean? While media analysis this morning has portrayed Labour's loss of Camden as a function of the party's national problems, it's worth remembering that there were local issues at work too. Camden has a reputation as one of the most authoritarian enforcers of parking controls and there were at least three campaigns running in the borough critical of Labour's handling of this issue. The Liberal Democrats, in a pre-election survey, picked up that people wanted a more sensitive, more listening council. They emphasised both these themes - together with cutting local bureaucracy and care for the local environment - in their answers to questions put by Northwest 6 at the start of the campaign. Another of their themes was the need for a new secondary school west of the Finchley Road.

More resident-friendly parking controls, a more listening council and sufficient school places for families living in West Hampstead. You know what the Lib Dems have promised. Now watch to see if the new largest party on the council can deliver without over-all control.

Polling day

Polling station
Originally uploaded by Grievous Angel.

Turn out only so-so, according to the lady canvassing at the door for the Liberal Democrats.

Thank you to all the candidates, from the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservatives, who answered questions put by Northwest 6.

Answers from the Conservatives

We have answers from the Conservatives to the questions Northwest 6 has sent to each of the parties standing in the local elections.

1.What do you believe is at stake in the 4th May elections that should motivate people to cast their vote?

We believe genuine local councillors should be elected who can fight for the needs of local residents against over-development, against more mobile-phone masts, against more late-night drinking licences and Mill Lane’s traffic congestion and for the preservation of local amenities like the “green lung” of the Gondar Gardens Reservoir.

2. What do you consider to be the most pressing issues for people who live in Ravenshaw, Broomsleigh, Dornfell and Glastonbury Streets?

We believe security is one of the most pressing issues, fighting crime in the area and supporting SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING. Making sure road signs and parking regulations are properly observed, especially when children are around. Making parking wardens more “resident friendly”.

3. How many of the candidates standing for your party in Fortune Green and West Hampstead live in the wards they are contesting?

Four of them live in their wards (Elaine Mackover and Jean Hornbuckle have done so for more than 35 years; Heather Downham and John Samiotis are also long-term residents of their wards). Marcus Watzlaff and Peter Denison-Pender each live about 100 yards from their respective wards. Elaine is on the Committee of West Hampstead North Sector Working Group (Police/Residents’Associations) and is a supporter of WHAT. Heather Downham and Jean Hornbuckle support these groups and they also support the fight for the preservation of the Shoot-Up Hill Reservoir on Gondar Gardens.

4. What do you consider to be the single best reason for voting for your party?

Only the Conservatives can make sure our council tax is kept as low as possible and use OUR money to create good services throughout the borough. We need to combat the arrogance of the Labour Party at the Town Hall and the wasteful way they spend our money.



You can also read answers from Labour and from the Liberal Democrats.

No answers have yet been received from the Greens.

Answers from Labour

Labour is the latest party to send in answers to Northwest 6's questions on the local elections. Labour's response is written by Geoff Kingscote, a Ravenshaw Street resident and a candidate in West Hampstead ward, in consultation with all the Labour candidates standing in Fortune Green and West Hampstead wards.

1. What do you believe is at stake in the 4th May elections that should motivate people to cast their vote?

At stake is the control of one of the most successful local authorities in the country. Labour Camden has an enviable record, particularly in relation to education and the environment.

2. What do you consider to be the most pressing issues for people who live in Ravenshaw, Broomsleigh, Dornfell and Glastonbury Streets?

As a resident of Ravenshaw Street, and a commuter on the ex-Thameslink now First Group line, my day is book-ended by my journey down the path. Its maintenance, and that of our local streets, is really important to our quality of life. Road cleaning and pavement repairs have improved their quality locally.

Parking is of concern to local residents although it is better than it was, thanks to the CPZ. Congestion during the school runs remains a rather thorny issue.

The late licensing application of the Alliance pub is also a concern to many, myself included.

Recycling is a success story in West Hampstead: Camden has the highest recycling rate in Inner London and we will work to increase the rates.

3. How many of the candidates standing for your party in Fortune Green and West Hampstead live in the wards they are contesting?

Geoff Kingscote, who wrote this response in consultation with the other candidates, has lived in Ravenshaw Street for 7 years. Miles Seaman and Virginia Berridge both live in Fortune Green ward. Howard Dawber lives in Camden Town, Mohamud Nur in Gospel Oak and Charlie Hedges lives just off Abbey Road in South Hampstead. All of us live in the Borough.

