Sir: As a journalist Mr Patrick Hutber might have been
expected to examine the issues at Barnsbury from all sides before rushing into print. He might then have found it unnecessary to accuse officials of the Ministry of Housing, of the Greater London Council and of the Islington Borough Council of 'emasculating' a study team's report so that any criticism of council policies in the area was 'ruthlessly excised.' As a journalist, too, Mr Hutber might have been expected to know that sub-editing is quite different from censoring.
A planner from the Ministry of Housing headed the study team that drew up a first draft report
on some aspects of Barnsbury policy. This same officer sat with colleagues from his own Ministry and with representatives from Islington, the °Lc and the Ministry of Transport on the steering committee that, using the material in the study, had to present a definitive report to the Minister himself and to the two councils.
A spokesman of the Minister of Housing (whose representatives Mr Hutber also by implication accuses of conniving at censorship) pointed out on Friday that this was not a case of altering a report prepared by outside consultants but merely the normal process of a group of officials drafting and finalising their own work. The study was planned as a quick interim one, and con- centrated on traffic management measures that could be brought quickly into action to improve traffic conditions in Barnsbury. The main and de- tailed environmental study is now being carried out. It will deal fully with environmental improve- ments in Barnsbury, with preservation and urban renewal, and all the other matters included in the team's terms of reference.
Christopher T. Higgins Chairman, cn.c Planning and Communications Committee The County Hall, London SE1
Previous page
