With reference to Councillor Leach's correspondence to your newspaper, he obviously doesn't live on one of the new hospital estates.

His letter refers to meetings over six years ago and he fails to see the gap between the original plans and the reality.

I did not go to the planning meetings, because the Liberal Democrats work as a team and are represented on all the major committees already.

Planning of the new developments in general terms was thorough and I recall that during my pre-councillor days I attended a couple of public meetings about the hospital estates.

However, much of the detail has simply been ignored, or issues came to light which had not been planned for, and it is these which are now causing problems.

For example, I have lived on Manor Park for five years and our roads are still not adopted by the Tory-led county council.

We have a playground which was installed a good few years after the houses were built and some football goals (which I personally arranged). That's about it.

We were told more facilities would go on to Livingstone Park which has been occupied for more than two years.

We were promised a shop but it hasn't happened.

We have road signs that no authority will take responsibility for even through they are illegible and dangerous. Space precludes me from going into more detail.

Most importantly, the borough council received a sum from the developers of these hospital estates for use within those communities, but it has been moved into the council's "general" fund.

Residents on these new estates have suffered.

No authority would accept responsibility for litter picking, changing a street light bulb, mending an open drain cover etc. This is not acceptable.

Whilst things are getting better, I have spent years chasing up these issues and will do whatever it takes to ensure that future residents of the West Park and St Ebba's land do not suffer in the same way.

COUNCILLOR JONATHAN LEES Stamford ward William Evans Road Epsom