London Borough of Camden

Not to be confused with Camden Town.
London Borough of Camden
London borough

Coat of arms
Council logo

Camden shown within Greater London
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region London
Ceremonial county Greater London
Status London borough
Admin HQ Town Hall, Judd Street
Created 1 April 1965
Government
 • Type London borough council
 • Body Camden London Borough Council
 • Leadership Leader & Cabinet (Labour)
 • Mayor Lazzaro Pietragnoli
 • MPs Keir Starmer (Lab)
Tulip Siddiq (Lab)
 • London Assembly Andrew Dismore (Lab) AM for Barnet and Camden
 • EU Parliament London
Area
 • Total 8.4 sq mi (21.8 km2)
Area rank 317th (of 326)
Population (mid-2014 est.)
 • Total 234,846
 • Rank 68th (of 326)
 • Density 28,000/sq mi (11,000/km2)
 • Ethnicity[1]

44% White British
3.2% White Irish
0.1% White Gypsy or Irish Traveller
19% Other White
1.1% White & Black Caribbean
0.8% White & Black African
1.8% White & Asian
1.9% Other Mixed
2.8% Indian
0.7% Pakistani
5.7% Bangladeshi
2.9% Chinese
4% Other Asian
4.9% Black African
1.6% Black Caribbean
1.7% Other Black
1.6% Arab

2.3% Other
 • ONS code 00AG
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Postcodes EC, N, NW, W, WC
Area code(s) 020
Police force Metropolitan Police
Website www.camden.gov.uk
Former Camden Town market (2011) – was demolished in early 2015 to make room for the Hawley Wharf redevelopment project.

The London Borough of Camden i/ˈkæmdən/ is a borough in north west London, and forms part of Inner London. The southern reaches of Camden form part of central London. The local authority is Camden London Borough Council.[2]

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.[3] The borough was named after Camden Town, which had gained its name from Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden in 1795.[4] The transcribed diaries of William Copeland Astbury, recently made available, describe Camden and the surrounding areas in great detail from 1829–1848.[5]

There are 162 English Heritage blue plaques in the borough of Camden representing the many diverse personalities that have lived there.[6]

Districts and environs

For a full list of districts and neighbourhoods of Camden, see List of districts in Camden.

The area is in the northern part 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, WC1, WC2, W1 and W9 postcode areas. It contains parts of central London.

Politics

Camden London Borough Council

A map showing the wards of Camden since 2002

Camden Town Hall is located in Judd Street in St Pancras. Camden London Borough Council was controlled by the Labour Party continuously from 1971 until the 2006 election, when the Liberal Democrats became the largest party. In 2006, two Green Cllrs, Maya de Souza and Adrian Oliver, were elected (to Highgate Ward) and were the first Green Party councillors in Camden. In 1985 when the borough was rate-capped, the Labour leadership joined the rebellion in which it declared its inability to set a budget in an unsuccessful attempt to force the Government to allow higher spending. Camden was the fourth to last council to drop out of the campaign, doing so in the early hours of 6 June.

Borough councillors are elected every four years. Since May 2002 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.

Between 2006 and 2010 Labour lost two seats to the Liberal Democrats through by-elections, in Kentish Town and Haverstock wards. A Labour Councillor in Haverstock ward also defected to the Liberal Democrats in February 2009. The Conservatives also lost two seats, one to the Liberal Democrats in Hampstead, and one to the Green Party, Alexander Goodman, in Highgate, taking the total number of Green Party Councillors to three.

At the local elections on 6 May 2010 the Labour party regained full control of Camden council. The new council is made up of 30 Labour, 13 Liberal Democrats, 10 Conservatives and one Green councillors. At the Council's AGM, Labour's Nasim Ali took office as Camden's first leader from the Bengali community. Labour Councillor Jonathan Simpson was elected the Mayor of the Borough.

The organisation's staff are led by the Chief Executive who is currently Mike Cooke. The organisation is divided into five directorates:

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.

