I was staggered to read the comments of former councillor Jan Young (The Argus, April 10), who is concerned about the plight of councillors not re-elected by their constituents.

Councillors know their term of office is not for life, nor should it ever be so. Many posts are part-time. Others argue many councillors are not needed at all.

It is absurd for Jan Young to claim that one can be made bankrupt because they have to return a PC and Blackberry when they lose their seat.

Surely Ms Young has her own land line? Welcome to the real world. Anyway, I thought it was the CEO and directors who run the council.

It is always interesting to see councillors put themselves before service. It will be good for some of them to get a proper job.

Elizabeth Childs, Westbourne Villas, Hove

Having been a councillor myself and considering Jan as a hard-working ex-colleague, I think she may have missed the point.

Politics by its very nature is an extremely random and cruel business – there are winners and losers, and effort does not equate to success. Look around the wards in Brighton and Hove and draw your own conclusions as to who deserves to be there. Individuals wishing to follow the political path know what they are getting into and should accept the conditions of the game or, alternately, stay out of it altogether.

The few who do volunteer for public service do so for the right reasons and not for private gain because, actually, there are no financial rewards.

Personally, I am lucky to have an enjoyable core profession and had no problem in finding employment after the 2011 elections. I appreciate that this luxury may not always be available to others who may have been caught wrong-footed by the process.

My genuine worry is that with the financial pressures and risks, fewer people will consider offering their services to politics, resulting in an ever diminishing pool of suitable candidates prepared to put their names forward.

Could I suggest a proposal where we consider halving the number of councillors in each ward, paying a realistic salary for those remaining in position?

Ultimately this will lead to more direct representation and at the same time save a considerable sum of money from the public purse.

Trevor Alford, New England Rise, Portslade

Jan Young suggests parachute payments for councillors who suddenly find themselves without income when not re-elected.

I am not sure where Ms Young suggests these payments should come from – it clearly cannot be from the taxpayer.

A self-contributory scheme built up by each member might work if they had many years of service. However, some members only serve one term of four years – it would not be possible to build up a worthwhile fund in that time.

As Conservative finance spokesperson, I do not support a severance payment from public funds. This ill-informed idea simply cannot be accommodated at a time when every penny is important.

It is an honour to represent the interests of the residents of this city but it is right that these residents have the final word on who represents them.

It may be hard to take rejection but, for me, if it happens it is not the end of the world and no amount of money can change that.

Ann Norman, Conservative councillor, Brighton and Hove City Council