In Lilian Gellnick’s letter (‘Why so negative?’, Your Views, February 26), she asks why so much coverage of affairs within our borough is negative. I agree that most residents are probably quite content with their local area and with most council-run services.

However, one reason for the strong criticisms so evident in many readers’ letters is that Barnet Borough Council sometimes appears to go out of its way to unnecessarily irritate people. Take, for example, the recent libraries consultation and the criticisms of it reported in the local press. I have nothing against the council reforming the library service, and even making some cuts, so long as this is done in a transparent and sensible way. So why such a repetitious, unnecessarily time-absorbing and user-unfriendly consultation? As I filled in the questionnaire, it seemed to be more focused on manipulating responses than in ascertaining the public’s real views. It is difficult to see how anything of value could be extracted from such an exercise, and easy to understand public criticism about public money being spent on such a survey. It is also easy to see why the public would react negatively to a survey that seems designed to waste their time and to try to distort their real views. A simpler, more honest, survey would have been so much better.

So unless the council is suddenly converted to more genuine democratic engagement with the community, I would expect the flow of negative criticism to continue.

Isabelle Richard

Crescent Road, New Barnet