Credit where it’s not due

Published: 15 April, 2010

• AS residents of Goldhurst Terrace and Aberdare Gardens, we were surprised and saddened last week to discover that our current councillors, Andrew Marshall, Don Williams, and Roger Freeman, in one of their election leaflets, had included in their list of achievements: securing “new street lighting for Goldhurst/Aberdare”.
As you reported last year, the new lights were brought about by a vigorous grass-roots campaign in which almost 200 local residents, frustrated by the council’s inactivity, petitioned for the lights on both roads to be replaced. However, when councillors Marshall, Williams, and Freeman were asked to support the campaign and add their names to the petition, they flatly refused.
Today public trust in politicians is at an all-time low. It doesn’t help that situation for three councillors seeking election to claim credit for a campaign they had nothing to do with. It certainly won’t endear them to residents, like us, whose hard work brought about the improved lighting.
TONY KOUTSOUMBOS
with nine other named
residents, NW6