Dear editor, Your editorial of September 8 suggests re-visiting the role of the Independent councillors on Pembrokeshire County Council by ensuring that scrutiny committees are chaired by opposition members.
But by formalising the political party system in local government along parliamentary lines we surely would be reproducing the same juvenile (some say infantile) confrontations which have for so long be-devilled democratic governments.
People are fed up with party politics. In the present coalition government at Westminster we have the kind of compromise which the British people elected. While that is not yet a true national government, it does at least get things done because generally ministers ignore party politics and work together in the common interest. The Independent group that runs our county council comprises many party political affiliations but they are councillors who work together with the common purpose of running local government efficiently. They can do so because they are free of party political influence.
It is worth remembering that the Independents came into being precisely to avoid poisonous and irrelevant party politics which used to corrupt local government. Independent councillors are elected on their merits, character and experience and ability to get things done.
In contrast, councillors who have party political affiliations are rarely elected on merit, but on the colour of their politics – how can that be sensible? How can such councillors possibly be chairmen of scrutiny committees without perpetuating confrontation and chaos ?
Richard F Shepherd Cosheston
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