Cllr Richard Cotton

• CAMDEN is a community rooted in every corner of the globe and that diversity is its strength. We are all faiths and none; we are many we are one.

It has been a great honour to be the First Citizen of the borough for the past year and it has given me the opportunity to highlight the scandal of increasing homelessness.

It surely shames us all that in one of the richest cities on the planet there are thousands sleeping rough with an average life expectancy of 47 years. They are at the sharp end of the worst housing crisis since World War II.

Fortunately, the mayoralty gave me the opportunity to do something practical about the issue in terms of fund raising for C4WS Homeless Project through a varied series of events. As a result, the Mayor’s Appeal for C4WS has raised just under £45,000.

I thank all those who have helped with fund-raising including Lauderdale House, Friends House, local restaurants, Alastair Campbell, Ed Miliband, Alan Bennett, Camden Tour Guides Association, Tottenham Hotspur FC and many more.

I would also like to thank all those who have given direct financial support either through purchasing tickets for events or through personal donations; and the hundreds of local people who volunteer for C4WS at their winter shelters and in other ways.

Many of us feel embarrassed by people sleeping in doorways and don’t quite know what to do to help but there are things you can do. If you have any spare cash donate it online to www.c4wshomelessproject.org and if you have any spare time, volunteer with C4WS.

Finally, we can all play our part by keeping the pressure on government to make homelessness history.

CLLR RICHARD COTTON
Mayor of Camden 2017-18