An open letter to Dr David Garnett, chair of the board at Two Rivers Housing.

"I have read with interest your fears should Two Rivers Housing lose the forthcoming appeal against the grass cutting judgement (set to be heard August 10)

You mention a 'them and us' situation which could develop with first tier residents having a say in the running of estates and second tier residents having no voice.

Should you lose the appeal what exactly will have changed between 2002/3 and 2011?

I enclose for your perusal copies of the letters sent to every Forest of Dean District Council tenant in the build-up to the housing stock transfer.

Were the homeowners considered then, did they have a voice at that time, did their opinion matter? I very much doubt it.

It should have done because that transfer wasn't  just about housing, which I would agree didn't concern homeowners, but if your interpretation of their conveyance documents is correct then the transfer of estate land did, and homeowners should have been consulted and included in the vote (they weren't).

When you consider the result of the vote: 2,268 in favour and 1,016 against and then add in the 2,200 homeowners who were considered and not given a vote, the chances are that the housing and estate land would still be under the control of the district council.

The question has to be asked: Was the land issue deliberately excluded in order to deny homeowners that very important vote, and thereby their input into the estates?

The tenant letters never mention the transfer of estate land. Surely those involved in the transfer process knew of the complete (housing stock and estate land) package and of the logistics involved in such a mammoth undertaking?

Please remember that the person responsible for the handling of the transfer was Mr Garry King, now your current chief executive, who prior to the transfer was employed as a manager with the Forest of Dean District Council.

Surely he must have known about the cost of maintaining estate land?

Can you explain why it took almost five years to send maintenance invoices to homeowners? And why do you want homeowners on board now when you didn't want to know them or take account of their opinions in 2002/3?

If you find any misrepresentation or specific inaccuracies in this letter please let me know and I will publicly apologise."

– Dave Edwards (Sedbury boy).