Dear Sir, Nick Wanigarante’s interesting letter of last week covered a wide range of issues that space doesn’t permit me to comment on, although I would dearly love to have a conversation over a coffee with him as he does raise some good points, many of which he will understand I cannot agree with.

However, I would like to pick up on his analysis that Croydon Councillors somehow compare badly in their responsiveness to and contact with the Croydon public.

I can only speak for our Conservative Councillors when I say that I believe that the work that we do, on the doorstep, by phone, through the post, via e mail and in attending residents meeting is without parallel. Coupled of course with their speaking up for their residents at Council and other meetings.

To list the ways that we make all efforts to reach out to our constituents, would again take up the entire letters page, which would be greedy, but a few examples follow, and I know that my colleagues, given the opportunity would leap in and add their own numerous examples.

Regular community social action, including litter picks, door knocking all year round and not just at election time, last week in Selsdon for example, with every Saturday at least one event going out to residents and chatting to them.

Assiduous and active membership and attendance at SNT ward panels, resident’s associations, and school governing bodies. Regular surgeries (personally I am delighted in another capacity to hold surgeries at Faith venues). And a year shouldn’t go by without every household receiving 2 or 3 informative pieces of paper from us.

The recent Talkoake event engaged with many of our community that we would rarely get to speak to, and the public meetings held last year with the police will be followed up by Cabinet Councillors hitting the road to meet people throughout the Borough.

There are many many more examples.

However this is not a boastful list. This is our civic duty, our contract, with you, as your elected representatives and these activities are what are expected of us. We are ever conscious that if we come up short, residents have the right of reply at the ballot box.

Yours,

CLLR STEVE O’CONNELL
Kenley Ward
Town Hall
Croydon