A Tale Of Two (Inner) Cities

Being the Bishop of Kensington, I have been closely involved with the communities around the Lancaster West estate over the past fortnight and beyond, and have watched and listened to the growing frustration of residents, the anger directed towards the Council, the Government, in fact anyone in authority.

You mean, you've noticed how unreasonable their attitude is too?

A feeling has been growing among many residents, rightly or wrongly, that there were others who felt their presence was a nuisance, that it would be better if their blocks and homes were run down so that fancy expensive housing could be erected to be sold off for a greater profit to foreign investors.

There'd be fewer illegal immigrants that way.

People in the smart streets of South Kensington struggle to understand the visceral anger felt by their neighbours in North Kensington. From the perspective of the south of the Royal Borough, RBKC felt like a reasonably well run Council that did a good job of keeping the schools running and the streets clean.

Which is what a council should do.

When the name of the Judge of the Public Inquiry was announced, the fact that he had several years ago made a judgment that had relocated a woman well away from her home was evidence to suggest he would not bring justice to those who wanted it.

Then maybe what they wanted wasn't actually 'justice', but something else?

The fact that it is not his job to adjudicate on matters of housing relocation during the Inquiry is beside the point.

No. It's really not, and don't you have some duty to explain that to these people, rather than encourage them in their endless whinging?

As lives, families, and the community in the Lancaster West estate are rebuilt, unless a serious attempt to rebuild trust is made, suspicion will continue to reign and destroy the small shoots of progress. If trust can slowly but surely be established, then this community has a hope and a future.

It isn't a community. And continually calling it one is to disparage the efforts of the law abiding other community who don't illegally sublet to their illegal immigrant relatives.