Community group roles

Is Ian Woolger s brand of democracy (Letters, September 17) the one where you press on Party buttons every four years, and fire-off a letter or two in between elections?

Is Ian Woolger's brand of democracy (Letters, September 17) the one where you press on Party buttons every four years, and fire-off a letter or two in between elections?

This often leaves hard-working, volunteer councillors to cope with ad-hoc planning crises without mandates; perhaps with inadequate or short-term planning objectives in their manifestos; and reliant on an over-stretched and remote-feeling bureaucracy.

The open community groups working in Exmouth have sought to foresee major planning issues and opportunities, and consider their relevance, implications and integration.

Some crucial examples of foresight would include the Exe Estuary Cycle Circuit, which will soon be a major national attraction, with a very long 'season'. A community group started work on the cyclepath issues in 1988. The economic opportunities and integration of this attraction still seem barely foreseen by local authorities, never mind the devilish detail on which the local group of workers is now focussing.

Lady Rolle could not have foreseen that her (Strand) Gardens would be reduced to a traffic roundabout - with no peace around the war memorial.

Unlike Ian's 'democracy', the county council seem to have done their best to work through a process of debate and consultation in planning restoration.

Nic Pawson,

1 Greenacre, 5 Isca Road,

Exmouth.