I could not let the letter by Gordon Cann (Have Your Say, October 27) go by without a reply.

How perceptive and accurate Mr Cann is in summing up his concerns which are relevant to so many residents in Poole and Bournemouth.

He is right when he says that councils are constrained by statutory duties, but equally councillors can exercise their common sense in representing those who elected them into office. Indeed, as an Independent with strong Conservative principles the Conservative Party’s policy is just that – do not be officer led, direct the council in the needs of the community.

How right Mr Cann is when he states that if a councillor’s conscience dictates in the decisions they take, they can be deselected at whim. You may remember that two councillors in Poole were treated in exactly this manner.

Mr Cann is also right that all councillors should base their decisions on listening to each other and to their constitutents and not be dictated to by party machinery. This month’s Local Government magazine asks: “Why vote for an Independent?”

The answer is: “Because they offer an opportunity for a different focus on the issues”.

Cllr Carole Deas, Canford Cliffs Ward, Borough of Poole