IT would appear that Cllrs Terry James, Anthony Powers and Bob Matthews have never worked under the old council committee system, otherwise they would know that it’s a bureaucratic nightmare and totally inefficient.

A committee will be tasked to debate an issue and then, as was often the case, will defer it to the next meeting, or on to a sub-committee, who will then report back to the main committee.

Even then the main committee members may still not agree and it will be passed on to yet another committee, or sub-committee, for advice.

By the time a decision is finally made, several months may have passed, and if the matter was urgent or important, residents will invariably have been inconvenienced or even put at risk.

The cabinet system has resolved these problems and the new overview and scrutiny committees are in place to fully examine cabinet decisions, which can be recalled if needed.

Virtually all successful and efficient councils in this country operate under the cabinet system, with most of them being run by Conservative administrations.

BRUCE BAKER Sutton St Nicholas