I AM eternally grateful to Cllr Adia for pointing out what could be described as the ‘blinking obvious’ Letters, February 2.

Surgeries. Yes, we hold them twice a month at the library. On top of that we have a street surgery on the Precinct every other Saturday (other commitments permitting)

Public meetings, site meetings, attendance at residents meetings. Yes we do all those.

Facebook provides us with over half of our casework in addition to e-mails and phone messages.

However, Area Forums, which are constituted committees of the council, still remain the most important public meetings where the electors en masse can take councillors to task and demand answers in an open and public arena. A good row now and then reminds us of who we are elected to serve.

They are one of the last bastions of democracy and accountability and no right thinking councillor should dismiss them as of little value and thus easily welcome the reduction in their frequency.

Councillor Paul Richardson

Little Lever and Darcy Lever Ward.