There should be no second chance

It was explained how former council leader Sue Bates is looking to take control once again as leader of Swindon Council, since she considers the elections of May 2 to be a vote of confidence in her and the Labour group.

Coun Bates apparently believes that the election result, in which the share of the borough's seats remained the same, was a victory for Labour even though seven months ago she and her colleagues stood down in the wake of the council's damning Ofsted report on education, and left the Conservative group to pick up the pieces.

By no stretch of the imagination can these results be described as a vote of confidence for what in reality can only be described as an incompetent Labour group.

Until a couple of years ago, the Labour group had full control of the council, with a substantial majority. After losing a significant number of seats at the election before last, it was left as the largest politi-cal group but without overall control. At this election there was no change.

This time the Swindon public were given the options of voting at polling stations, by post, by internet or by telephone. Despite this flexibility, the turnout for this election was just 31.33 per cent, a little more than three out of ten voters. In addition, only a third of Swindon's electorate were eligible to vote at these elections, so only 19 of the council's 59 seats were being contested.

Out of the 31.33 per cent who bothered to vote, just 35 per cent voted Labour approximately one third of one third which means the Labour group received about one in ten of the votes.

Only a true optimist or somebody whose skills in arithmetic are extremely lacking would describe this as a vote of confidence.

Hartlepool elected a monkey to run its council's services. After a thoroughly apathetic vote, Swindon is likely to have Coun Bates back in control. Based on past performance, I'd place money on the monkey doing a better job.

(Mrs) E Fell

Ellingdon Road

Wroughton