THE media has recently drawn attention to the overwhelming predominance of local councillors being nominees of local political parties.

Apparently it is now 95 per cent representation of the three main political parties so that "independent" voices are no longer heard in council chambers only those of acolytes offering their party's policies!

Additionally only 25 per cent of all councillors are women which is a poor reflection of the incontrovertible fact that 50 per cent of the population are women!

Does this mean that we prefer the impositions of party policies compiled by party elites rather than the general democratic aspirations evolving from open meetings of voters with no expressions of independent or constructive-critical views of party policies?

This cannot surely be equated with alleged "local democracy" can it?

Bill Purdie, West Street, Marlow