The development on land next to Talacre park. Inset, Nick Harding

• I WRITE with regard to Nick Harding’s Forum exposing Camden’s Council’s continuing cover-up of the Talacre development, (So much for transparency on the debt, July 1).

This cause was rightly championed by the New Journal’s now deceased founding editor, Eric Gordon, who knew a scandal when he sniffed one. It’s part of Eric’s legacy and it’s unfinished business.

Our council leader Georgia Gould has remained aloof but it’s time for her “nothing to see here” stance to stop and for some long-overdue honesty and transparency.

Quite simply Camden Council’s failure to collect £3million that is owed is deplorable and it stinks.

Nick Harding’s detective work, despite the council’s obfuscation and prevarication, is a revelation and it warrants proper pursuit.

For eight years from 2006 I was a Camden councillor and I can confirm that Nick Harding is correct to assert that the two most senior legal Camden Council officers were in situ then and remain so today.

While juniors in Camden’s legal team may have signed off on sloppy drafting of the overage payment agreement, it was ultimately the responsibility of senior officers.

It’s not acceptable to brush it all away by reporting that the junior members of the legal team have long since left. It’s also not acceptable to say it’s dead and buried and ancient history.

Camden Council needs to change its tune to proactively and aggressively pursue the debt and all other unpaid overages. It’s time to take responsibility, Cllr Gould, and show some steel.

PAUL BRAITHWAITE
Bartholomew Villas, NW5