FAILING COUNCIL

I observed with great interest the reactions to your article of 31 January 2003.

While none of the letter (apart from Cllr Bullock’s) addresses the audit issue directly, they all reflect general dissatisfaction with the Council, not only with officers, who are civil servants, but also with the councillors who are elected by the public.

I write from York Road, a location of Tunbridge Wells where frustration with both sides has reached its peak.
True, there are exceptions among the staff of TWBC, true, you might find a Councillor, who has sympathy with your objections and protests. However over the years since the Telephone House saga began, qualities of good officers were used to disguise mistakes of Councillors and Officers.

As the Telephone House debacle has now reached the point where CALA Homes seem to hold all the cards, perhaps this is the time to benefit from the lessons learned, and to make some changes to the Council. Perhaps all that is needed is a reliable custodian with a view to the future of Tunbridge Wells.

For the latest on Telephone House – log onto our Internet site:
http://uk.geocities.com/telephonehouse

Katherine Quinnell
The Telephone House Neighbours Association

What went wrong with the Telephone House Planning Applications ? The uneasy questions to the Chief Executive Rodney Stone and other senior officers of TWBC 2003, the questions are still unanswered - they are as intriguing as in 2001. April 2002 - CALA Homes bought this planning application. With an ever increasing awareness of the flaws in the design? - Foundations for sustainable and viable development?

A guide through Tunbridge Wells Local Press since August 2000 - "The Telephone House Debacle"