Wyvern Park

Phil has written a response to a letter that appeared in last night Express and Star
the original statements about Wyvern Park are elsewhere on this site.

Aug 1, 2003,

Dear Editor

Our Estates Is Not Run Down, Letters 1st August 2003

I must reply to your correspondent 'Our Estate Is Not Run Down' as I believe that the inference in your letters page is that I have made those remarks. In fact I have not,indeed I can concur that It is a lovely estate where lots of people have bought their properties and keep them very well looked after.

I am sorry that tenants are taking extreme action and will be refusing the painting programme because it is more than just painting the windows it is painting the whole of the outside of the property. When I was quoted in the Express and Star I did state "that the PCVu programme is not likely to alter .This programme has been set by tenants themselves. Any changes to this programme would mean tenants elsewhere dropping out for Wyvern Park to be inserted"

What I referred to was tenant representatives on the Wolverhampton North East Housing Committee who represent all the Tenant Associations active in the North East of the Borough.It was they acting on behalf of tenants who had in fact set their own priorities within the programme available, along with elected members. Indeed I informed the lead petitioner of this in a long and recent telephone conversation. I also told her that they [Wyvern Park}should consider setting up their own Tenants Association so that they also could take part in local decision making. I offered to assist with that course of action if they so wish.

Sadly there has to be a start and finish to all programmes, and the tenants and other decision makers made their choices. I suspect on the best knowledge available to them which would include issues like the age of the property etc. I do not think that the Council is planning to bodge up the windows as is alleged,what the Council has said is that they will treat the windows on their merit . Those properties that have very poor windows will find that they will be replaced.In other words if the windows are really falling out they will be replaced. If Moathouse Depot does have hundreds of windows it is probably for the programmes that have been approved. Finally can I state that I will continue to represent these tenants who feel so aggrieved about this issue.

Yours sincerely



Councillor Phil Bateman