Sir, Hardly a week passes by without an article or letter in this paper lamenting the large-scale housing developments that are blighting the towns and villages in this area.

Here in Wantage, we have all received questionnaires urging us to give our views on future plans for Wantage. But what is the point? These are just a sop. Unless a genuine level of democracy is introduced and referendums vote in the local plan, our views will count for nothing.

Also, we must break the stranglehold that central Government has on district councils bribing and penalising them by giving and witholding monies unless they implement national housing targets. The United Democratic Party (UK) is campaigning for this sort of government but until we all demand a system that gives local communities voting powers we are going to be stuck with the main political parties promising more local accountability at the same time as slowly removing it.

The surge to UKIP suggests a wind of change is in the air, but what we desperately need is parties advocating greater democracy for local communities.

Terry Randall

Grove Street

Wantage