• I AM sorry that John Stratton, NW3 (Letters, September 9) objects to my letters about the conditions faced by many residents and businesses in NW5 as “constant carping”.

My aim is to draw the attention of readers to the conditions experienced as a result of Camden Council actions and inactions in our area.

Many councillors keep very quiet on these and many other matters; some even claiming we in NW5 are all happy and contented.

My own contribution to the community has been through voluntary activity over four decades. I have been the chair of Queen’s Crescent Community Association, Carlton School, and Camden Independent Custody Visitors.

For these and other activities related to community and inter-faith cohesion, I have received awards from Camden Council, the Greater London Council and, latterly, an MBE.

Unlike councillors I, and all those volunteers in NW5 and across the borough, do not get paid.

I am more than willing to give John Stratton a tour of the squalor of this part of Gospel Oak so that he can see for himself why things need to change. He can then share with us his contribution to our community.

MICK FARRANT, NW5