DURING the recent elections, it would seem that Stroud’s Conservative MP Neil Carmichael was unable to find anything complimentary to say about his own party, so choose instead to try and mislead the good people of Stroud about the non-Tory opposition.

Carmichael’s article (April 13) accused Labour of delay in producing a Local Plan.

In truth, Stroud’s Labour-led council had started on this plan in good time but Carmichael’s party in government then changed the rules part-way through, which meant they had to start all over again.

This was the real cause of the delay.

However, the plan has now been finalised and Stroud District Council is the only council in the county to have an approved Local Plan in place.

The Labour-led coalition only had a tiny majority on SDC, so had there been any blame to attach, his own party would have been responsible for a major part of it.

It is also Mr Carmichael’s own party in government who are now responsible for the unnecessary draconian cuts to our councils, and who are thereby undermining local democracy.

Labour councils in poorer areas are having their funding slashed, whereas some better-off Tory areas are not only experiencing lesser cuts, but even increased funding in some cases.

The Tories are very good at taking care of their own – the already well-off. SDC has succeeded in maintaining services in spite of cuts amounting to 40 per cent, and is currently the only council in the country that’s financially sound; again, contrary to the flagrantly misleading impression Mr Carmichael tried to give.

We are the fifth-richest country in the world, and Tory cuts are ideologically motivated, politically chosen, and not an economic necessity.

The government’s austerity has actually led to an increase in our National Debt, from £811 billion in 2010 to an astronomical £1.56 trillion now (and it’s still increasing – officially estimated to reach £1.74 trillion by 2020).

Austerity is doing enormous damage to our economy, as well as to our citizens, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

Would voters prefer a party that misleads people, pays more to those who need it least whilst cutting much-needed funds to those who need them most, mishandling the entire country’s finances in the process?

Or one whose leader refreshingly proclaims “Straight talking, honest politics” (and means it!) and with a local council that has handled their finances extremely well, even during very difficult circumstances?

For this voter at least, it’s a no-brainer!

Wanda Lozinska

Stroud