THE latest statement from Dr Martin Rodger (Letters, September 29) is as usual inaccurate.

I would remind him that I was leader of Bournemouth council for seven years, having served as deputy leader for the previous five years.

My term of office as leader of the council concluded in May last year when Bournemouth became part of BCP Council, and so my 12 years ended because the role ceased to exist, and certainly not because I was “toppled”.

Far from “not lasting very long” as Dr Rodger states, I was the longest serving leader across all the local authorities in Dorset at the time of local government reorganisation, and also the longest serving leader of Bournemouth council from any party for a generation.

To complete the picture, I was also responsible for the finance portfolio in Bournemouth throughout the entire period from 2007, presenting 12 consecutive council budgets, during which time we froze council tax for five years in a row, just one of our many policies which focussed on the priorities of local residents.

CLLR JOHN BEESLEY

Westbourne & West Cliff ward, BCP Council