Conservative group leader Steve Adams

DON’T be expecting a Labour-Conservative coalition – but the two voted as one on Monday night as tax and budget plans were ratified.

Councillor Steve Adams, the leader of the Tories in Camden, took the unusual step of voting in favour of the ruling Labour group’s plans.

He said there was more in favour of it than against, but argued that when it came to setting budgets for a council there was hardly anything that set the political parties apart.

In previous years, the Tories would have refused to support Labour’s proposals on council tax rises alone.

Bills will go up by 4.99 per cent, it was confirmed at the meeting.

Cllr Adams was unable to propose amendments because the other Tory councillors were unable to attend and he was on his own.

The lack of aggression came at the last all-member session before the council elections in May, which will decide who keeps or loses their seat – traditionally the meeting where the ruling Labour group gets a stage to make the case for staying in power.

Finance chief Councillor Camron Aref-Adib was applauded by his colleagues after nearly every sentence as he announced details of what he called a “budget for everyone”.

He said Camden would pay for a new team of 20 community safety wardens and improved CCTV to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Cost-of-living measures such as a £500 grant to expectant parents and exemption from council tax for terminally ill residents would continue, Cllr Aref-Adib said, adding that streets would be cleaner with investment in high-performance equipment. “This is what the local elections are about,” he said.

“Who do you trust to deliver local services in Camden? I trust the administration which has delivered the only council in the country with an outstanding rating in adult social care, children’s and youth services.”

Labour councillor Camron Aref-Adib is the Town Hall’s finance chief

Liberal Democrat councillor Tom Simon, the leader of the opposition, said Labour councillors had for years promised more cash for local authorities – as long as their party won power nationally.

This had not happened with the arrival of Sir Keir Starmer and tax was going up anyway, and the council had been locked into three years of “declining funding” from the government. “Labour is saying to people of Camden: You pay more to get less,” he said.

The Lib Dems said if they were in power in Camden, they would tackle a lack of visible policing in West Hampstead and fund “rapid CCTV cameras”.

Deputy Lib Dem leader Councillor Janet Grauberg said: “Housing and homelessness is a priority. Rough sleeping numbers continue to rise.

“People continue to die on our streets. Whatever the council is doing, it’s not working.”

The party said it would fund more staff to support people off the streets and has criticised delays to two new hostels.

It has said the Town Hall should be raising more money from renting out underused office space.

Council leader Councillor Richard Olszewski said projects in Camden Road and Chester Road had taken time because the council wanted to get it right.

The Greens cannot submit budget amendments because they only have one councillor, Lorna Jane Russell – who made a speech at the four-year protest outside.

Her party is hoping to make gains in May and has been encouraged by the Green victory at last week’s by-election in Gorton and Denton, north-west England.

Cllr Adams said: “There is far more in common in the amendments than there is different. I’m not saying this [budget debate] is arguing on a pinhead but it’s approaching that. “There are tiny bits where we disagree and I don’t think any performative argument over this is helpful.”