SIR,

I was looking forward to the last meeting of the present administration of Monmouthshire County Council, which was due to be held in our own Shire Hall on Thursday 19th April.

I was expecting a lively agenda and some interesting debates but instead I am told that the chairman Brian Hood has cancelled the meeting due to a 'lack of business'.

There really must have been a serious lack of businsess indeed as this meeting would have been the last for Councillor Hood in his long career, as he is retiring at the elections in May.

There have only been seven meetings of council (excluding the special LDP meeting) since Cllr Hood was elected chairman a year ago. In the same period there have been 17 meetings of the cabinet.

The Conservative slogan at this election is 'A record of action – a promise of more'. It appears to me that our local councillors who may not be part of the Conservative group are being denied the opportunity to take part in all this action and the Conservative cabinet is dictating policy.

This is not local democracy and the views of the public are not being heard.

Can we please have more debate in full council and less control by a small number of cabinet members?

Mrs L Harris

(Monmouth)