I HAVE written many a press release about the Mechanics' Trust in the past, but this is the first letter I have ever written to the Adver in my own name. The following are solely my own personal observations.

The recent election results provided some food for thought over the Bank Holiday.

Votes were distributed thus: 30 per cent Conservative; 34 per cent Labour; 24 per cent Liberal-Democrat; 3 per cent others. Of the 19 seats, eight went to the Conservatives, eight to Labour and three to Liberal-Democrats.

Nowhere in this do I see a mandate for one party to claim (or reclaim) a mandate to lead the rest. The balance may have been maintained overall, but it seems to me that unless all three parties work together, the electorate will not be best served.

I hope councillors will reflect on these results when the leaders of each group are chosen. I hope each party will choose a leader who will commit to helping form a Cabinet that will reflect the balanced view the voters chose.

Last year, Labour was not willing to work with the other two parties. And the Liberal-Democrat sought to work with both of the others but not with just one. Therefore, no balance could be struck in the Cabinet.

Hopefully now they will all be willing to try a new approach.

A Cabinet in which seats were distributed according to the balance of the vote could be considered. With 10 seats in Cabinet a 4-4-2 or 5-4-2 balance could be struck, with the overall Leader holding a casting vote. Is this so earth-shatteringly novel that it couldn't be tried, in place of the winner take all system which has strangled Swindon for so long?

MARTHA PARRY

London Street

Swindon