A breath of fresh air, so let’s have even more

Published: 8 July, 2010

• I EXPECT Camden Council’s leaseholders will strongly endorse your view (June 17) “A breath of fresh air came this week from Labour council’s finance chief Theo Blackwell who announced plans – courageous in scale – to publish all council expenditure over £500”. 

I understand information will appear on the council website. I also know that candidate councillors visiting leaseholders before the election found them angry about steadily increasing service charges, and poor explanations of them from Camden.

Of those seeking redress through the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (a long drawn-out process), I am told 40 per cent win their cases.

I hope that Theo is brave enough to go a step further, by letting leaseholders access their service charge accounts through the website too, and linking entries to listed items of expenditure.

Doing so would increase transparency; cut down queries and appeals so freeing up officer time; and allow leaseholders to see that what the council spends on tenants and leaseholders buys value for money.

Councillor Julian Fulbrook hopes to attend the Leaseholders’ Forum on July 14 as new cabinet member for housing; it would be good if he brought news of further courageous steps from Camden’s local new Labour.

PETER WRIGHT
Camden Leaseholders’ Forum