London Borough of Camden

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London Borough of Camden
Camden
Shown within Greater London
Geography
Status London borough
Area
— Total
Ranked 345th
21.8 km² (8.4 sq mi)
ONS code 00AG
Admin HQ Euston Road, St Pancras
Demographics
Population
— Total (2006 est.)
Density
Ranked 49th (of 354)
227,500
10,436 /km² (27,029 /sq mi)
Ethnicity
White British
White Irish
Other White
White & Black Caribbean
White & Black African
White & Asian
Other Mixed
Indian
Pakistani
Bangladeshi
Other Asian
Black Caribbean
Black African
Other Black
Chinese
Other
(2005 estimates)[1]
52.4%
3.5%
15.7%
0.8%
0.6%
1.2%
1.3%
3.6%
0.9%
5.7%
1.2%
1.6%
5.1%
0.5%
2.7%
3.1%
Politics
Camden London Borough Council
Logo of Camden London Borough Council
Leadership Leader & Cabinet
Mayor Cllr Nuru Islam
Executive Liberal Democrat / Conservative
MPs Frank Dobson
Glenda Jackson
London Assembly
— Member
Barnet and Camden
Brian Coleman
Coat of Arms
Coat of arms of Camden London Borough Council
Official website http://www.camden.gov.uk/

The London Borough of Camden (pronunciation ) is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. The southern reaches of Camden form part of Central London.

Contents

[edit] Population and demographics

The 2001 census gave Camden a population of 198,000, an undercount that was later revised to 202,600.[2] The projected 2006 figure is 227,500.

Camden is 73% white, 6% Bangladeshi and 6% black African. 35% of householders are owner-occupiers; 86% of households live in purpose-built or converted flats.[3]

The borough is home to some of London's most desirable areas such as Hampstead, Dartmouth Park, the Holly Lodge Estate and Camden Town, as well as areas with higher unemployment and very high crime levels (especially drug crime) around Gospel Oak and, to a lesser extent, Somers Town. This mix of deprivation and affluence gives camden an exciting and somewhat dangerous edge.

On 20 May 1999, The Camden New Journal newspaper documented 'Two Camdens' syndrome as a high profile phenomenon differentiating the characteristics of education services in its constituencies. In 2006, Dame Julia Neuberger's book reported similar variation as a characteristic of Camden's children's health services. Her insider's view was corroboration - in addition to the 2001 "Inequalities" report by Director of Public Health Dr. Maggie Barker, of "stark contrasts in" health and education opportunities - of earlier similar Audit Commission findings and a verification/update of the 1999 CNJ report. [4]

[edit] History

The borough was created in 1965 from the former area of the metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and St Pancras, which had formed part of the County of London.[5] The borough was named after Camden Town, which had gained its name from Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden in 1795.[6]

[edit] Districts and environs

For a full list of districts and neighbourhoods of Camden, see Category:Neighbourhoods of Camden

The area is in the north side of the city, reaching from Holborn and Bloomsbury in the south to Hampstead Heath in the north. Neighbouring areas are the City of Westminster and the City of London to the south, Brent to the west, Barnet and Haringey to the north and Islington to the east. It covers all or part of the N1, N6, N7, N19, NW1, NW2, NW3, NW5, NW6, NW8, EC1, EC2, EC4, WC1, WC2, and W1 postcode areas. It has parts of innner, outer and central london contained within it.

[edit] Politics

[edit] London Borough Council

Camden's town hall is located in Judd Street near Kings Cross. The Council was controlled by the Labour Party continuously from 1971 until 2006, when the Liberal Democrats became the largest party. Borough councillors are elected every four years.

The electoral wards in Camden are Belsize, Bloomsbury, Camden Town with Primrose Hill, Cantelowes, Fortune Green, Frognal and Fitzjohns, Gospel Oak, Hampstead Town, Haverstock, Highgate, Holborn and Covent Garden, Kentish Town, Kilburn, King's Cross, Regent's Park, St Pancras and Somers Town, Swiss Cottage, and West Hampstead.

At the local elections on 4 May 2006 the Labour party lost control of Camden council for the first time since 1971. The new council was made up of 20 Lib Dems, 18 Labour, 13 Conservatives and 3 Green councillors.[citation needed] Following the elections the Liberal Democrats formed a partnership with the Conservatives. Cllr Keith Moffitt (Lib Dem) was voted Leader of the Council and Cllr Andrew Marshall (Con) Deputy Leader. The new administration includes a further five Liberal Democrat and three Conservative Executive Members.[citation needed]

Since the 2006 elections Labour have lost a further two seats to the Liberal Democrats, in Kentish Town and Haverstock wards.

