Until June 2008 King’s Cross had a dedicated Street Warden service. The Street Wardens had been instrumental in reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in the area. But despited the huge success of the service, and completely ignoring the wishes of local people and councillors alike the Liberal Democrat led Camden Council scrapped the dedicated service for King’s Cross.

Now every time we speak to local people, on the doorstep, at meetings and on the phone the first thing they raise is the rise in anti-social behaviour and the return of crimes like on street drug dealing and prosititution. You don’t need to take our word for this – have a look at the ward based crime figures from the Met Police.

With local people we fought the removal of the service in the first place. Now with over a years evidence of rising crime and anti-social behaviour – enough is enough. King’s Cross needs this service to stop it sliding back to the bad old days. You can support our local campaign by signing our petition.

Meanwhile we’re really busy working with police and council officers to try and get action on some of the worst behaviour. If you’re experiencing crime or anti-social behaviour let us or the police know, it will help us build evidence and tackle the problem.

Holborn & St Pancras MP Frank Dobson has sent the following letter to residents affected by Camden Lib Dem’s proposed cuts to the Maiden Lane Community Centre.  You can read about the cuts here.

“For years now the youth club at Maiden Lane Community Centre has been doing a really good job.  Everybody benefits – the young people benefit and everybody else benefits.  The youth workers have come to command the attention and trust of young people and as a result the young people behave better.  They even do better at school.  That, in turn benefits everybody else because the young people cause less trouble and nuisance to people who live on or around Maiden Lane.

Sadly the future of the club is threatened because the Lib Dems running Camden Council are withdrawing the grant that keeps it going.  The young people and their parents are devastated.  The police have described this decision as an “absolute disaster”.  And they are right.  This savage cut is nothing to do with the credit crunch.  The Lib Dem local councillors decided on this cut.  Nobody else has been involved in this decision.  The councillors didn’t do it because the Council is short of money.  In fact, Camden Council has reserves of £100 million.  As a result of the public outcry the Council have promised a small ‘one off’ grant.  But don’t be fooled.  It isn’t enough to keep the youth club going.

At the protest meeting I attended at the Community Centre on Wednesday 16 September I was impressed by the young people themselves, the youth workers, the police and the United Maidens mothers group.  At the meeting I pledged my continued support for families, for children and for young people on Maiden Lane.  I was heavily involved in the successful effort to get the children’s play equipment renewed a few years ago and in the effort to get the football pitches brought up to date.  The recent decision by Kentish Town tenants to pay to fence the pitch and provide floodlighting should be another step forward.  So to close the youth club on Maiden Lane would be a real stab in the back for the efforts of local people.

I will do whatever I can to support bids for extra money from charities but in the end what is needed is for the Lib Dem Camden Councillors to change their minds and pay up.”