Dear Sir,

It’s funny how all Councillors only seem to communicate with the public when they want something from you. Yes, it’s ‘I want your vote again’ time. Then goodbye until the next election. They slag each other off and accuse each other of lying and if elected they will do the best for us, promising us everything, which doesn’t materialise when they are elected.
At the same time, each Councillor does not only represent the people who voted for them, but all the people in the ward. We don’t all wear cloth caps and vote Labour. Where are their voices? Then there are candidates who are Independent, they decide for themselves what they want and polices which suit their needs.

I have a council summary of accounts 2007/2008 which shows how much each authority has, at the end of the year, in the reserve fund. This was at March 31st 2008, showing the County Council had £100.855m plus pounds in reserve, the police had £11.874m and the fire brigade had £5.889m. This was at the end of the financial year. Which is approximately £117m under spent and the council tax still went up. Amazing what you find in lockdown. Still, our MP has had a meeting to encourage the Council to put in for levelling up funds. They are not backward in coming forward when money is involved. It is 13 years on, how much is now in the coffers? They say the council tax needed to go up this year because of government cuts.

Another candidate wants off road parking and quoted preventative measures and pointed to a previous collaboration as an example. The last collaboration I know of for off road parking was carried out on Baliol Green and a cul-de-sac in the village, when there was a more pressing needs on Baliol Road and Clarence Chare main bus route and the person in question, who raised the point, was told to contact the bus company and have the bus route rerouted by one of the said councillors. Speaking of green areas, do the Council own Clarence Green? If so, have livin been sold part of it or have they acquired part of it by other means? Because it is much smaller in area now the road has moved, taking away the green and extending living property.

Next, we have the task of electing a Crime Commissioner. Who are they and what are they going to do for the community? What qualifications do they have and what did we do before them? Are they local or are they from outside the area and will they be accused of lining their pockets as well?

Another point in question, a separate door for Councillors to enter council buildings, I mean they can’t be seen rubbing shoulders with the riff raff, also a reduction in Councillors.

I think that this year, because of Covid-19, we may have to provide our own pens at the polling stations, question: is it worth the ink?

Name and address supplied