It is unfortunate that, for organisational and administrative reasons, the many independent councillors elected on May 2 have been lumped together as a bloc, mimicking the failed two-party adversarial arrangement of Government and Opposition at Westminster.
Independent councillors will make up their own minds on issues facing the council, as, one hopes, others will, despite having stood under a party banner.
Nor is it helpful or accurate to treat the independents collectively as the Opposition, which implies automatic antagonism to everything put forward by the leader of the council.
All that residents should expect is that each councillor balance the needs of their ward with those of the district as a whole in an appropriate and reasoned manner.
Christopher Swain
Independent district councillor for Maldon East
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