LETTER: Too much air time for the Lib Dems

I take offence at Dr Walsh’s comments on a number of points;

1. Dr Walsh’s arrogance. He appears to believe that being a doctor gives him sole right to be vice chairman of the Health and Adult Service Select Committee. He sneeringly dismisses an elected county councillor because they ran their own business, “selling ice-creams and sweets”, as if this makes our elected county councillor unable to have an educated opinion on West Sussex health and adult services.

2. Dr Walsh is heralded as the “leader of the County’s Liberal Democrats” and so appears, with photograph, as a leader in the West Sussex County Council when in fact he leads a minority party.

The UK Independence Party are the official opposition to the Conservative majority.

The LibDems only have eight county councillors on a council with 71 seats. Dr Walsh leads a party that ‘controls’ barely 11 per cent of the council.

The West Sussex County Times is providing this arrogant and whining Doctor with more “air time” than his position or his opinions warrant.

It would have been more diplomatic and even handed to have as much publicity provided to the leader of the official opposition.

3. The penultimate paragraph summed up Dr Walsh’s true complaint, he was not being given additional allowances in addition to his councillor basic salary and travel expenses, etc... the Conservatives are getting most of the additional allowances, the official opposition and the LibDems are only getting £34,000 additional payments between them.

Dr Walsh appears to enjoy the tax payer providing him with more and more money.

He has received expenses and other money for being a member of virtually every Health Authority and other health-based committee he could possibly be a member of. He has received basic pay, attendance other allowances from being a councillor.

I would appreciate the West Sussex County Times, in future, giving much more space, print and publicity to the council official opposition, the UK Independence Party, and the county governing party, the Conservative Party than to the minorities.

Not that Labour and the Independents should not have any publicity, but not to the exclusion of the two largest parties in West Sussex.

PETER GRACE

Chanctonbury, Ashington