• FOR many years as chair of a tenants’ and residents’ association I have tried to induce Camden Council to communicate more effectively with the TRA and tenants.

Better communication would encourage greater participation and enable us all to gain an understanding of the complexities involved in service delivery, as well as issues that directly affect us.

Most importantly our inclusion in this process is more democratic! This has been a slow and often frustrating endeavour but it seemed that in recent times we have seen some progress.

However the council’s introduction of the “consultation and engagement team” is not what we expected and is not the answer to better communication and inclusiveness. Far from it!

This bureaucratic nonsense has at a stroke, raised a barrier between the TRA/tenants and officials.

Acting as “conduit”, the liaison team will now speak on our behalf. As we are now not thought capable of articulating our own needs, the liaison team will do it for us.

It is they who will deal with our queries and complaints and make representation on our behalf. It is they who will be given access to departmental heads and it is they who we will thank for their efforts.

This extra layer of paid managers can only lead to further misunderstanding and resentment. We don’t understand why the council found it so difficult to deal with us directly.

LESLIE DAWES
Bacton Tower TRA