BOROUGH councillors may think that the overwhelming mayor referendum No vote is an endorsement of the 'Status Quo'. They are wrong. They have an opportunity to change the council's structures.

The proposed 'streamlined committee system' proposed in the referendum is not binding upon them. Councillors now have the electorate's authority to wipe the slate clean. No-one is going to hold councillors to the ferrago which the officers designed as the alternative to an elected mayor. There is an expectation of change.

Councillors Waterhouse, Cartwright, Warne and Keane advocated 'yes' as the only way to effect any fundamental change. They should now take a lead as the advocates of change and with their fellow councillors buckle down to set up a system which is genuinely streamlined, makes for fully effective management of our borough and is transparent in its democracy. There is an opportunity for leadership here.

If councillors do not take control of this process, then they can be sure that they will be rightly punished for their timidity at the borough elections in May 2003. Electors will hold them to account.

Nor should Tavistock Town Council think that they have escaped censure either.

A few weeks ago, the full council rejected a working group proposal to streamline its absurd committee system as a 12-month experiment. The present arcane muddle is the enemy of transparency, accountability and wider democratic participation. If they do not embrace reform during 2002, then they too deserve to be held to account in May 2003.

So, watch out, councillors: look behind you! There are sharp-eyed electors about!

Alex Wood

4 Kilworthy Hill

Tavistock

I HAVE to say I was delighted with last week's referendum results, which demonstrated a loud and clear rejection of one-person rule in West Devon.

The results were particularly pleasing because of the large turnout, nationally the highest so far of any postal referendum on the mayoral issue, showing that democracy is still alive and well in West Devon.

Congratulations are due to all those who sent in their ballot papers. If the turnout had been tiny, we might easily have been stuck with a mayoral dictator.

Hopefully, those (still far too many) people who did not bother to vote will now get the point and see that every single vote counts if we hope to maintain our form of consensus democracy, which for all its faults is still the best, the most decent, system of government anywhere in the world.

I believe that thanks are also due to the many rank and file members and supporters of Liberal Democrat branches throughout West Devon, who delivered nearly 15,000 'No' vote leaflets in many parts of the borough.

The leaflets made the issues clear in a way that earlier information from the council was unable to do because of government rules.

The leaflets were not party-political, but were produced and delivered in the spirit of providing information that was not widely known, and of maintaining local democracy — an issue of vital importance to Liberal Democrats, mavericks aside.

Thanks are also due to those councillors, both Independent and Liberal Democrat (unfortunately, not our Conservative colleagues in this instance), who decided in council to hold the referendum now rather than wait for it to be foisted upon us under government rules at some indeterminate time in the future.

It was a hard decision for the majority who hoped for a 'No' vote, but one fully justified by the results. At least now, we can all get on with the job without this issue hanging over our heads.

Which leaves the alternative option of a streamlined committee system for the council to work on.

This must produce a more efficient way of proceeding, at less cost to the council tax-payer than currently exists. Certainly, this is something I am determined to help bring about - as much in the town council, I may add, as in the borough.

Cllr David Stapleton

Town and Borough Councillor,

Tavistock North Ward

I write on behalf of the Conservative Group on the council to welcome the decision of the people of West Devon in rejecting convincingly the absurd plan for a directly-elected executive mayor to run the borough.

In a high poll, the result showed a massive majority against such a scheme, that is 76 per cent against and only 22 per cent in favour.

West Devon voters have shown that the new laws on these matters just do not fit down here. Those people in Westminster simply fail to understand the sort of local democracy we want in the South West.

The borough council can now move forward putting all this behind it. Conservative councillors are alert to the need to improve its outdated decision-making system.

We are hampered by a big drop in Government funding and an even bigger increase in Government bureaucracy, but we pledge ourselves to do our utmost to introduce quicker, better and more accountable processes.

We want a council where everyone has their say and all rural communities have the chance to influence the way things are done.

Cllr Dick Eberlie

Member for Tavistock North

WHATEVER one may think of the answer to the question, the Mayoral Referendum has won West Devon widespread praise for civic virtue in achieving the highest participation of any of the referenda so far held.

For that a large measure of the credit must go to the lead given by your newspapers, and everyone interested in bringing more people into the democratic process owes you their thanks for a model effort of responsible journalism.

Cllr Nicholas Waterhouse

Member for Burrator