Dear Editor,

IT seems clear to me that readers who believe that it does not matter that Cllr Swords has called on the Government to postpone elections in Harlow have missed the main point.

Let me explain. If the best scenario of a bad bunch is used, Harlow, Epping Forest and Uttlesford Councils will be merged into one new Unitary Authority. At the present time, residents in these three areas are represented by 52 Conservative councillors, 41 Independents,16 Labour, 7 Liberal Democrats, 3 Reform and 2 Green.

During the next year these councillors and officers across the three areas will be working to merge services, policies and practices as well as creating wholly new departments to deal with for instance education and highways.

But where is the independent voice in Harlow within all this? Unlike in the rest of the new District, Harlow does not have any independent councillors or a Town and Parish Councils.

Cancelling elections in Harlow leaves the status quo; councillors who cannot agree on the best option for Harlow, councillors who have no mandate for change and councillors who were supposed to be up for election again later this year.

If elections were held, residents would be been given the opportunity to vote for independent candidates. They would work with others in the new Unitary area who believe in taking the Party out of politics and who would stand up for Harlow. How this works in practice is evidenced in the fact that strong, local independent councillors at both Epping Forest and Uttlesford have ensured that the Conservatives would not seek  the postponement of elections next May.

Let Harlow Council know that you disagree with the postponement by signing a petition which can be found here.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/vote

Nicholas Taylor, Leader of the Harlow Residents Alliance