The organisation's staff are led by the Chief Executive who is currently Moira Gibb. Beneath her the organisation is divided into five directorates:

  • Housing and Adult Social Care
  • Schools and Children
  • Environment and Culture
  • Central Services
  • Chief Executives Department

The directorates are headed by a director who report directly to the Chief Executive. Each directorate is divided into a number of divisions headed by an assistant director. They in turn are divided into groups which are themselves divided into services. This is a similar model to most local government in London.

[edit] London Assembly

Camden forms part of the Barnet and Camden London Assembly constituency.

[edit] UK Parliament

There are presently two parliamentary constituencies covering Camden - Hampstead & Highgate in the north, currently represented by Glenda Jackson,[7] and Holborn & St. Pancras in the south, represented by Frank Dobson.[8] From the next election, the borough is paired with Brent, and divided into an expanded Holborn and St Pancras (which has taken on Gospel Oak, Highgate, and the rest of Haverstock and Camden Town with Primrose Hill) and part of the cross-borough Hampstead and Kilburn seat.[9]

[edit] Major public or private bodies

[edit] Attractions

[edit] Education

The London Borough of Camden is the local education authority for the borough, organised through the Children, Schools and Families Directorate.

[edit] Primary schools

Source[10]. {CE indicates Church of England, RC Roman Catholic schools, {J} indicates a junior school and (H), a specialist hospital school).
  • Argyle
  • Beckford
  • Brecknock
  • Brookfield
  • Carlton
  • Christ Church (Hampstead) (CE)
  • Christ Church (Redhill St) (CE)
  • Christopher Hatton
  • Edith Neville
  • Eleanor Palmer
  • Emmanuel CE
  • Fitzjohns
  • Fleet
  • Gospel Oak
  • Great Ormond Street (H)
  • Hampstead parochial CE
  • Hawley (I)
  • Holy Trinity (Trinity Walk) CE
  • Holy Trinity and St Silas CE
  • Kentish Town CE
  • Kingsgate
  • Netley
  • New End
  • Our Lady's RC
  • Primrose hill
  • Rhyl
  • Richard Cobden
  • Rosary RC
  • Royal Free (H)
  • St Albans CE
  • St Aloysius RC
  • St Dominics RC
  • St Eugene de Mazenod RC
  • St George the Martyr CE
  • St Josephs RC
  • St Mary & St Pancras CE
  • St Marys (Kilburn) CE
  • St Michaels (Camden Town) CE
  • St Patricks RC
  • St Pauls CE
  • Torriano (J)

[edit] Secondary schools

Source.[11]
Both the Royal Free and Great Ormond St operate specialist secondary education in hospital units.

[edit] Independent

[edit] Transport

View of the railway bridge over Camden High St. which carries the North London Line
View of the railway bridge over Camden High St. which carries the North London Line

Three of central London's northern railway terminals (Euston, St. Pancras and Kings Cross) are located in the borough; they are the southern termini for the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and East Coast Main Line, respectively. On 14th November 2007 St Pancras became the new terminus of Eurostar.

[edit] London Fire Brigade

Four fire stations (Belsize, Euston, Kentish Town, West Hampstead) are operated by London Fire Brigade in the borough of Camden. None of these fire stations are home to any specialist units; just pumping appliances and a rescue tender. In 2006/2007, the four stations attended just under eight thousand incidents.

During 2006/2007 the ward of King's Cross had the most malicious calls; with over 40 against a total for the borough of 161.

Since 2002, Cambden has seen a steady decrease in the number of fires attended (2002/2003 - 768; 2006/2007 - 547: -28%). Something the LFB will put down to its commitment to its Community Fire Safety scheme.

Three of London's busiest railway stations are in the borough; with somewhere in the region of 52 million passengers using the three every year. [12]

London Fire Brigade - Cambden Profile

[edit] References

  1. ^ Data Management and Analysis Group, Greater London Authority, Demography Update October 2007, (2007)
  2. ^ Camden Council - Camden Key Facts 2001-2016
  3. ^ Camden Council - Camden Profile 2007
  4. ^ see the DFES Children Act report (2000); The Health Divide by Voluntary Action Camden; Health Inequalities in Camden Dr. Maggie Barker, a public Health Report; "Seen But Not Heard" an Audit Commission report based on research carried out mainly in Camden; and The Moral State We're In by Dame Julia Neuberger, former chair of Camden Community Health Services NHS Trust, et al.
  5. ^ Vision of Britain - Camden LB
  6. ^ Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
  7. ^ Guardian Politics - Hampstead and Highgate
  8. ^ Guardian Politics - Holborn and St Pancras
  9. ^ Mapping for the London Boroughs nd the Metropolitan Counties. Fifth Periodical Report. Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  10. ^ List of Primary schools in LB Camden accessed 14 Jun 2007
  11. ^ List of Secondary schools in LB Camden accessed 14 Jun 2007
  12. ^ http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/about_us/media/Cambden.pdf London Fire Brigade - Cambden Profile

[edit] External links

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Coordinates: 51°32′N, 0°10′W