Letter: Lib Dem growing dominance - 'That is not democracy'

When five of us stood as Independents in the 2016 city council elections - a genuine mixed bag, not a bunch of councillors thrown out of their original parties - we had two main policies:  an end to the Cabinet system imposed by the Labour government and an end to the annual elections that tie up the council for about two months each year.  We wanted a return to the committee system where the best people from any party could play a worthwhile role. The Lib Dem leader Martin Tod asked me at the time why we were standing in opposition to them, as this was what his party was planning to do.

And yet, since they took power in 2019, very little has changed.  Many of the policies and projects begun under the Tories have continued, although it does look as though they may have finally broken the Silver Hill stalemate that bogged down so many leaderships.  The Cabinet system continues, with seven Lib Dems deciding just about every part of council business.  Quora on these bodies are extraordinarily small - as few as two members in some cases.  That is not democracy.

I welcome the fact that there are now three Green councillors, but they have no Cabinet voting rights.

I regret that Labour has had no presence on the council for so long.  Labour members once had valuable roles, in housing particularly.  I’m not convinced that the studentification of Winnall and Stanmore, as you suggest, is entirely to blame, although the insulting difficulty of providing voter ID for a young person must be a factor.  The last time I canvassed in Stanmore (for the Lib Dems, in the general election of 2019) the students seemed to have forgiven the Lib Dems for their role in the student fee debacle, and seemed to be politically engaged.

But a one-party state, as you say, is not healthy, whichever party it is, or wherever.

Judith Martin,

Romsey Road

Winchester