Parish provides a local voice- Submitted by 27 Mar 2008 - Source Leicester Mercury 27.03.08

I read with some anger the letter "Axe parish councils" (Mailbox, March 19). Read the Article

I represent a parish council and know that people want a voice at the lowest level of local government, whether that be bringing concerns that people have to parish council meetings or submitting views on planning applications and consulting with people over them, if needed. This gives people a link to people in power, district councils and other such bodies.

In respect of services, in the parish I represent we receive a precept every year to pay for street lighting repairs, electricity repairs, community computer costs and the hire of the village hall for meetings.

In many meetings, your respondent is right, we do not have a high turnout, but we do have a high level of issues, which people ask us to bring up at parish council meetings. Some can be as basic as requests for funding for local projects or even fund-raising for new play equipment for the local play area, but other issues, like cars obstructing roads or lanes, are the sort of things people worry about and they affect their lives.

Also outside of parish council meetings, issues like conservation and tree removal are hot subjects.

People need a local voice and parish councils offer this at the most local level. Many villages and small communities would feel further isolated if this very important level of local government was abolished or changed in a way that would undermine or ignore the views of local people in small villages or communities up and down the country.

Stuart Gregory, Hoby with Rotherby parish councillor.

Source Leicester Mercury 27.03.08