Barry Sullivan

• AT 6pm on August 30 friends of campaigner Barry Sullivan will gather at his bench in St Martin’s Gardens to mark 10 years of his passing.

We will be remembering him as a friend, of course, but when we gather we do so because we know the work Barry did is needed more than ever before.

Since the closure of the Camden Town Neighbourhood Advice Centre (where he was manager), council services and the third sector have continued to decline with further cuts to council budgets to come.

The rolling out of Universal Credit in Camden will see many people needing assistance in navigating the rules and many people worried about the severe delays that the first claimants experienced.

You reported in March 2017 that Camden Council made a submission to the Work & Pensions select committee stating that the delays were causing great hardship, including one person admitting “stealing food to eat” and others having to borrow heavily from friends and others. Meeting each year is one way to continue the legacy of Barry.

Offering a helping hand to someone in need and helping your neighbour may not be the answer to a lack of services but in these harsh times of benefit sanctions we need to retain our humanity and fight cuts in services as well as look out for the people who are experiencing the impact of these cuts and help to get their voices heard.

CATHY POUND