Richard Olzewski at Monday’s meeting

THE next chapter in the borough’s political story began this week as Richard Olszewski became the new leader of Camden Council.

He was clapped to his seat after winning a vote of the ruling Labour group on Sunday, which saw rounds of voting whittle down a cast of several contenders.

On Monday evening, he made his first speech in the top job at an all-member meeting, telling the chamber that he would keep up the “missions” of his predecessor: “To make things better in our borough, to keep up the innovation, to keep up the reform of services, to maintain the rigour of our finances – and I expect the [new Labour] government to do the same as well.

“We will work in partnership with them.  I will play my part day and night – I might sleep occasionally ­– because we are here to serve and that, as John Smith [former Labour leader] said, is all that we ask for.”

He said Camden should be proud of its Labour MPs – and having the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as its representative in Holborn and St Pancras.

“A lot is coming down the stream,” he said, of the new government. “The first thing is the cancellation of the obscene Rwanda policy. It’s not something of massive direct impact to Camden, but a massive impact on the entire tone of how we discuss politics and deal with social issues across the country. It’ll be a benefit for all of us.”

He added: “The government is talking about local government devolution, planning reform with new powers potentially for councils on housing, skills and employment support, police being pushed to focus on anti-social behaviour, and a genuine commitment to tackle the climate emergency and achieve net zero.”

Cllr Olszewski had not necessarily been one of the pre-match favourites as members speculated about the unusually high number of people who had put themselves forward to succeed Georgia Gould. He had spent several months visiting – and tweeting about – Dudley, where he narrowly missed out on becoming the parliamentary candidate.

Back in Camden, he is understood to have told colleagues that he was no longer seeking to become an MP and would be concentrating firmly on the council. He was the most experienced of those in the running and Cllr Olszewski has served on the council over two long spells, first in Regent’s Park in the 1990s and, for the past 14 years, in his home ward of Fortune Green. In between, he was a special adviser to John Reid, one of the home secretaries who served under Tony Blair.

Then Cllr Olszewski returned to the council and he had served as the finance chief in Ms Gould’s cabinet. The leader’s vacancy was opened up when Ms Gould was herself elected to parliament in the neighbouring Queen’s Park and Maida Vale constituency at the July 4 election. She too was making a maiden speech this week – but now in the House of Commons.

While there was the usual friendly welcoming of a new leader on his first night in the job, Lib Dem councillor Tom Simon, the leader of the opposition, said his party would be pushing him on the housing repairs backlog. And new Tory leader Steve Adams said housing ombuds­man criticism of how the council had handled complaints on the Chalcots estate needed to be taken seriously.

It can drive you to chew the carpet but…

THE New Journal apologises to the Olszewski household in West Hampstead if it has been the cause of any damaged upholstery– but welcomes the new leader’s approach to press scrutiny.

Cllr Olszewski told Monday’s full council meeting: “We have quite, almost uniquely, I think, among London boroughs and possibly for much of the rest of the country, in having a vibrant local media as well.

“Yes, it can drive us to chew the carpet sometimes, depending on what we might read, but it’s good that it’s there to be asking questions of us. And while we may sometimes think the pressure that’s put on us, the questions that are asked may be unjust or perhaps, misguided and so on. It’s important that they’re asked because it makes us better leaders of our council.”