Passing the buck
Dealing with Hounslow Council is a pretty soul destroying experience most of the time and I think it's getting worse. It seems whoever you contact for whatever reason spends more time trying to duck out of dealing with you and your complaint than trying to resolve it. It is high time that people were reminded that the council is there to serve the needs of local people not to create an obstruction at every turn.I contacted the housing department regarding a rear access road that runs at the rear of the road where we live, this road and it's upkeep is, and always has been, the council housing department's responsibility. However, we always have to start a mini campaign to get them to come and do a bit of a clear-up and tidy once or twice a year. The rest of the time most people who use the road to access their garages do their bit and keep it in a reasonable state.The road does get a bit overgrown at this time of year and the end nearest the entrance does attract some small scale rubbish dumping, an old for sale sign, plastic bags of various unwanted items and so on. First of all I get a reply from the 'area manager' - who knew there was one? Can we talk about this - after I'd already sent a detailed e-mail - what's to chat about? I replied to say that there wasn't any issue apart from the fact that housing fail to maintain this area inline with the agreement we got when we purchased our house, so could they please just have a shufty and get it tidied? Now I get a reply saying they do do this three times a year!! Not in the forty years we've lived here they haven't and - sending me photos of the road I've told them about! Are these people for real? Now they claim they don't touch overgrowth - which they have in the past - and the householders whose responsibility it is will have to cut it - not unreasonable. I have asked if they now intend to write to these households to tell them to get weaving in accordance with their 'management' of the area.I think most people are happy to keep the area where they live clean and tidy but what are we supposed to do with old for sale signs etc.? In the time that taking photos and e-mailing has taken the clear up could have been done. A couple of years ago this department suddenly took in into their heads to foist on us a gallows gate at the entrance to this access at a cost of several thousand pounds, no-one wanted this or asked for it, and there it has been- locked back and never used - but an occasional clear-up? God forbid. Let's tell the punters a hundred and one reasons why we shouldn't do something rather than remember why we are here - it's called providing a service that we agreed to.
Vanessa Smith ● 3049d0 Comments