• THE Liberal Democrats received less than 15 per cent of the vote in the 2014 elections for Islington Council.

So when Mark Still says a vote for the Green Party will give rise to a council majority of Lib Dems, who he seems to see as no more than a proxy for Conservatives, he is letting his imagination run away with him (Careful how you vote, March 16).

The real threat to democracy in Islington has nothing to do with the Lib Dems. It has to do with the Labour Party. Labour holds 47 out of the 48 seats on the council.

Given the Labour surge in the 2017 general election, there is a real danger that all 48 seats will fall to Labour on May 3.

Now, Mr Still may think this is no bad thing, but very few of the rest of us would argue that one-party rule is a sign of a healthy democracy.

Recent research by the Electoral Reform Society and other groups has shown that councils dominated by one party, no matter which party it is, provide worse value for money for taxpayers.

The society estimates that the cost to the public of councils with weak opposition is of the order of £2.6bn annually.

Transparency International has found that in a council dominated by one party “there is much-reduced accountability: the actions of councillors are not subject to the degree of scrutiny and criticism that would otherwise be provided by the opposition party”.

So I would tip Mr Still’s advice on its head. A Green Party candidate came second to Labour in the majority of wards in Islington in 2014.

Three more votes for Labour bring single-party rule nearer; casting your three votes for Green candidates will be a vote for greater scrutiny, transparency and accountability, leading to a healthier local democracy and, ultimately, better value for money.

PAUL ELLIOTT
Islington Green Party