Kiburn Job Centre saved thanks to Labour

News from Camden Labour

Kiburn Job Centre saved thanks to Labour

By Camden Labour ⋅ November 25, 2008 ⋅ Post a comment

Kilburn’s Job Centre Plus (JCP) has been given a reprieve thanks to concerted lobbying by local Labour campaigners.

The JCP in Cambridge Avenue, used by many residents on the Camden side of the Kilburn High Road, had been threatened with closure.

The proposal to close the centre was made as part of a national review by Job Centre Plus. If it gone ahead, jobseekers would have had to go as far afield as Kentish Town, Highgate, Willesden or North Kensington.

The local Labour campaigners argued that the JCP was needed in an economically disadvantaged area like Kilburn, especially given the economic downturn. In September this year 6.2 per cent of people on the Camden side, and six per cent of people on the Brent side of the Kilburn High Road were registered unemployed.

But a joint effort by Labour MP Glenda Jackson, together with Labour London Assembly member Navin Shah and Labour local councillor Mary Arnold, made sure that the decision by the Department for Work and Pensions was reconsidered.

Glenda Jackson MP said:

“Along with my colleagues Cllr Mary Arnold and Navin Shah AM we are delighted that our efforts to save Kilburn Job Centre have been so successful. Many thanks to all those who campaigned with us and particular thanks to the Labour government who yet again has shown it is prepared to help real people at a time of real difficulty. The Job Centre is a vital resource to our area and it is really wonderful it has been saved.”

Kilburn Cllr Mary Arnold added:

“This is great news as it’s something I have been campaigning on for a long time. It shows this government does listen to local people and it shows the effectiveness of lobbying ministers rather than simply shouting at the sidelines as the Lib Dems do.”

Other news from Camden Labour