Going to meetings is not the only task

Dear Sir,

I write with reference to Labour member Richard Walton's letter, p41 of last week's Chronicle concerning the attendance record of Congleton town councillors regarding the forthcoming by-election in Congleton Town West Ward.

Though attending meetings is important, it is not the only task of town councillors.

Receiving, responding to and following through on casework is also an important duty of elected representatives.

Of course, there can be no substitute for living in the area and seeing for yourself what is going on; something that might have affected my support when standing locally in Congleton.

Being well known is also important so local people know you and can bring their concerns to your attention.

The Liberal Democrats also feature regular surveys in their leaflets giving residents the opportunity to notify us of their concerns.

Making a constructive contribution to meetings is in my opinion as important as just being recorded on the "present list".

There is also the issue of people with caring responsibilities and who work full-time not feeling able to stand if too much emphasis is placed on this one measure. - Yours faithfully,

(DR) PETER HIRST

Middlewich.