There was a meeting of Camden Council on Monday, 24th April. As part of my accountability to residents, below are the actions I took at the meeting:
- I praised a group of people with learning difficulties who bravely made a deputation calling for support to give evidence to the Commons Work & Pensions Select Committee about how to make it easier for them to get into work, and asked them and their social worker what concrete policy changes Camden could adopt. (D)
- I asked opponents of Camden adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of ‘anti-Semitism’ whether they believed comparing the actions of Israel to the Nazis was anti-Semitic and whether they believed criticising Israel and not governments that treat their Arab citizens far worse (including almost all Arab countries) was anti-Semitic. I was appalled to hear that they did not, provided no comparison was made directly to the Holocaust. (D)
- I gave a speech on the motion to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of ‘anti-Semitism’, citing in particular incidents not just of words being used to hurt Jewish people, but violence in our very borough – including at UCL in October. I noted particular difficulties with anti-Semitism on university campuses, and as the home of many world-class universities and as a borough known for openness and tolerance, we have to prioritise combatting anti-Semitism at universities to ensure our borough remains open and welcoming to all. (M)
- I voted for Camden to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of ‘anti-Semitism’. I was delighted to see this carried unanimously, which shows that hatred has no place in Camden, but also demands further vigilance to ensure anti-Semitism is stamped out. (V)
- I would have asked the Cabinet Member for Sustainability & the Environment about fly-tipping fines, but we was one of the few councillors not to be called to ask a question! I will be following it up. (R*)
- I asked the Cabinet Member for Community Safety about the criteria for success for the bi-borough pathfinder, whereby Camden and Islington police have been merged. I asked about this in January, and follow-ups have not yielded an answer. The Cabinet member promised to send me the full details of the criteria against which success will be judged. (R)
- We did not get to the scheduled questions to Cabinet members. However, I was due to ask an oral question about the failures of the dedicated phone line for the waste service. (Q*)
- We did not get to the scheduled motions. However, I was due to second a motion calling for the Metropolitan Police to guarantee the futures of all police stations in Camden in the face of the merger between Camden and Islington police. (M*)
You can see a full round-up of meetings this year here.