We have a serious democratic deficit in Epping Forest.

We have an MP who as Deputy Speaker cannot by convention vote in Parliament and cabinet government by the council whereby it is possible for a single cabinet member and cabinet colleagues to control policy with no input from other councillors of all parties or none.

The controlling Conservative council regularly ride roughshod over the other parties with a partisan bias towards the north of the district.

With the prospect of taxes to drive through the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) and the Corporation of London planning to introduce charges to park in Forest car parks, the area will become for the well heeled only, not for all.

This is all because the council seek to meet high government housing targets, made necessary by immigration; witness the need to change the use of a local hotel to an asylum hostel camp.

The council should not be looking to grant planning consent to properties impinging on the forest full stop, nor should it borrow to purchase commercial property for yield gains.

The democratic deficit is worse in Loughton where the area is mainly represented by the LRA and an Independent who are ignored by the dominant Tories.

We are due an election in May. It will be interesting to read the local manifestos.

Michael McGough

Wellfields, Loughton