Wendling is set to be demolished as part of the CIP

• IT’S no coincidence that the one scrutiny committee chaired by an opposition councillor was the only committee that dared to question Camden’s estate redevelopment plans, (Left and right – and the rest – join in a rare alliance to hammer Camden’s estates strategy, March 21).

In 2018 I was removed from the same committee (resources and corporate performance) that sponsored the scrutiny panel report, and this happened soon after persuading the chair to put examining the Community Investment Programme (CIP) onto its future workplan.

We have had to wait nearly four years for this work to be completed and published, and I want to applaud every member of the scrutiny panel for their efforts. Their report is a major step forward, but this must not be the end of the story.

Ever since I was elected in 2014 I have continually pushed for more transparency over CIP. In 2017 I had to use freedom of information legislation just to get basic data on each of the schemes released, while the council has consistently pushed back on the release of governance data.

Five years ago, after a struggle, I managed to get detailed data on each scheme released and this analysis showed how few additional council homes are being built while residents live with demolition on their doorsteps and their council homes out of action for years on end.

It is clearer than ever that residents and community representatives, including opposition councillors, need to be involved in setting objectives and shaping future CIP projects in a bottom-up way. I welcome the panel’s strong recommendations for this, and for clear targets and transparency.

In terms of finance and value for money, the figures in the review are stark and show that, even with public subsidy from the Mayor of London and the government, projects have failed to deliver the promised surplus, despite the demolition of dozens of buildings and the construction and sale of hundreds of market homes.

Future plans need to come from Camden’s residents themselves who are the true experts in what their areas need.

New objectives, including a real net gain in council home numbers, can be achieved through community-led refurbishment, extensions and new buildings on sites identified by residents, so that green spaces and existing homes are preserved and improved.

A People’s Land Commission for Camden has been put forward by Green councillors since 2017 as the right way to go about creating new homes with the real, bottom-up, involvement of our citizens. This approach is needed now more than ever.

CLLR SIÂN BERRY
Green Party Group Leader