London Assembly

Camden forms part of the Barnet and Camden London Assembly constituency, represented by Andrew Dismore of the Labour Party

UK Parliament

There are two parliamentary constituencies covering Camden: Hampstead and Kilburn in the north, represented by Labour's Tulip Siddiq, and Holborn and St. Pancras in the south, represented by Labour's Keir Starmer.

UK Youth Parliament

UK youth parliament elections happen every two years in Camden. The last election in 2014 saw Hannah Morris election with 695 votes, out of the just over 2500 votes cast, around 17% of the Youth electorate. The next elections are running from 14th-23rd March 2016, with the results being announced on the 1st April.

Demographics

Population
YearPop.±%
1801 96,795—    
1811 124,741+28.9%
1821 158,077+26.7%
1831 192,228+21.6%
1841 228,950+19.1%
1851 270,197+18.0%
1861 301,408+11.6%
1871 332,619+10.4%
1881 363,830+9.4%
1891 376,500+3.5%
1901 362,581−3.7%
1911 349,184−3.7%
1921 335,408−3.9%
1931 322,212−3.9%
1941 286,956−10.9%
1951 255,558−10.9%
1961 231,143−9.6%
1971 209,097−9.5%
1981 161,100−23.0%
1991 181,489+12.7%
2001 198,027+9.1%
Source: A Vision of Britain through time

In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century as the district became built up, reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth slowed, for while many people were drawn in by new employment, others were made homeless by the new central London termini and construction of lines through the district. The population peaked at 376,500 in the 1890s, after which official efforts began to clear the overcrowded slums around St Pancras and Holborn.

After World War II, further suburban public housing was built to rehouse the many Londoners made homeless in the Blitz, and there was an exodus from London towards the new towns under the Abercrombie Plan for London (1944). As industry declined during the 1970s the population continued to decline, falling to 161,100 at the start of the 1980s. It has now begun to rise again with new housing developments on brownfield sites and the release of railway and gas work lands around Kings Cross.

The 2001 census gave Camden a population of 198,000, an undercount that was later revised to 202,600.[7] The projected 2006 figure is 227,500.

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.[8]

Major public or private bodies

Economy

Santander UK head office

Santander UK has its head office in the borough.[9][10] Atlantic Books has its headquarters in the borough.[11] Previously Forte Group has its head office in the borough.[12]

Attractions

See also Camden parks and open spaces

Education

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

Transport

View of the railway bridge over Camden High St. which carries the North London Line
St Pancras International – home to Eurostar trains
King's Cross St. Pancras Underground station served by the most tube lines on the network

Buses

All bus services are operated by Transport for London. Buses serve every suburb in the borough.

Rail

National Rail

Three of the fourteen central London's railway terminals are located in the borough. Euston, St. Pancras International and Kings Cross are the London termini for the West Coast, Midland and East Coast Main Lines and also High Speed 1. This connects the borough with the East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands, North East & West England, North Wales, Scotland, South East England, Northern France and Brussels.

Since 14 November 2007 when St Pancras International became the new terminus of Eurostar, a major regeneration of the area has occurred with the King's Cross Central development happening behind the station.

London Overground's North London Line services run through the borough serving Camden Road, Kentish Town West, Gospel Oak, Hampstead Heath, Finchley Road & Frognal and West Hampstead. London Overground also operates the Watford DC Line services from Euston serving South Hampstead, trains continue to Watford in Hertfordshire.

First Capital Connect Thameslink route services serve St Pancras, Kentish Town and West Hampstead Thameslink stations. Currently the Thameslink network is undergoing a major expansion project called the Thameslink Programme. This will link more places in Southern England to the borough and to the East of England. While some services on the Great Northern network, which currently terminate at King's Cross will be diverted onto the Thameslink network, all work is due to be complete by 2016.[13]

Underground

London Underground services are provided by the Circle, Central, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines, these all serve King's Cross St. Pancras apart from the Central and Jubilee lines. Other stations in the borough – Euston, Euston Square, Warren Street, Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road Station, Holborn, Russell Square, Chancery Lane, Mornington Crescent, Camden Town, Chalk Farm, Belsize Park, Hampstead, West Hampstead, Finchley Road, Swiss Cottage and Kentish Town are scattered around the borough.

