MAY I respond to your correspondent’s argument for Proportional Representation?

Governments are elected to take difficult decisions and take the flak for those decisions. 

A coalition government, which is the common result of such a system, tends to fall apart when faced with reality. 

Minority parties tend to be single issue/protesting ones. Their innate nature kicks in and there is no majority to make that difficult decision.

Can it be that behind this argument for changing the way we vote, lies the very strong and prevalent feeling that nobody is listening and we do not matter; we are just units in a faceless system? Things are done to us – we feel helpless.

Well, with the government decision to choose the One Somerset solution to a unitary council for Somerset we do have a chance ourselves to do something. 

WANT TO WRITE? Click here to submit your letter
READ MORE: LETTER: 'Our current voting system is grossly unfair'
READ MORE: Plan for ONE unitary council in Somerset APPROVED 

The solution recognises that life has moved on. There are new and better ways of doing things.

While the council itself will be ultimately responsible for the direction of travel, actual service delivery will be organised through Local Community Networks (LCNs).

These will be groupings of parish and town councils who share a common geography and economy. 

It will be up to them and us to get in involved in working out how best to deliver services in our particular area.

Here is our chance to take control of what happens to us here and now!

D BRADLEY
Kingston St Mary