REGARDING the response from the 'Two Rivers Housing Association Tenant Board Member' Mrs Gillian Robins a native of Gloucester, and now living at Wynols Hill, Broadwell, a lady who seems to be trying to educate the locals into her way of thinking, (God forbid)!

Having carefully read what this lady had to say it does make us wonder who supplied her with this truckload of information, could it be someone from the TRH hierarchy?

If it was, we are surprised that the following phrase regarding the grass cutting dispute was allowed to go to print: 'in the meantime the charity will continue to subsidise those homeowners who are refusing to contribute.'

Our answer to the above is that homeowners are already subsidising TRH to an enormous extent, the facts are below:

Two Rivers Housing Income 2009/10 (£000's)

•Rent paid by Tenants 4,816

•Rent paid from Housing Benefit: 8,398

•Service Charges: 985

•Other Income: 492

•Property Sales: 147

•Bank Interest: 2

Total: 14,840

You cannot fail to notice the huge figure that TRH are receiving in the form of Housing Benefit, almost double their rent revenue and all of it from our taxes; if you are a home owner you are obviously paying your share.

Another point to ponder, a three bedroom property rented from TRH is around £420 per month, the same property rented in the private sector would command a rent of around £600 or more, so Mrs Robins who is subsidising who?

This is a quote from the 'Inside Housing' web site, and it is so very true, although it does not refer to this particular lady's letter; 'The comments from the tenant board member illustrate the tensions between owners (leaseholders/freeholders) and tenants. With two thirds of tenants in England on benefits, those tenants will gladly vote for any service they won't have to pay for leaving the owners and the State to pick up the bill. It's easy to do 'decision making' when you don't personally have to pay for the cost of implementing the decision...'

As far as the comment TRH Chief Executive, Garry King making the decision to move TRH headquarters to Newent, nr Gloucester goes, doubtless it was a board decision, however if you rise from being a lowly housing manager, to the heights, and become a CE of a multi million pound charity, you must accept, and expect any criticisms to fall on your head, that is why such people are paid good salaries, and so we have very little sympathy for Mr King.

– Malcolm Norris and Dave Edwards, (Members of the TRH fighting fund committee).