Letter: Union history belies Blair fairy tale

Letter: Union history belies Blair fairy tale

Sir: I am sorry to see that Mr Major loathes what we are doing in Camden Council ("Morale-raising pep talk sends troops to battle", 20 March). I just wonder what it is that he loathes.

Is it, perhaps, the quality of our services, which have received three Chartermarks from his own Cabinet Office? Is it the quality of our education, which shows far better results than Tory Wandsworth or Tory Westminster? Is it our Regeneration Strategy, which has won pounds 50m of government money and has been commended by his own government office for London?

Is it our housing programme, which has been commended consistently by his Department of the Environment? Is it our work on cutting crime, where our partnership with the Metropolitan Police in tackling drug dealing in King's Cross was given first place in the Metropolitan Police Annual Report?

Of course, it could be something rather different that Mr Major loathes. Perhaps it is the memory of standing in this borough as a parliamentary candidate and being soundly beaten. Or, perhaps, it is the memory of his party chairman, Brian Mawhinney, complaining that we were wasting money on a centre for women which he then discovered was sponsored by Save the Children Fund.

Councillor RICHARD ARTHUR

Leader of the Council

Camden

London WC1