It would be front-page news if all those elected to Brighton and Hove City Council decided they would no longer participate in it. So much so they attended the minimum amount of council meetings merely to keep their names on the books.

Such a set-up would be castigated as a mockery of the democratic spirit. Then, several pages into The Argus (May 11), was an account of one councillor, Paul Lainchbury, behaving in such a way.

Being a local councillor might not be the same as sitting in the Oval Office but residents have taken the time to put trust in a councillor by voting for them. That trust should be reciprocated by action, not presumption. Happily, many others are willing to put themselves forward.

Some lose narrowly, perhaps going the way of those who have never been chosen, while others decide it’s time to have a go. That’s how it is.

Without that opportunity for candidates to show their mettle, society is the poorer – and all the more so the longer Coun Lainchbury shilly-shallies over whether to stand down or not. Small wonder residents become cynical.

Christopher Hawtree
Westbourne Gardens, Hove