IT MIGHT have been useful to hear our local Labour MPs' opinions of the ward forums (page 11 on September 5) once they had attended one or two of these new meetings themselves.
Ealing North MP Steve Pound was quick to spot the mote in the collective eye of Ealing Council:
"I'm also a bit suspicious about the expensive glossy leaflets that are being produced with ratepayers' money and distributed throughout the borough."
In Northfield our "glossy leaflet" was a pretty dry exposition of what the meeting was about, ward boundaries, etc. It is a bit pointless to have a meeting if you don't invite anyone. The glossy leaflet succeeded in pulling in over 100 residents to a productive meeting.
The Northfield councillors are very grateful to those who came.
No doubt we will shortly be able to see how much of their new communications allowance our three local Labour MPs have spent over the last year. In March 2007 all three local Labour MPs voted in favour of giving themselves a £10,000 per annum communications allowance.
Does Pound not see the beam in his own eye?
CLLR PHIL TAYLOR
Northfield Ward London Borough of Ealing
