I wonder if any Bexley councillors ever read your letters page? Or are their eyes so blinkered by self-congratulation they cannot focus on the real issues?

Week after week people take the trouble to write about the problems affecting their surrounding areas but I have not seen any answers from those who represent them.

News Shopper is the only way anybody can air their grievances.

Here are a few issues which have been in the news lately: l The borough’s towns being bulldozed for redevelopment This practice seems to go ahead without any thought for the people who live near them and the total destruction this brings to their lives and the environment. Protests are overruled and petitions end up in the bin. Does the council think the people it represents do this for the fun of it? Nearly all of us have been there and inevitably lost the fight.

l Controlled parking zones CPZs are crippling free parking which enabled family and friends to visit at all times. Workers in our towns have to make alternative arrangements to get to work. Watch out for this one.

l The police choosing what assignment they want to attend Have they ordered strong chairs for the 25 new specials who start training in Bexley next month, with promises of 50 specials on the streets by September? Oh well, my maths was always poor.

l Closure of post offices and libraries Could council leader Councillor Chris Ball elaborate on what he means by “we are not into slash and burn”? Is he into the new language spoken on the streets today? It is a wasted comment. Bin it!

l Trees being cut down We are told this is because they are diseased and, therefore, dangerous. But how many times have we heard that?

To those who write to your paper, be assured there are many who sympathise with you but unfortunately, they do not have the power to help. We can only share your frustrations.

Keep writing. With any luck, common sense will come back into fashion.

Peggy Breeds Blackhorse Road Sidcup