New Kensington MP Lady Victoria Borwick has been accused of marginalising her constituents by failing to converse with them.

Jonathan Bell said he and several others are disgruntled by the fact she is not replying to their letters and petitions.

The 55-year-old said: “I’ve spoken to members of the community who are feeling marginalised and not being heard. Victoria Borwick’s office is not being accountable to the residents.”

The MP told getwestlondon that all correspondence should be answered within 10 days, and apologised to anyone who felt they had not received an appropriate response, promising to look into the issue.

Mr Bell was speaking after Lady Victoria became MP following previous incumbent Sir Malcolm Rifkind's resignation after being embroiled in a ‘cash-for-access’ scandal.

He said despite political differences with Sir Malcolm, he was always polite, courteous and efficient in his replies.

Mr Bell, who works for social services and lives in Palace Gardens Terrace, said: “It’s a problem that the constituents’ matters are not being dealt with in an effective way, emails and letters not being responded by Lady Victoria’s office.

“I have written and sent her letters several times on issues ranging from austerity, fox hunting, assisted suicide and human rights, and she’s been very slow and tardy getting back to me.

“I had many dealings with Malcolm Rifkind, we had a good working relationship. He always replied to my letters within two or three weeks.”

He has been told by her office that it is reorganising the way it replies to constituents and that these will be via email in the future.

This also annoys Mr Bell: “I’d rather have received a letter than an email because it has more weight and substance because it is signed.

“I just think this is not satisfactory. Her office is not replying to constituents matters and concerns in a timely and punctilious way so the issues can be progressed and resolved. I can’t progress with my work without the response or answers from the MP.”

Mrs Borwick said her office receives up to 300 emails a day which are prioritised.

She said: “We do triage the emails so I ask my team to sort them. If someone needs immediate help they must have priority.

“If someone is facing eviction these are the sort of people we must deal with and get back to immediately.

“If someone if asking for my views on something which is not of immediate concern, like seal clubbing or whale hunting, then these are important issues but not as important as the person who is facing eviction and in need of urgent help.

“Of course I apologise to anybody that feels they have not had an appropriate response from me and it is something that we will look into.”