Excerpts from a Speech by Cllr Steve Adams at the Budget Setting Meeting on Camden Council, 3 March 2026 speech
Oh, the budget meeting brings special joy to the chamber. This last fling before the local elections has a particular atmosphere of end-of-term or fin de saison about it.
Our budget amendment follows our previous approach of making reasonable savings and investing them in areas of concern. Public safety, resident services and fairness of charging are the prime concerns in the document. Hopefully, our thoughts will reverberate.
With the motion we proposed to this meeting having been heavily amended, as is now traditional, it should be noted that there is an upside: the Labour message agrees with our request to reduce reliance on agency staffing, and this is in hand. It appears a bit slow, but as they say, every little bit helps.
This meeting is the last for many in this chamber. For those experienced councillors not re-standing, thank you. Despite party differences, I hope you know that respect has been earned.
The complexion of the chamber may well be quite different in May.
For those who may be beaten at the ballot box, the hard knocks of politics are cruel. I, of course, hope for a rather better outcome for the Conservatives. This is not just competitive ambition, but rather the desire to have a greater effect in serving Camden residents.
I can only hope that the new Councillor corps is more balanced than it has been over the last 4 years, is able to debate with an outcome in mind rather than inevitability, and can reflect on and respect the views of residents with sincerity and an open mind. Real debate, rather than protracted self-congratulation, would be a great improvement and would stimulate change for the better. This democratic function should be tested and may also deliver for Camden.
