Sympathy for the Devil

Poor old Mike Freer.

His 'Mike Freer for Finchley and Golders Green' Facebook group page isn't getting any feedback, I noticed yesterday, so to help him out I joined up and left him a warm message of support. After all, as it says,

"Mike is widely respected as someone who 'gets things done', with a keen eye for improving service and value for money in our public services"!

I know that's what we say in our house, we often bless his name and think very kindly of him.

And what an interesting life he has lead. I mean, I knew he was a highly accomplished banker - (liked the blog about dyslexia, Rog, btw) but I am awed to hear he was once listed in the top 1000 Most Influential Londoners! Imagine that! I'm trying ... I'm really trying ... nope, sorry, just can't do it.

When we complained to Barnet Council, Mike, about the nightmare we had been dumped in by a. your authority's housing scheme, and b. your authority's inability to get to grips with the ASB we were being subjected to, someone told us there were many such tenancies with similar problems, and that the Homechoice tenants sent to live next door to us were 'clearly' anti-social. The same person then thought better of it and later dismissed the family's appalling record of domestic violence, drug abuse, obscene language, constant attendance by the police etc etc as 'not to your satisfaction' but that the council were not going to take any legal action ...

You recently mentioned the 'great ignored' and how people like us, the tax paying, law abiding families, will get support from a Tory government. Where were you, then, when we asked you for help last year? I'll tell you where we are now, still in this bloody mess, still paying our taxes and a mortgage on a now worthless house. Cheers Mike.

We thought we had an end in sight recently: after starting this blog miraculously a property was found at last in which to decant our feral neighbours. But uh oh: Barnet have managed to cock that up as well, suddenly remembering 'legal issues'. They claim (retrospectively) that they thought of this brilliant monitored tenancy scheme six months ago - SIX MONTHS - yet they have still not sorted it out.

Voters of Barnet, and Finchley and Golders Green: there are hundreds of families being placed in private properties all round the borough now: they have to be because Barnet has no adequate stock of council owned properties in which to put people. It seems that this is the way in which the vast majority of those on the housing waiting list will now be accommodated in Barnet. Be warned: if tenants move next door to you as a result of such a placement, and they cause trouble, you may face exactly the same problems as us. Barnet has an eviction process for disruptive tenants in council properties, but takes absolutely no responsibility for the actions for those put into private arrangements. Forget about Tory lies about supporting the ordinary, decent family: the bottom line is cost - when Tory policy is intent on cutbacks, cutbacks, cutbacks, as it is in this borough, you can only expect more of the same sort of misery we have had to put up with.

What's the Tory slogan? A year for change? Damn well hope so in this rotten borough.