• ALONG with a great many people, I am understandably distressed and angered by the news that Camden Council are cutting rubbish collections from weekly to fortnightly – which will inevitably increase fly-tipping, mice and rats and have a detrimental effect on the borough as a whole.

As it is, I already share a small bin with another household. We are vigilant regarding recycling, but even now we need to be mindful about waste. A fortnightly collection will make it almost impossible to maintain.

You can understand my disappointment then, when I voiced my concerns on Twitter to Labour leader of Camden, Sarah Hayward, expecting to be listened to, but was shut down and told that “shouting won’t change anything” that “fly-tipping was the responsibility of the fly-tippers not me” and that she was “absolutely standing by her decision”. I felt totally dismissed and unheard by the very person who should represent me and my fellow residents who are opposed to the change. It is not a minor alteration but a serious change which could have huge repercussions on the environmental wellbeing of the area.

If Cllr Hayward wants her constituents to trust her in the future I’d suggest she adjusts her manner to be less dismissive and actually listens to residents instead of disregarding their valid concerns.

I feel utterly let down by Camden and, judging from the speed in which the petition against the fortnightly collections is gathering pace, can see I’m not the only one.

KATY HORWOOD,
Kentish Town