Young people outside the Arts Foundation gallery in Queen’s Crescent

• I’M beginning to wonder if the New Journal hasn’t gone completely soft and lost any willingness and ability to challenge local politicians.

For eight months the former youth centre on Ashdown Crescent has been empty, closed for the want of an extraordinary large sum of £10,000 for one average sized room that Camden Council were demanding from the Von Herkomer charity. This body had successfully provided 200 children with arts classes over the summer.

John Gulliver’s article (Second thoughts on the value of the arts, April 5) announced a sudden U-turn on this crazy position. What he failed to mention is that the leader of the council Georgia Gould is a trustee of the Queen’s Crescent Community Association, next door to this building.

In addition, she has written a book, Wasted, detailing the generational effects of the lack of opportunities for young people which she researched by touring up and down the country.

The huge “wasted” opportunity in this case seems to be a Labour council not using the assets that it has to the detriment of children in one of the poorest wards in the borough. How many other empty council-owned buildings are out there? Why are realistic achievable rents not being applied? Why does it take eight months to come to sensible decisions?

Please get back to challenging politicians and voicing the needs of the people.

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