John Langan, who worked at Kentish Town City Farm for 34 years as stockman

• FURTHER to Nicole Furre’s letter (The city farm is not alone as a charity facing serious challenges, May 9), I worked at Kentish Town City Farm for 34 years as stockman.

One of the major changes from 2017 on was the increase in staffing levels. This generated more income from staff-run projects but a much higher wage bill.

It seems harsh to put jobs at risk because of errors made by the director and the trustees without trying other remedies first. It seems there has been a failure of the trustees to adequately monitor the financial situation.

This dispute comes from a lack of discussion and consultation between the users of the farm, the community, volunteers, members, staff and management.

None of the four trustees are farm users or Camden residents. They do not appear to know the farm and how it works or the people of the community. How can they make these decisions in isolation?

Why are they threatening redundancies before they examine the way the farm works and try to fundraise to ensure that it can continue?

Changes may be necessary but they should be made with discussion. Have the trustees considered how much income will be lost from cutting staff-run activities like May Day?

We all know the impact of the austerity budgets of this government on funding of small and essential ground-level community projects and know how important it is to maintain these crucial, well-established and popular services.

The staff, with their combined expertise gained over many years, should be the first people to be consulted on changes to ensure the continuing success of the farm.

We all want Kentish Town City Farm to continue and thrive. We need to work together in an open and transparent way to make sure this happens.

JOHN LANGAN
NW5