All Residents, Meetings

St Pancras and Somers Town ward – Councillors’ update

Today, the following information was displayed on the notice boards around the Curnock Estate. To view the original document click here.

St Pancras and Somers Town Ward
London Borough of Camden
Camden Town Hall
Town Hall
Judd Street
London WC1H9JE

www.camden.gov.uk

October 2010

Dear Resident,

St Pancras and Somers Town ward – Councillors’ update

Once again we – Roger Robinson, Peter Brayshaw, and Samata Khatoon – would like to extend thanks to everyone who took the time to vote in the May 2010 local and general elections. The full results can be viewed on Camden Council’s website www3.camden.gov.uk/votes/map.

Since being elected, Roger has been appointed the Council’s Chief Whip, Peter Chair of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee, and Samata the Council’s Older Persons’ Champion.

Our Advice Surgeries

Since May 2010 we have held over thirty Advice Surgeries, where we try to help anyone who lives in St Pancras and Somers Town Ward. We can deal with problems arising from all aspects of Council services, including Housing and Education (we’re not allowed to take up immigration issues, which should go to your Member of Parliament, and more general money/debt/legal advice is best dealt with by the CAB or similar services). We have dealt with dozens of individual cases and will continue to do so.

Surgery times and venues

Second and fourth Friday of each month
Crowndale centre
Eversholt Street
NW1 1BD
6pm-7pm

Third Friday of each month
Community room,
Lulworth Agar Grove Estate
Agar Grove
NW1 9SS
6pm – 7pm

Every Friday
St Pancras community centre
Camden Street
NW1 OLG
10am – 11 am

First Friday of each month
Somers Town community centre
150 Ossulston Street
NW1 1EE
6pm – 7pm

WOMEN ONLY – Last Friday of each month
Somers Town community centre
150 Ossulston Street
NW1 1EE
10am – 11am

WOMEN ONLY
Last Saturday of each month

Godwin and Crowndale Estate hall
Crowndale Road
NW1 1NW
10am-11am

Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour

Especially with the summer, there have been increasing reports reaching us of anti-social behaviour, ranging from groups of youths causing disturbance and vandalism to drug-taking and dealing activity. There have been problems on the Agar Grove estate, Curnock estate, some stretches of the Canal, and in several parts of Somers Town. We have in response liaised closely with the Police (including several meetings with the head of the Ward’s Safer Neighbourhood Team), and with the Council’s own Anti-Social Behaviour officers. We have tried to encourage rapid and effective responses, have gone on walkabouts, and been involved in the Dispersal Zones (one extending outwards from Camden Town into our Ward, and a carefully-drawn triple zone in parts of Somers Town). We share attendance at the Safer Neighbourhood Panel, which prioritises issues for local Policing. These problems often seem intractable. But do please continue to call out the Council’s Housing Patrol (020 7974 1888 or 020 7974 1889 24 hours) and notify the Police (07867 53621 or 0300 123 1212).

Working with the Community

We work closely with tenants and residents associations across the Ward, and with other community groups. We’ve raised at high levels in the Council problems faced by residents of College Place estate, especially the recent closing of rubbish rooms and replacement with wheeled bins. We attended the Ossulston Estate TRA AGM recently, and will be at each of its future planned open meetings. We have raised issues affecting Curnock, Lulworth, Ampthill, Ossulston, Oakshott, Mayford, and several of Origin’s blocks. We have also met with Origin (ex St Pancras Housing Association) to press the interests of their tenants on matters including rent-setting, service charges and services provided, and been involved in their TA. We have also worked to re-establish the TRA’s on certain estates like south of Elm Village; Agar Grove etc and hope to see their rebirth soon working as we will with the Camden Federation of Tenants & Residents.

We have also raised with the Cabinet Member for Education the problems faced by Edith Neville Primary, needing money badly to repair/replace old buildings, and South Camden Community School-which had faced delays in hoped-for Government funding (now at last resolved).

We had a “Meet your Local Councillors” stall at the Somers Town Festival of Cultures, and made opening speeches at their request.

We have met with Council valuers on Council-owned properties in the Ward. We have generally supported ideas for rebuilding and improvement. These include Saint Pancras Community Centre in Camden Street. We have also successfully insisted on full consultation with existing occupiers, immediate neighbours, and the local TRAs before renewal plans go further.

We are seeking to create a Heritage Centre/Museum for our ward to show visitors the history of St Pancras and Somers Town and we are currently discussing this idea with Camden’s Culture and Environment Department.

Planning and licensing

We have represented residents on several planning and licensing issues. We supported the re-licensing of the Cock Tavern. We opposed the application for a released offenders’ hostel in Royal College Street. We raised issues of concern on 42 Phoenix Road, and the roof extension over “Secrets”. We opposed a “100 hours” pharmacy in Chalton Street. And, although we have between the three of us a spectrum of different personal views, we have all been very actively engaged with the plans for the UKCMRI to create a medical research centre behind the British Library.

…And finally

We are delighted to report that Roger Robinson, after an operation and some convalescence at home in the summer, is fully back in action, and thanks for the numerous messages of good wishes for recovery. You have a team of three very active local Councillors who share the workload and work together to represent the residents of St Pancras and Somers Town. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Councillor Peter Brayshaw
Telephone 020 7974 6202 or 07798 846982
Email: peter.brayshaw@camden.gov.uk

Councillor Samata Khatoon
Telephone: 020 7974 6202 or 07584 407452
Email: samata.khatoon@camden.qov.uk

Councillor Roger Robinson
Telephone: 07833 437471
Email roger.robinson@camden.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,
Councillors Brayshaw, Khatoon and Robinson
St Pancras and Somers Town Ward

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