I sometimes worry about the statistical abilities of our local paper.

Only last week, 40 new jobs amounted to a ‘Bonanza’ – welcome I’m sure, but hardly a bonanza.

Now, we have figures that show 16.4 percent (rest of Shrops) vs. 27.1 percent of people in Telford believe people from different backgrounds don’t get on well.

I believe this is a country vs.town variance – inevitably people living in more sparsely populated areas will perceive social conflict as less of an issue – I bet the figures for Shrewsbury vs. Telford would be very similar – but we won’t know, because we’re not comparing like with like.

Moving to anti-social behaviour, the difference between Telford and the rest of Shropshire is just 5% – yet the 20% figure for Telford is described as a ‘big issue’ whilst the 15% figure is ‘just 15% elsewhere’.

For a newspaper whose offices are in Telford, The Star has a persistent inexplicable prejudice against the place. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you…

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Well, part of the blame for social tension in Telford and Wrekin must lie with a certain Housing Association (HA) and their “class war” attitude to homeowners. And of course, they wouldn’t be able to wreak such havoc if Telford and Wrekin Council didn’t have them listed as a “key social partner”

It seems to be the case that wherever there is community harmony, this HA can always be relied on to turn the situation around.

In my area, they spend tax subsidies in landscape maintenance, but seem unaware of the dichotomy of ignoring community complaints about the “many visitors” to just one house driving at speed across grass to get there and, once at their destination, throwing their takeaway waste out of the window and onto the street.

Appeals to police, parish and local council to intervene always meet with the same response – that TWC ceded the public land to this particular HA and that they are the least co-operative, least pro-active and least reactive HA to deal with, so a complaint will be pointless. Police have been so regularly ignored when trying to resolve matters with this particular HA that they don’t even bother any more – so they told me last month.

I can well believe it – when my neighbours and I complained to the HA, a senior manager made it quite clear that nothing would be done as she felt that the real reason for complaint is that home owners only complained because they are worried that the actions of their tenants were adversely affecting house prices. And yes, the term “class war” was expressly used.

Well, senior manager, I am actually a tenant, not an owner, and I can assure you that the “social harmony” that you speak about so proudly on your web site is being well and truly destroyed around here.

Anti-social behaviour? It’s not just individuals, the HA’s (and the council who names them as a key partner as well) have their part to play but seem happy to abrogate their responsibility to the community, believing that fluffy words on their website are all that is needed.

But there again, this HA is not a Shropshire association anyway, so maybe they’re simply not used to being kind, like Shropshire folk.

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tell that to the litter louts in sundorne, all over the a49 and a5 there is litter, that is not kind, that is criminally anti social

i agree with the tories, shropshire is broken, its a rubbish county full of lay about dole claiming litter louts and its all labours fault for giving them such high benefits and free houses etc, there are too many druggies and foreigners and incomers here, the place is being ruined, the village pubs are closing and the post offices, its in decline thanks to labour the place is a wreck

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