Tories criticised for “Goldilocks approach” as “Snoozeletter” hits Brentwood homes and businesses

Every single resident and business in Brentwood is receiving an (un-signed) letter from Brentwood Council at a total cost of £15,100.

With residents on twitter already labelling the Local Development Plan newsletter a "snoozeletter" we ask whether the consultation is the right one.

Cllr Karen Chilvers, a member of the council's Public Information Panel and a chartered marketer, says:

"This newsletter is poorly executed from a design point of view and the manner of distribution - collated by a mailing house and sent via Royal Mail - is about as expensive as you can get.

"The letter does not clearly explain what the "LDP" is and why it is important to each and every one of our residents. It is of crucial importance but the letter reads like a council agenda item and assumes that you know a good deal of background information already. Most residents do not and this should have been explained in a more approachable way."

"And, yet again, the Public Information Panel was excluded from this issue - it seems unbelievable that a letter going to every single home and business does not pass by this properly constituted panel of the council - so, once again, failing to follow due process. It is also not clear if the council's marketing team had any input."

"Once again, a massive clanger, as the Tories take the Goldilocks approach - either too much or too little but never "just right".

Cllr James Sapwell, Brentwood North, thinks we could have used different distribution methods that would have been of benefit to people of Brentwood:

"We have clearly missed an opportunity here in engaging a mailing house when we could have taken on some casual labour to get this delivered. Tory-controlled Brentwood Council constantly fails to think outside the box and this could have been used as an opportunity for some work experience or for someone without a job to earn some money rather than rely on benefits, which a lot of people don't really want to do."

The Local Development Plan is already considerably overdue and there is a risk to the council as we do not have one in place.