Who does Anne Jones think she is kidding May 26)?

I was a token UK Independent candidate to give Southend voters a choice to vote for independent councillors. I didn’t even canvass.

I would have done exactly the same as Paul Van Looy and refused to join the cosy club of councillors who have no voice.

Council leader Nigel Holdcroft has reduced the number of councillors in the cabinet to nine and has stated the committee system is not an option.

Anne Jones mentions debate in the committee rooms are not cosy chats, but that’s exactly what they are, as all decisions are made by cabinet.

Southend Council, is in my opinion, incompetent and wasteful.

With its extortionate parking fees, the High Street will soon look like Victoria Avenue – an extension of empty, decaying premises, as people turn to out-of-town, free parking hypermarkets.

Paul Van Looy is better off as a totally independent councillor, not answerable to any party. St Luke’s made the right choice.

Len Lierens
Southchurch Road
Southend

...Newly elected Southend Independent councillor Paul Van Looy really should take a close look at the scrutiny committees under a cabinet system.

He would see all of them have a Conservative chairman, vice-chairman and majority of members, so the Tories can scrutinise or, more importantly, ignore, whatever they choose.

Mr Van Looy could endure meetings padded out with informative presentations of widely varying quality so as to leave opposition councillors with little time to do any scrutinising at all. He might also become aware that important information is withheld from committees.

A fine example of this is the damning Ofsted report which members of the children and learning committee read about in the Echo several days after their meeting.

He may spot agendas which close before the announcement of a meeting, mysteriously inaccurate minutes and further rigmarole used for confusion and concealment.

Mr Van Looy might even ask why leaders of opposition groups on Southend Council go along with all of this, which is one question worthy of scrutiny.

Ric Morgan
Lib Dem councillor
Prittlewell ward
Hobleythick Lane
Westcliff

...Paul Van Looy’s claim (June 3) that the Southend Independents will be issuing concise policies shortly cannot go unchallenged.

It begs the question why does Mr Van Looy need collective policies if he was elected as an Independent?

It would also appear he has not quite got the hang of politics yet, as it is usual to devise policies before an election for the residents to decide and not after.

The Independent Party cannot go on forever criticising the administration without putting forward alternatives, but I suspect residents in this town will have more chance of seeing Halley’s Comet than an Independent Party policy.

Tony Cox
Conservative councillor
West Shoebury Ward
West Road
Shoebury