Yesterday Labour’s Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone spent the day in Camden meeting local residents, business owners and community groups right across the Borough.

In the morning Ken met local campaigners and councillors to discuss road safety in King’s Cross following a number of accidents in the area where he called on the Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to act on the issue.

This was followed by an event at the University of London Union and SOAS meeting local university students. Later Ken attended a Youth Roundtable in Kilburn, meeting youth workers and young people from Camden. Local Kilburn Councillor Mike Katz said, “it was great for local young people to be able to have their say. It was clear that they felt ignored by the current Tory Government and Mayor being hit by rising youth unemployment, cuts to youth services and education and worried about their futures”.

Ken was later taken on a walk-about in Camden Town by Camden Councillor Abdul Hai, Cabinet Memeber for Community Safety. He saw the area in Chalk Farm affected by the riots, before meeting local residents and business owners who are concerned about the Government’s cuts to police, which will mean Camden is set to lose over 100 officers from our streets. Ken said, “Knife crime, burglary and robbery are all rising – yet Boris Johnson is cutting 1800 police officers from the streets of London. If elected I will put Londoners first by protecting the police, reversing Boris Johnson’s cuts”.

The day finished with a ‘Tell Ken’ public meeting at Haverstock School near Chalk Farm, where Ken and Deputy Mayoral Candidate Val Shawcross met residents from across Camden.

Local Kilburn Labour councillors Marayam Eslamdoust, Thomas Gardiner and Mike Katz visited Abbey Community Centre today with Labour Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone to discuss the gangs, youth unemployment and the impact of the Government’s cuts with young people.

Local councillor Mike Katz said, “it was great to speak to young people from Camden about what their experiences are of growing up in London. They are all worried about spiralling youth unemployment and the cuts from the Tory Government which are hitting the youth services which they really value and rely upon.

Groups of young people and youth workers from a number of projects in Camden attended the meeting with Ken and shared their concerns with Labour’s Mayoral candidate. Ken promised if elected to stand up for London’s young people and ensure that the city is a safe, more affordable city to grow up in.

Labour’s London Mayoral Candidate Ken Livingstone visited King’s Cross junction today to support Camden Labour’s campaign for safer roads.

The have been a number of accidents in Camden  culminating in the recent tragic death of a cyclist on the junction of Euston Road and Gray’s Inn Road in King’s Cross.

Labour candidate Ken Livingstone said, “I’m visiting King’s Cross today to see for myself the issues that London cyclists are raising about this and other problems. If I am elected I will act immediately to address the cycling safety problems ignored by this administration.

“I believe there are three decisions that the next Mayor should take immediately when elected, as this one will not do so. Firstly, the new Mayor must identify junctions where cyclists have recently been killed, and look again at the safety measures at these locations. Secondly, there is currently nowhere that cyclists can report concerns about safety and dangerous junctions on TfL’s website. It’s time for the Mayor and TfL to create a new online tool to enable London cyclists to easily report their concerns.  Thirdly, and specifically, the next Mayor should act as this Mayor has not, and listen to the views of cyclists by making the 20mph speed limit on Blackfriars bridge permanent.”

Local King’s Cross Labour Councillor Jonathon Simpson said, “We have written to the Tory Mayor Boris Johnson demanding urgent action to deal with these unsafe roads. So far he has refused to meet local residents and to make the roads safer for cyclists. It is time for urgent action before there are yet more casualties”.

Councillors in the wider Camden Town area are campaigning to protect their local uniformed street presence which is under threat. The Government’s cuts to policing of 20 per cent mean that Camden will lose around 100 officers alone, with London set to lose more than 3000.

Cantelowes Councillor Phil Jones said, “As councillors in the wider Camden Town area, we are aware of the tremendous difference that the introduction of council and police funded PCSOs have made to tackling drug-dealing and protecting the public in central Camden. They actively prevent crime and disorder from spreading to places like Primrose Hill, Camden Road, Somers Town, Kentish Town and Haverstock.”

Thomas Neumark, Councillor for Camden Town with Primrose Hill ward said, “Our wards have already borne the brunt of Boris Johnson’s cuts to our local police neighbourhood sergeants. That’s why we’re calling for the council to recognise the special situation we face in central Camden and to come up with a clear plan to protect our local uniformed presence. This doesn’t have to replicate the same situation as we have now – we want changes that better reflect community demands, such as the need for a uniformed presence later at night and for a greater focus on local housing estates and residential areas.”

If you want to support this campaign to protect wider Camden Town’s uniformed street presence please sign our online petition:

We, the undersigned, are against the Government’s cuts to front line police. We strongly oppose the loss of almost 100 officers in Camden and over 3000 in London. We call upon the Government to rethink this approach. We also ask the council not to follow the Government’s example and instead to ensure there is continued funding locally for a uniformed presence in Camden.