Co-ordinator's Report

The CGCA's regular work very much reflects the changing needs of an inner city community and the diversity of life in what is now considered the world's 'coolest' city. It is remarkable, though, how many things have remained unchanged from 5 years ago. The majority of our work and the advice we give still relates to: acute housing needs, huge rent increases, refuse & litter, noise, late-night disturbance, parking, traffic, welfare benefits and local information.

The way in which we provide help and advice has changed. The number of people who visit us has decreased, whilst telephone advice and enquiries have increased considerably. Enquiries by email and via our website have increased dramatically. There are big advantages of using email, particularly the fact that it is instant and that vast quantities of information can be conveyed at almost no cost.

We are actively planning our future services and we are writing a development plan for the next five years, using the results of the survey we carried out at the end of 1999. We valued the encouraging and useful responses to our questionnaire enormously - thank you if you helped by answering the various questions! The results have given us a good idea of the concerns that our members have: noise problems, litter & refuse, nuisance from the 'entertainment' industry, and illegal drugs are all top of residents' lists. Other 'demands' from residents include: more visible policing, a 24-hour noise team in Camden, a low-cost decorating & small repairs service for elderly residents, free legal advice sessions, helping local businesses to understand the needs of the community better.

A big chunk of our work is already related to tackling environmental problems; the results are often very tangible and are really appreciated by our members. One new project that we will be launching, hopefully later this year, is an outreach service for older, vulnerable and housebound residents. We will then have the time and resources to visit people in their homes, assist with practical tasks and refer residents to the appropriate statutory agencies, as well as stopping for a chat or cup of tea.

Our various volunteers have been marvellous throughout the year. The weekly help and support from Robert Clark and Mary Henry and the regular assistance from a host of other volunteers has helped the CGCA to continue. Without their help we could never manage to provide even the simplest of services. We have great plans for the coming year and will be working with more volunteers to try and do the countless things that you would like us to do.

The hoops that we have had to jump through during the past year, just to stay 'in business', have been considerable. At times, our office premises have been almost inaccessible as a result of the extensive construction work in the adjacent building. The noise, dust, skips, cranes and delivery lorries have kept many visitors at bay. Our financial 'cliff-hanger' at the end of last year meant that we could only open for a very limited service, whilst we pulled out all the stops to raise the necessary funds to continue. The administrative burden of accounting for our grants increases each year, with long forms, monitoring meetings and questionnaires taking up much time.

Whilst the economy remains buoyant, we can expect more high-class, top-quality ventures to come and exploit Covent Garden. Local residents are generally very tolerant, but they do expect some recognition of the very difficult circumstances they live under. The CGCA will remain a 'watchdog' in the area, using its almost 30 years of expertise to help make Covent Garden a better and nicer place to live, work or visit.

John Bos

 

[ Home | About | Advice | Cartoons | Contact | Gallery | Handbook | Links | News | Newsletters | Sponsors ]

Web site developed by Liam Delahunty of Mega Products Ltd.