• WITH Camden Conservatives fear-mongering over a one-party state with no opposition, it is surprising that time and again residents are served up bullet point politics for complex issues that demand nuanced scrutiny.

Their fully-costed budget amounts to no more than a single A4-page of spending alterations to Camden Council’s existing budget. While their twitter feeds promise a council tax freeze, their amendment puts forward 4.49 per cent increase.

Their plans to merge integrated early years and youth services are half-baked, 0-five-year-olds have different support needs from 13-19-year-olds.

And their plans to fund weekly bin collections through the indiscriminate defunding of the Camden Plan reserves, money set aside to tackle inequality and increase living standards, again proves that for the Conservatives, social services take a back seat.

While refuse management services are in need of great improvement in the north west of the borough, the Conservatives’ scrutiny of this service provision remains lopsided, with no mention of holding the private provider to account for failing to fulfil contractual obligations.

Having studied the contract and listened to residents, we Labour candidates have put forward a wide-ranging list of improvements that can be made to our refuse services during the contract’s annual review.

Most damningly, at a time when communities are starved of investment, Frognal and Fitzjohns councillors have access to over £1.5million of unallocated funds which could be spent on improving the ward and supporting community organisations. Although this could fulfil a number of their manifesto promises, it remains unused.

As first-time candidates we have wasted no time in getting stuck in, taking on casework, scrutinising policy and holding the council to account when it is called for. We have made clear when it comes to local problems, we put residents first and will invest the time in making sure they are heard.

Residents of Frognal and Fitzjohns desire hard working, enthusiastic councillors eager to prove their worth to the people they represent and this is exactly what they will get if they vote for Labour candidates this May 3.

RICHARD CHADWICK
REBECCA SHIRAZI
GAIL MCANENA WOOD
Labour candidates for Frognal and Fitzjohns ward