Belsize village’s streatery

• I LIVE in Belsize village and was interested to compare and contrast two leaflets I received this week from two of the three parties in Belsize.

All three parties come close to winning in Belsize, so it was useful to receive one leaflet highlighting how each of the three parties voted on some of the key issues,
the O2 Centre, bin collections, etc.

That leaflet had one overly party-political line but it was otherwise factual. Importantly it was footnoted to the precise council meeting each of the leaflet’s claim related to, so I could check they were correct.

I’m particularly interested in Belsize village’s streatery, which has greatly improved our area. The leaflet pointed me to the council meeting, so I could watch the video online and see first-hand that the leaflet was correct.

All three parties say positive things about the streatery so I was shocked to see with my own eyes that Labour and Liberal Democrats abstained on the streatery and only the Tories supported it. If I had just believed politicians’ claims, I wouldn’t realise that Labour and Lib Dems didn’t back it.

By contrast, I received a leaflet from the Lib Dems that was full of the sort of party-political rhetoric that fills people with cynicism about electoral leaflets. It claims that the Tories aren’t there “all year round”. That seemed particularly odd as I always see the Tory councillors in Belsize.

Almost all my neighbours get a monthly email from Conservative councillors about planning applications locally, how they’ve voted in meetings, and other local news (again, quite factual and well footnoted). They even had one of their regular street surgeries in Belsize village on New Year’s Day. That really is all year round.

I know all politicians want to play games at election time, but that shouldn’t mean being footloose with the facts.

I applaud the Tories putting footnoted sources on their leaflets so we can fact-check and trust them. It’s just a shame that Lib Dem leaflets have made us so cynical.

KATHLEEN JONES
Belsize Park Mews, NW3