4. What do you consider to be the single best reason for voting for your party?

Camden is a successful council with good, hard-working Labour councillors, who, we think, have, on the whole, done a pretty good job. As Labour candidates we are all active in the local community through school governorships (Emmanuel), WHAT (West Hampstead Amenity and Transport) or as ex-councillors. For too long, Fortune Green and West Hampstead have had only Liberal Democrat councillors who haven’t achieved much. We need a change.



You can also see the answers from the Liberal Democrats, posted earlier this week.

Is control of the council at stake?

Labour has controlled Camden for most of the time since the borough was created in 1965. Could that change in on 4th May?

In theory, yes. Labour needs to lose only three wards for it to lose overall control of the council. That doesn't sound like much. But keep in mind that each ward has three councillors. So nine council seats need to change hands for Labour to lose its majority. How likely is that to happen?

Gossip about these kind of questions is to be found on Vote 2006. The consensus there seems to be that Camden is on a knife-edge.

On the one hand there are comments like this:

Labour control will be on knife-edge. They could be caught in pincer of Cons. taking wards like Bloomsbury and Highgate and Liberals taking wards like Haverstock and Kentish Town.

And this:

Labour are going to be in a very tough fix in Camden. The local party has in the past proven its self as quite capable at campaigning, certainly their defence of wards like Bloomsbury last time was impressive, respect have signalled that they intend to stand in some of the wards and could help Labour by acting as a spoiler for the LibDems in some areas but the Tories seem likely to do well in the south of the authority (Bloomsbury, Sommers Town?). I’d say that Labour should hang on, but if it’s a bad night for Labour (as I expect) then no matter how hard working and switched on the local Labour Party they could well still lose to NOC (no overall control).

On the other hand, you have this:

Very sophisticated electorate and one of the most engaged in London. They may protest against Labour at General elections in large numbers but they can differentiate between national and locals elections unlike some in London. Labour may lose a few seats but this Council is one of the best run in London and they will be re-elected in May, this is a Borough where competency is rewarded and residents know a great deal about the Council and the local press (Camden New Journal and Ham&High) cover the Council in great detail. The electorate is probably the most politically aware borough in the country.

Potentially, then, an interesting contest. Control of the council may change - a factor which, in itself, could encourage more people than usual to vote.

Answers from the Liberal Democrats

Northwest 6 is asking all the parties standing candidates in the local elections to answer some questions about local issues.

The Liberal Democrats are the first to send in their answers.

1. What do you believe is at stake in the 4th May elections that should motivate people to cast their vote?

The environment: the quality of our local environment and the impact of our actions on the global environment.

The ways in which the Council listens and responds to local issues: your Lib Dem councillors already keep in touch through our Spotlight newsletter and regular advice surgeries just round the corner on Mill Lane.

Parking: the resident-hostile way the controlled parking is administered – we are pledging to scrap clamping which we regard as totally disproportionate.

Crime: the effective roll out of the Safer Neighbourhood policing teams in both ward.

Education: maintaining and where possible enhancing the high standards achieved at local schools (and making sure there are enough school places for local children).

Tax: making sure that Council Tax is kept low through better financial management and cutting needless layers of Council bureaucracy.

2. What do you consider to be the most pressing issues for people who live in Ravenshaw, Broomsleigh, Dornfell and Glastonbury Streets?

Maintaining high standards of lighting and cleaning on the path from Broomsleigh Street to the Thameslink station.

Issues associated with the railway line – e.g. noise, rats.

Parking including issues around Beckford School and local transport.

Traffic on Mill Lane and decline in local shopping.

3. How many of the candidates standing for your party in Fortune Green and West Hampstead live in the wards they are contesting?

The West Hampstead/Fortune Green/Kilburn ward boundaries are pretty arbitrary – you only have to look at Broomsleigh Street, which is split between two wards! Or Ravenshaw Street which used to be in West Hampstead and is now in Fortune Green!

Flick Rea is the only one of us who actually lives in the ward (Fortune Green) she has represented as a councillor for 20 years; if Keith Moffitt walks out of his front door and crosses West End Lane, he’s in his ward (West Hampstead) which he has represented for 12 years. John Bryant and Duncan Greenland live in Kilburn ward but are standing in West Hampstead (part of which includes Kilburn!). Jane Schopflin, who has represented Fortune Green for 16 years, lives on the C11 route in Highgate and Russell Eagling, who until recently lived in Sumatra Road now cycles over from Hampstead.

4. What do you consider to be the single best reason for voting for your party?

We want decision-making at neighbourhood level so that local residents and ward councillors can decide local priorities on the environment and community safety. Too much has been taken away from local people - we believe that individuals should be more in control of their own lives and surroundings.

