SHAME on you Marion Winship. To have the audacity to accuse defecting Conservative councillors of being 'disloyal' is unfathomable. How many of her current and former Conservative councillors 'crossed the floor' from Labour/Lib Dem sources to be elected in May 2007? A substantial number. Frankly, Osama bin Laden could have won a seat held by a Labour candidate at that time.

To use such emotive language as 'letting down the electorate' is pure and utter drivel, and the desperate utterings of a council leader soon to be ousted. This council has lost the confidence of the electorate it is supposed to represent. The fact is that they have mostly put their own interests first, and particularly in lining their pockets with salaries and expenses, which frankly at this time of economic downturn, is both obscene and inappropriate. The position of councillor is not meant to be a job; if it was we could appoint suitably qualified and better suited personnel. Next time a councillor says he wants to represent you, don't believe them, all they see is a 'nice little earner.'

Most of the services we have lost and continue to lose could have been kept if councillors' expenses and salaries were vastly reduced. Hopefully by the time this letter is published, the present district council's majority will have disappeared, either by an election result or more defectors leaving the 'sinking ship.'

Where is Mark Harper in all this carnage?

He reminds me of the Harry Enfield characters, Tim nice but dim and Tory Boy, and his weak and indecisive leadership has marked out his time as our elected MP.

Once again, Forest of Dean has ended up with an MP who has put his own personal ambition and self-interest before the concerns and issues of those he was elected to represent. What has he dome to protect our tourist information resources, which is a vital tool to developing the Forest of Dean? Answer – nothing.

Mark, you may think we Foresters are an easy touch and gullible, I am sure that you will find out by 2010, that we are not.

Hopefully, next time we can find a candidate who has the interests of the Forest of Dean, first and foremost. Bruce Hogan or Dr Daphne Pearson spring to mind. – Name and address supplied.