AT one time not long ago ordinary people from all walks of life stood for election because they wanted to put something back into the community or were keen to improve things.

Local politics was not run down on strict party political lines as it is now.

The problem is I feel that a lot of our local politicians have forgotten why it is they have been elected in the first place.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a mug.

Politics is about gaining power.

But my gripe is that once you have gained power it must be used to build, to create, to nudge things in a different direction for the better.

However, I suspect that in the vast majority of cases once power is obtained very little happens.

People who thought they could change things get swept up into the system of reports, meetings and committees.

They get busy, running around crying “meetings, meetings”, but achieve little and rapidly lose contact with the people who elected them.

What is also very different from times gone by is the money involved.

I think it is fair to say there are some nice little earners about in local government.

I would urge that once our parliamentary system is reformed the searchlight shines brightly on a review of local government.

We were all outraged by the antics of our representatives in the Palace of Westminster – the “nice work if you can get it” saga, as I like to call it.

But the spotlight needs to be shone on local government.

For a start we have way too many councilors.

Their numbers like MPs need culling.

Their costs and perks need looking at too.

But first and foremost we need people of true quality to stand in the first place.

Now that’s the real hard bit.