LETTER: MP should resign from council

I have to agree with the comments of fellow reader Sid Pepper regarding our new MP Ben Bradley's current situation where he is both Mansfield's representative in the House of Commons and also one of Ashfield's county councillors at West Bridgford.

Surely this means that he has two roles that cannot sit well together.

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On one hand he needs to speak up for Mansfield, and on the other he is expected to campaign for the people of Ashfield. I don’t think anyone could do this successfully. 
I would have thought that the local Conservative Party would have obtained an undertaking from Mr Bradley that if elected he would concentrate fully on his role as an MP and resign from his other public roles.

It seems to me that MPs are not answerable to anyone apart from us voters once every five years. I was under the impression that local political activists see their role as steering our elected representatives in the right direction as well as giving them feedback as to the opinions, hopes, aspirations of —as well as problems facing — the ordinary people of Mansfield and district.

Many electors were surprised that Labour lost Mansfield in the General Election. The fact that some people are not happy with Ben Bradley’s dual role could quite easily result in him losing his seat at Westminster next time around. Of course whether this happens will depend to some extent on who the Labour Party chooses to be its candidate. 
Could I therefore ask Mr Bradley to think seriously about resigning from the county council with immediate effect. To get Mansfield moving in an upwards direction requires a mountain of hard work to be done by our MP — and others — without any distractions.

David Stafford

Berry Hill Road,

Mansfield