Future

A proposed rail or underground line called the Chelsea-Hackney line (also known as Crossrail 2 and the Chelney line) would run through the borough serving King's Cross St. Pancras tube station. The line would run between Epping and Wimbledon.

The formerly proposed Cross River Tram was going to start in the borough at Camden but was scrapped by the Mayor of London.

Travel to work

In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: underground, metro, light rail, tram, 21.5% of all residents aged 16–74; on foot, 9.2%; bus, minibus or coach, 9.2%; driving a car or van, 6.3%; work mainly at or from home, 5.2%; train, 4.1%; bicycle, 4.1%.[14]

Speed limit

From 16 December 2013, Camden Council introduced a borough-wide speed limit of 20 miles per hour (32 km/h), except on Transport for London red routes.[15][16]

Police

Camden is policed by the Metropolitan Police Service. There are two police stations across the borough, situated at Holborn and Kentish Town. There are various other contact points around the borough including West Hampstead, Greenland Road, Highgate Road, Station House (Swiss Cottage), West End Lane, Old Hampstead Town Hall and Kingsway College. All locations have varying opening hours with Kentish Town Police Station open to the public 24/7.

The current Borough Commander for Camden is Chief Superintendent Penelope Banham.

Hampstead Heath, situated within the London Borough of Camden and managed by the City of London Corporation, has its own Constabulary who deal with everyday incidents on the Heath, however all serious criminal offences are passed to the Metropolitan Police to investigate.

With a large London Underground network and major railway stations such as King's Cross, St Pancras International and Euston, Camden also has a much larger presence of British Transport Police (BTP) than many other London boroughs. BTP are responsible for policing Great Britain's railway network.

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, Camden 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, namely Euston, King's Cross, and St. Pancras. Somewhere in the region of 52 million passengers using the three every year.[17][18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 2011 Census: Ethnic group, local authorities in England and Wales, Office for National Statistics (2012). See Classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom for the full descriptions used in the 2011 Census.
  2. ↑ "Camden Council: About the Council". www.camden.gov.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  3. ↑ Vision of Britain – Camden LB
  4. ↑ Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
  5. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/pages/William-Copeland-Astbury/133515880158978?fref=ts
  6. ↑ "Search Blue Plaques". Blue plaques search – Camden. English Heritage. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Camden Council – Camden Key Facts 2001–2016
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ "Ward Map." London Borough of Camden. Retrieved on 28 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Registered Office details" (Archive). Santander UK. Retrieved on 28 May 2014. "Santander UK plc. Registered Office: 2 Triton Square, Regent’s Place, London NW1 3AN. United Kingdom"
  11. ↑ "Contact Us." Atlantic Books. Retrieved on 9 November 2012. "Atlantic Books, Ormond House, 26–27 Boswell Street, London, WC1N 3JZ"
  12. ↑ "Contact Information." Forte Group. Retrieved on 2 August 2001. "166 High Holborn London WC1V 6TT United Kingdom"
  13. ↑ Thameslink Programme: About the project Accessed 27 July 2010
  14. ↑ "2011 Census: QS701EW Method of travel to work, local authorities in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 November 2013. Percentages are of all residents aged 16–74 including those not in employment. Respondents could only pick one mode, specified as the journey’s longest part by distance.
  15. ↑ "20mph speed limit in Camden – Camden Council". Camden Council. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "Speed limits – Camden Council". Camden Council. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  17. ↑ http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/about_us/media/Camden.pdf London Fire Brigade – Camden Profile
  18. ↑ London Fire Brigade – Camden Profile

External links

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Coordinates: 51°32′N 0°10′W / 51.533°N 0.167°W / 51.533; -0.167

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