Hammersmith and Fulham Council has resolved to spend over £155,000 on “engagement consultants” for the West Ken and Gibbs Green estates

The Council says:

“A pressing need has been identified through previous engagement work to more fully engage with residents.”

Perhaps this latest effort will identify the need for still more engagement.

The report adds:

“The council does not have the range of expertise in-house to provide these services or to respond quickly and flexibly to residents’ engagement needs.”

That is not exactly a vote of confidence in the three Labour councillors for North End Ward. Last year the three of them were paid £42,751 in allowances in total. if they are not able to quickly and flexibly engage with the residents that they represent why are they paid all this money?

The lucky winner of the contract is The Campaign Company. By happy coincidence its founder is David Evans, a former Assistant General Secretary of the Labour Party. Perhaps he will compare notes with Keith Hill, the former Labour MP paid £12,000 by the council promote the privatisation of its entire council housing stock.

Labour have neglected these estates. I doubt any residents would say that the highest priority for spending £155,000 would be to give it to The Campaign Company to “align consultation processes with corporate objectives”. They might even think it made the idea of paying their ward councillors £42,751 a year sounds like good value for money by comparison.

Most of all they would just like some straight answers from the Council on the plans for their estates.  If Labour thinks the answer is wasting vast sums on glossy brochures, focus groups and cronyism it would seem to me that they are out of touch with the residents they are supposed to serve.