Camden Council pass budget to ‘tackle inequality’ and hire more youth workers

On Monday night Camden Council passed its annual budget – with money earmarked for new youth workers and to continue the town hall’s house building programme.

The council has also revamped its council tax reduction scheme to help 10,000 households in Camden.

Criticising continued government cuts and uncertainty, and citing February's Marmot report into health inequality, council leader Cllr Georgia Gould said: "We're proud to be taking a long-term approach to budgeting, focusing on areas that we know will have the greatest impact in tackling inequality and supporting residents who are struggling to make ends meet."

Amendments from both of Camden's opposition groups were swiftly rejected. Local Conservatives had called for office space to be rented out and back office functions to be shared with Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea councils in order to make savings and fund spending on police.

Meanwhile the Lib Dems argued for the council to take greater "invest-to-save" measures to tackle the climate crisis and to set up a fund to ease the transition for those living in the England's Lane hostel - set to close this year.

The budget includes a 3.99pc council tax rise.