Community off your chest

I couldn't agree more with Jon Rouse's article on strange attitudes towards the thing we call "community" (25 July, page 18). Community means different things to different people, usually suggesting some kind of common bond which may or may not exist.

If we apply a set of common parameters to individuals living in a specific area in order to try to provide better services, we must be aware that we are doing it. All too often a simplistic view of community is adopted that doesn't take account of the individuals who make it up. This inevitably leads to programmes and initiatives being flawed and the very people at whom they are targeted not receiving the intended benefits.