I don’t see a spat here – I think I see that everyone is agreed that something should be done – it is just the approach which we are not seeing so clearly. I do however register political claptrap which, if that is used, will just undermine what is happening and weaken the process of dealing with the issue.I am not interested in scoring points on any basis and the e-mails I sent with photographs to Councillors, which were also sent to the Civic centre, were to show them actual events and not to make me ‘look good’ in somebody’s eyes, or to give me a few votes. More when sharing important information such as those pictures should strengthen the issue as more people are informed. What weakens the information is that the political system allows people to push it to one side as somebody else’s problem. This problem is everyone’s and representation of it should be on the interest of the individual Councillor, not based on where ‘I’ live.I have numerous e-mails from Councillors who received the photos. They reacted as anyone viewing these on this thread, might do. They also said that they knew of the issues and had been unable to get anything done about it themselves – so again, I am back to who is in charge? That is the fog, to me.I completely disagree with having the issue passed to an individual Councillor when it is not an individual issue. Not only does this subject question the operation of a section within the Council, where somebody needs to work out with the people running the department ‘what they need’ to make some important changes, but it also questions the communication and handling of information and how it is treated on its receipt at the Council. If the department is not run through specific policies which are drawn up to work to, then it must surely be run by a ‘whim’ and whims are subjective.We regularly see the term ‘proud’ being used where a Councillor pops up and cheers the workings of a Council department – and quite rightly so – but on this basis, shouldn’t they be appalled at how this part of the Council isn’t getting it right? If Social services said they were happy to lose the odd vulnerable person or let one suffer actual bodily harm just because they have a £illion tucked away for compensation claims and they preferred to operate by this means, would that be okay? Pedestrians are vulnerable people within the Borough. We are mixed Community as is typical of Hounslow with all backgrounds, cultures, ages, health issues and lifestyles such as young families and shift workers – all having a common desire to enjoy our homes. People make the area and this is a nice supportive and friendly community undermined by a few issues which could easily be cleared up by proper representation.An opinion might be that real development of the area is being undermined by self interested developers doing their best to cut their costs and make a fast buck. People trust their builders to know how to do their work and often of an evening you will see the family outside looking at the work with their builder, checking quality behind their wall, on their property, but never on the street side of the wall.The planning process does not appear to exist as a conditional contract representing the neighbours (who are directly affected) and the Council (representing community values and the environment amongst other things) as interested parties and developers brag that they know all the loopholes and can get away with whatever they wish. Nobody appears to be interested in what these loopholes are to either address them or to incorporate them into the policy.For a long time before I started taking photographs I had been in contact with the Council over the state of the pavements. This isn’t unusual – speak to anyone around here at that time and they would have said the same. As the guy said – he had been mending pavements damaged by developers for over 20 years. We would ring up and say a whole run of slabs had been damaged and up would pop the pavement replacement team to replace them only to have them damaged again in a few days or weeks – never very long anyway. The residents association spends ages on tours with officials and letters and meetings and discussions with Councillors – all spending a great deal of time on a subject nobody appears to have the ability or want to solve.My photographs just allowed me to demonstrate what was going on – think about it – if you can see the state of the slabs then you know it is going on. If you then need to check it out then just walk around the area and you will see it happening. Stop and talk to people and you will hear how it happens – I have several witnesses who can explain what a whole run of slabs cracking with one heavy vehicle on them sounds like. Skip lorries are normally in the area at around 7.00- 7.45 am picking up and delivering to driveways as the ‘skip policy’ is definitely a whim.I have had an approach from Alan Smith to take a look at the photos I have and I will listen to what he has to say. But I feel rather at odds with anyone wishing to prosecute the poor sods I caught on camera, just because I took the photo and kept it as an example of the different things going on. I am happy to discuss it anyway – but I need to know what is being done to sort the whole thing out.As for a witness having to see the actual event – when are the Council going to start private prosecutions against developers, to recoup their costs in maintaining the pavement and highway outside a development?
Sarah Felstead ● 7012d