Politics - Voting against will of electors

With reference to your recent article entitled ‘Conservative-run West Lindsey District Council agrees to devolution deal by a narrow margin’. I have noticed, over recent months and even years, that the concept of democracy seems to be being forgotten by our elected representatives at all levels.

Wherever money or control is involved, they appear to have become so arrogant and convinced that ‘they know best’ that they will vote against the wishes of the electorate with impunity.

“Coun Angela Lawrence revealed just nine per cent of people in the district had taken part in a recent consultation on devolution, and, of those who did take part in the consultation, there was a ‘consistent’ anti-mayor response.”

Well nine per cent of the electorate of West Lindsey is close to 6,000 people and should have sent a fairly clear message to the council that they were opposed to devolution, and yet Coun Lawrence, along with 16 of her colleagues, voted against the wishes of these people.

So, how much of my money was wasted on this consultation, and why was it carried out when the results were obviously going to be ignored?

The majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for a referendum and 76 per cent of the constituencies in the UK voted to Leave the EU. However 76 per cent of the MPs, who represent those people, voted to Remain in the EU and they are still bickering about the fact that they didn’t get the answer they wanted!

It is inexcusable to claim that the people who voted to Leave, or those that expressed opposition to the devolution of ‘Greater Lincolnshire’ were misguided, or unintelligent or duped.

Party politics aside, it is about time that people who enter politics, at any level, from parish council to the House of Commons, realise they are only there as representatives of the people in their parishes, wards and constituencies and stop assuming they have a ‘God given right’ to know better.

John Saxon

Chairman UKIP Gainsborough