Putting the community first' is Barnet Council's claim on its letterheads. Most of its actions for some time now belie this claim.

The council has decided to reduce the number of Area Forums and place one in each parliamentary constituency.

This is deliberately taking the forums further away from local people. The distances to travel will further put people off from attending.

The claims that numbers attending Area Forums have dropped over recent years is rather puerile. There are a number of reasons for this, such as the very poor advertising and explanation of the forums, and the number of issues that have dragged on for years.

People wonder, therefore, what the point is of taking the time to come and raise issues. Yet another is the degree of involvement by councillors, who have the ability to raise issues and express views elsewhere. Matters raised by the public should only be dealt with at the meeting if there is a clear conclusion readily available. If not, the matter should be noted, the public replied to and the matter reported to the next forum.

Michael Corfin Brook Avenue, Edgware