Camden Labour Briefing, September 1988

SEPTEMBER 1988

KINGS CROSS DEVELOPMENT-THE NEED FOR A PUBLIC ENQUIRY

Property developers are cashing in on the Kings Cross development while Camden Council abstains on calls for a public enquiry.

The development will totally alter the face of Camden. A recent study from University College’s School of Architecture, for example, shows that half of the homes in the immediate vicinity of the development may be at risk from privatisation due to the increase in land prices and rents caused by the development = and the Housing Bill.

— Meanwhile,the Council have asked the developers to rescind a promise made at a Public Meeting that no-one will be made homeless by the development. To the surprise of no-one —- including the inhabitants of Stanley Buildings on the site - the developers willingly complied with this request.

A Public Enquiry is needed to ensure that all people affected by

the development have information and a say into what Kings Cross 2000 really means for Camden !

xk A recent Public Meeting held by Labour Party Wards most closely affected by the development called unanimously for; sa Public Enquiry. SOOO OO IO IO OOO OOO IO IO IO IO IOIOOIGK ILEA - LABOUR AUTHORITY LIES TO UNIONS ILEA have broken a deal made at the end of the Summer term that ea adequate provision be made to cover for teachers oan holiday,

sick, or on maternity leave.

ILEAsS reneaging on the deal leaves some schools with only one

teacher to cover instead of up to four. Teachers refusing to cover under these new conditions have been threatened with the sack. A ballot for action is likely.

SOOO OOOO OIG OOOO IORI IOK TIME TO GO!

Camden Briefing is among the many organisations and individuals that are supporting the Year of Action called to draw attention to the anniversary of the re-emergence of the Civil Rights struggle and the deployment of British troops in the North of Ireland.

The charter for British withdrawal will be launched in Camden on TUESDAY 18th OCTOBER at 7.30pm at the IRISH CENTRE.

LABOUR BRIEFING:next meeting :MON3 OCT Camden Town tigll_ &pm

CAMDEN

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CAMDEN COUNCIL-MOVING THE GOALPOSTS

Camden backed down and reinstated NUPE shop steward Alan Walters after a display of solidarity which lead to an occupation of the Members room , a'call for a Mass Meeting of NUPE -the first in years called on @ basis of Opposing the council -and resolutions from many Labour Party branches —-not all associated with the Left of the party.

Alan had been charged with "Gross Misconduct" -a sackable offence -for taking his child on a lobby against the imposition of

charges for Council nurseries.Alan had been granted parental leave to look after his s0n,8asS all council nurseries were closed that day. Parents have been resisting the imposition of charges

of £5.00 a week (soon to be increased to £5.00 to £16.00 a week).

The original charges against Alan were clearly ridiculous.However,a letter sent out to all shop stewards and coucillors after his reinstatement implies that “serious charges" may still lead to disciplinary action against him. These charges are unspecified and were not mentioned at the time of the Original action. The obvious implication is that Alan Walters : like an increasing number of Trade Unionists employed by Labour authorities is being victimised. JOIICIGIIGIOICICIOICIOIGIOIOICI IO OIOICIOOIOOICI CIO IGIOISIOIGI IOI ICIS IG IK

THIS YEAR,NEXT YEAR, SOMETIME ,NEVER

Camden’s Homeless Person's Unit is still closed. It was promised that the unit would reopen in August, then September ;the new date is mid-November. In the meantime Camden is not even fulfilling in its legal obligations to the homeless and is having writs served on it daily. A high court judge recently complained that he was fed up with being used to process Camden's routine housing applications. Not surprisingly the number of families

registering as homeless is going down and saving the Council money. Councillors deny that this is their motive for keeping the unit closed. FOIOICICICICIOOIOIOICCICIOIO OCC GIO OOIGIOIGIGICI GG IGIIOGIOI SOK IK

OUR MAN IN BERMONDSEY Party members will be pleased to note that our full-time agent has been ‘ minding’ Albany ward in Bermondsey -which has been suspended since last January in a witch-hunt against the Militant and other left-—wingers. ‘ Paul Wheeler is cited in a report of a secret caucus meeting as being allocated to watch Albany ward. The réport talks about building up a computerised list of Labour Party members’ in Bermondsey with a view to "building a political profile of all wards, their membership,attendance, present personnel etc..to build a political profile of the general committee,including the political associations of the membership". ; The report cites Jim Mortimer -General Secretary of the LabourParty between 1982 eand 1985 as a fellow traveller of Militant!! It is unclear whether the report that of an official Labour Party body # ee ;

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