Letter from Maureen Sheldrick21 May 2008

UNFAIR POLITICAL GAMES

Not many members of the public were present at the Annual General Meeting of Elmbridge Council last week when members of the all important Overview and Scrutiny Committees were chosen. These committees oversee all the Council's services and are a vital part of local democracy. As a former councillor and past Mayor I was horrified at the blatant rigging by the Conservative administration to ensure that Residents Association councillors from Hinchley Wood were excluded from any representation on these committees. All that was needed was for the membership to be increased from 15 to 17 but Conservative councillors were whipped in order to deny to the residents of Hinchley Wood any representation on these committees.

It would be ironic, if it were not so sad, that immediately before the vote Conservative Cabinet member Councillor O'Reilly expressed his hope that the Council would see "a spirit of cross-party co-operation"! It is still not too late for this disgraceful democratic deficit to be remedied but I am not holding my breath. Is it any wonder that there is so much distrust and cynicism about our party politicians? As David Cameron said in March this year "Let us be clear what they (the public) think of us: "you lie and you spin, ... and you break your promises" .

Yours faithfully

Maureen Sheldrick