It was with incredulity but not surprise that I read the letter from Chris Kift (Letters, April 12). It is worth looking at the Audit Commission assessment of “Improving housing and affordability” that has the heading Red flag: Council homes not meeting basic standards.

Almost half of local council homes fail to meet minimum government standards. This poor performance means that about 6,000 council homes do not have basic quality of facilities such as modern kitchens and bathrooms, proper heating and insulation. It is clear the Government’s target for achieving the decency standard by 2010 will be missed.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s leadership has spent thousands of pounds on a scheme to sell leasehold properties to a company that, in essence, it controls. If one talks to residents one finds a lack of knowledge of these Council machinations or, from those who know what is going on, total opposition.

Mr Kift describes himself as “Chair of the City Wide Assembly”, a body that when it met last year was ignored by 70% of residents’ associations and attended by less than 0.5% of residents from the area Mr Kift purports to represent.

He also describes himself as a representative of tenants but fails to mention the organisation he represents is a management group, as opposed to a residents’ committee, that intends to take forward plans to become a tenant management organisation for selected services currently provided by the Council.

A residents’ association has the responsibility, among other things, to represent residents in discussions with management – which for Mr Kift would mean talking to himself.

Steve Parry
Secretary, Kebbell Lodge and High Street residents’ association