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Offenders do a good job
• I READ with interest what Ian McDeson of Camden branch of the construction workers’ union UCATT said about young offenders being employed as cheap labour (Offenders employed to paint estate on the cheap, November 5).
May I remind Mr McDeson that young offenders who are placed on community service orders by the courts have been working in our community for years. Back in 1997 I approached the probation services, and the council to access a team of offenders to undertake two projects in the Somers Town council housing estate.
The first was on the old estate when we had up to 11 young people undertake a major gardening project, along with painting and decoration. We had support from professional trades people who supervised the offenders. Twelve years their work is still in good order.
At the second project, the Hill Wood day centre for our senior citizens, young people carried out gardening, painting and decoration bringing life to a very dull and neglected area. Six years later the work carried out by the offenders is still in good order.
Over the past years I have also approached the ward councillors on the Brunswick estate to ask that they deal with the problem of neglect to the internal conditions there. For years the internal walkways have been left in a disgusting state, never mind the flooding that takes place every time it rains on the seventh floor. It’s not so much the drainage that is at fault it’s the walkways that fail to take the water to the drain. I have asked if the council would consider having a team of offenders supervised by professional trades people deal with the walkways, and the painting of the internal structures. Yes, it will save money.
At present what we can see is window dressing on the external parts to the building, and sheer neglect on the internal structures of the Brunswick centre.
This may be seen as being a cheap money-saving exercise but if it can make a difference to our living conditions for the better so be it.
Alan Patterson
Chairperson START
Chalton Street, NW1
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Your comments:
I HAVE used young offenders on the community service programme and found that the probation service were the worst offenders of not getting things right, too many pen pushers so we never new when community service would come down to work in a regd charity garden amenity in Westminster.
J. Quinn
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