Local elections

Elections to Camden council are being held on 4th May. All the seats on the council are up for grabs. In both Fortune Green and West Hampstead wards, the elections are four-way fights between Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and the Green Party.

These are the candidates for Fortune Green (Ravenshaw, Glastonbury and Dornfell Streets and Broomsleigh even numbers):
Liberal Democrat - Flick Rea, Jane Schopflin (both defending their seats) and Russell Eagling
Labour - Howard Dawber, Mohamoud Nur and Miles Seaman
Conservative - Peter Denison-Pender, Heather Downham and Jean Hornbuckle
Greens - Billy Murray, Lucia Nella and Ben Smith

These are the candidates for West Hampstead (Broomsleigh Street odd numbers):
Liberal Democrat - Keith Moffitt, John Bryant (both defending their seats) and Duncan Greenland
Labour - Virginia Berridge, Charlie Hedges and Geoff Kingscote (who lives in our streets)
Conservative - Elaine Mackover, John Samiotis and Marcus Watzlaff
Greens - Kari-Lourdes Dewa, Debbie Green and Lucy Thomas

If you're wondering why the Liberal Democrats are listed first, it's because they are the incuments in the area. At the last election, in 2002, all six seats in Fortune Green and West Hampstead were taken by the Liberal Democrats. One councillor in Fortune Green, Jonathan Simpson, subsequently defected to Labour and is now moving to a safe seat elsewhere.

If many of the names above are unknown to you, you'll find little elucidation at the parties' websites. But the sites do give you a flavour of the issues that each party considers important at a borough level:
Liberal Democrats
Labour
Conservatives
Greens

The Greens' website makes clear that they are targetting six wards where they believe they have a good chance of making gains, and neither Fortune Green nor West Hampstead are among them. Similarly, the Conservatives make special provision on their site for a number of wards which don't include ours. So, if neither of these parties is placing much emphasis on Fortune Green or West Hampstead, it seems safe to conclude that the real contest is between Labour and the Lib Dems.

Northwest 6 has emailed each of the parties asking what they consider to be the key issues locally. If any replies are received, they'll be posted here.

Further information on arrangements for the local election can be found on the Camden website.



Hat tip for clarifications: Pashmina

Councillor Jonathan Simpson moves ward

Mention of Jonathan Simpson reminds me of some news I forgot to mention over the summer.

You'll remember Councillor Simpson was the Lib Dem councillor who defected to Labour. It seems Fortune Green voters won't have the opportunity to show their verdict on his change of allegiance.

According to the Camden New Journal, he has won himself a safe seat in King's Cross.

Councillor Jonathan Simpson changes party

West Hampstead has acquired a reputation in recent years for being solidly Liberal Democrat. The two wards - Fortune Green and West Hampstead - returned six Lib Dem councillors between them in the 2002 local elections. And local Lib Dems think they are on course to deny Labour an overall majority on Camden council at the next local elections.

Now we have a Labour councillor again.

The Ham & High reported that Jonathan Simpson, one of the three councillors for Fortune Green ward, has defected from the Liberal Democrats to Labour. He represents everyone in our four streets, except those who live in odd numbered houses in Broomsleigh Street.

He had a disagreement with the Liberal Democrats over some arcane business in the London Assembly. But, of more interest to us locally, he is also very keen on Labour's policy of curtailing the freedoms of people who behave anti-socially. He elaborates over on CityNeighbours.com:

"I have had a number of concerns about major aspects of Lib Dem policy for a while. As a local councillor the national policies of the party tied my hands considerably. As the party is anti-ASBO, I could hardly call for them in parts of NW6 with serious anti-social behaviour problems."

Jonathan Simpson was replying to febrile critics on the CityNeighbours message boards who say he should resign and stand for re-election under his new party colours. He justifies his decision not to stand down like this:

"On the same day I announced that I was going to join Labour the party did a press conference with Brian Sedgemore - who has just joined the Lib Dems. At the start of the campaign a county councillor joined the Lib Dems from Labour. They have not resigned. Nor did Honora Morrissey, who joined the Lib Dems on Camden Council from the Tory group in 2001."

Up to a point. The defection of Brian Sedgemore - a former MP - from Labour to the Liberal Democrats is irrelevant to the argument, since he had already resigned as an MP when he defected. The councillor would have been on stronger ground had he pointed out that, under our (current) electoral system, we vote for a candidate not a party. If people don't like what he's done, they can vote him out of office next year. That is, if he decides to stand again.