MANY letters in recent weeks highlighting the inept Governance of York by the Labour council have mentioned the 2015 local elections as the point when York residents will exert ‘payback’.

While I sympathise with such views, unfortunately it is the electoral system in York that produces an ‘elected dictatorship’ such as we have now with Coun James Alexander and we had in the past with the likes of Steve Galloway and Rod Hills.

Currently the ‘all out’ system of voting every four years produces, if any outright majority is achieve, a leader free to indulge in unpopular, money wasting and damaging policies with complete impunity for this term.

This must change. In May 2015 only vote for councillors willing to commit to introducing a system of yearly council elections whereby a quarter of the council is up for election every year.

Other unitary authorities operate with such a system whereby an ‘elected dictatorship’ cannot survive and projects such as Lendal Bridge and most worryingly Labour’s local plan would not see the light of day.

Councillor Mark Warters.

Independent, Osbaldwick ward.