It was a great pity Sue Murray of the Worthing Hospitality Association (Letters, April 11) spoilt her praise of

the palms along Worthing seafront by venturing into party politics.

The association should surely be strictly politically neutral, not appear to be a thinly veiled mouthpiece of the Conservative or any other party. The way Ms Murray referred to Councillor Dice and herself, attacked "a councillor from an opposition party" and then made a judgement about a ward being marginal was surely way out of line for the association.

If the figures quoted were incorrect, one would expect Coun Dice to refute them because, presumably, it was Worthing Borough Council who paid for the trees.

If the association clearly sponsors one particular party, which it should not, what about all those potential members who might support other parties or not want to get into any party politics?

In any case, what business is it of the association's to start making comments about whether wards are marginal? Selden ward has elected all its councillors from the same party for several years. The only anomaly was when one councillor switched parties mid-term.

As to the palms themselves, they are an improvement. Anything is better than nothing. Time and weather will tell if the council has wasted our money when it could have planted trees native to this country. I have always thought planting palm trees in the UK to be rather pretentious. We aren't the Riviera and the poor things are never happy. They remain stunted, the leaves go brown and soon look shabby.

-T Nicholls, Northcourt Road, Worthing