I read an article in the nationl press about the new Mayor of Doncaster, who seems to be a colourful character we should all welcome.

Upon taking office he has made some sweeping changes, not least of all reducing his own salary from £72,000 to a more sensible £30,000 per annum.

But the thing that most amazed me was by reducing the number of councillors from 63 to 20, he will save the people of Doncaster close to £1m a year.

Now the population of Doncaster is roughly the same as Wirral, we have 66 elected councillor’s, surely far too many.

I think we should reduce the number of our councillors down to say, 20.

And how about in the next election, we have a system whereby any amount of candidates, regardless of political party, can put themselves up for election and the top 20 elected members become the duly elected Wirral Council representatives. Members who are actually representing the electorate - the people who voted for them.

My vote will go to the candidate who will actually listen to the electorate and act on their behalf, not dictated to by a party political whip, and is preferably an independent.

I believe this would be a much fairer system, with all the financial dealings out in the open, all payments and costs fully declared, and taking party political dogma, out of local affairs and to the direct benefit of the local population - true democracy.

Name and address supplied.