I ADMIT, to my shame, that for the first time ever I failed to exercise my right to vote.

Why? Because I could not find anyone to vote for!

The Conservatives criticise Labour, but fail to offer a constructive alternative. The Labour party happily regurgitate national policies, but fail to identify local issues, or at least come up with some credible way of addressing them. And as for the Lib-Dems - I haven't a clue about them because they couldn't be bothered to send me any literature.

Where are the voices raised over the Elms Square fiasco?

Where are the people that care about Radcliffe Renewal?

What is being done to attract businesses, shops or other facilities - not more gardens - that will bring the heart and soul back to what was once a thriving community?

Where were these issues, and others like them, addressed in the pre-election literature? Or were our prospective councillors afraid of actually having to make promises AND keep them?

I wonder how many other readers in other parts of the borough can echo this feeling of total disillusionment with our so-called representatives.

A. CLARKE,

Radcliffe South Ward

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.