Horsham Labour Party member, Carol Hayton, continued the debate about how much representation Labour should have in the local papers in this letter which was printed in today's West Sussex County TimesOn reading the note accompanying my recent letter (March 27) it is clear to me that your editor has missed the point.
I could accept that the County Times should reflect the political make-up of the area that it serves, if you ensured that your political correspondents stuck to addressing the agenda of the local government body to which they have been elected.
After all, I am sure many of us would be interested to read in Henry Smith's column an explanation for the appalling state of the roads, or the reason why the county council steadfastly refuses to offer up land in a way that would help to address the dire need for affordable homes in our area.
He could even respond to Peter Bates (letter, March 27) who is apparently still waiting for a reply to his concerns about the massive amount of county council funds spent on publicity.
Instead of which Mr. Smith dedicates the entire space allocated to him to attacking the government on national issues and makes barely a reference to the county council. Morwen Wilson has an inclination to the same approach.
If, as it appears, you prefer the bulk of the political comment to be on national issues, it would be appropriate, in the spirit of unbiased reporting, to offer a right of response from a representative of the ruling group nationally to this barrage of criticism from the opposition.
Carol Hayton
Horsham Labour Party
On publication, the editor appended a note to this letter:
Editor's note: In a democracy, it is not for the media to tell an elected politician about what he should be writing. Readers will judge by the choice of material and if they feel it is inappropriate then they will, no doubt, register this at the ballot box.
If any memebr of the government wishes a right of reply to criticism levelled against them, then that remains open through our letters pages - assuming they can find time against the all-consuming demands of completing their personal tax returns