Andrew Wilcox (last week’s Postbag) is surely correct to ask what our elected politicians are doing on our behalf whilst we all suffer the  consequences of a NHS, together with most other public services, starved of funds.

The services that we expect delivered on our behalf truly “are all crumbling away”.

But dare I point out that this austerity programme has been the political choice of a Conservative government, and, with the exception of the NHS, dutifully carried out by Conservative dominated County and District councils.

Unfortunately, there were no local elections this May at which we who reject this political programme could express our discontent.

But there will be next May when we will go to the polls to elect the new Unitary Authority.

This will be a golden opportunity to make some radical changes in Dorset.

In advance of these elections I would like to make two suggestions.

First, that all the local political parties that believe in the value of public services, and oppose their creeping privatisation, explore ways of collaborating to reduce the Conservative strangle-hold on local politics to a minimum.

And second, that people start demanding some form of proportional representation – because until we have it for both national and local elections we will continue to suffer from the weak democracy Andrew describes.

DR KELVIN CLAYTON
Bridport Town Councillor
Chairman of West and South Dorset Green Party