Councils must attract members in work
I WRITE in response to Stuart Littlewood s recent letter (August 20). Mr Littlewood, and every other voter, is entitled to insist that their elected representatives attend all council meetings. However, he needs to be aware that the side-effect of doing s
I WRITE in response to Stuart Littlewood's recent letter (August 20). Mr Littlewood, and every other voter, is entitled to insist that their elected representatives attend all council meetings.
However, he needs to be aware that the side-effect of doing so is that it will restrict the pool of councillors to those who are not in full-time employment. This is because many council meetings are held during the working day and most employers simply cannot release staff to attend.
The result will be that the majority (those in employment) will be represented by a minority (those who are not) - not the most representative expression of democracy.
My suggestion is that electors should expect at least a reasonable level of attendance (perhaps around 70 per cent-plus) but should otherwise judge councillors on their entire record of service, particularly their work in the ward.
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Councillor ANDREW GILBERT
St Neots Eynesbury
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Huntingdonshire District Council
