• WHATEVER voters might think of “Local Conservatives” on the ballot paper, voters surely know that local elections should be about local affairs not national or international affairs for which, of course, there are general elections.

Our MP, Sir Keir Starmer, seems not to understand this and is campaigning for his party in the local elections on a manifestly national manifesto.

Perhaps his street in Kentish Town is lovely and he is too busy trying to be clever at PMQs to worry about your street, my street, and the high street.

Look around your part of Camden. The streetscape of my part, Camden Town, is a disgrace.

Roadworks causing inconvenience for those reliant on bus services, roadworks that quite often result in a new design for cycle lanes that replaces a slightly older new design for cycle lanes; all done with your money, yet the Town Hall blames Whitehall for its having no money.

Litter, rubbish, graffiti, everywhere – the list seems endless when one looks, in vain, for competence in the Town Hall.

Camden Town is a tip and this Labour council has closed its eyes.

Squabbling by the leader of the council’s Labour Party has resulted in several councillors not being allowed to stand in May; local councillors who have served their communities, often rather well, for a long time.

The not-very-impressive Sir Keir Starmer supports the deselections. It’s hard to think he was once Director of Public Prosecutions and, therefore, should understand justice and fairness.

Local people deserve better local government and an MP who understands this.

I am not trying to pretend that all is well with central government, for it manifestly is not; but the May elections are not the time to kick Whitehall.

Local elections are the time to kick out incompetent administrations in town halls and Camden Council is no paragon, as letters in this newspaper’s columns show week by week.

LESTER MAY
Reachview Close, NW1