Time for politicians to look closer to home

Sir, – I am interested in the article in The Courier (May 12) about the councillor who lives here in Fife but is representing people in Cambridge almost 400 miles away.

I would agree with calls that Mr Adey should step aside and allow someone more local to do the job and in the interests of local democracy it would be the fair thing to do. On the other hand can any of us here in Fife complain about this? Our very own Fife councillor Lesley Laird is doing a very similar thing in that she holds four different jobs and is an MP at Westminster. She now spends more time at Westminster and much less time representing the constituents of the Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay ward and I believe she has only attended the minimum amount of council meetings that entitle her to retain her councillor status.

If people are calling for Mr Adey to resign his seat in Cambridge then surely Ms Laird should be doing the same up here and allowing someone who spends more time in Fife a crack at the whip? How can she be at Westminster and represent the people of Fife at the same time?

Perhaps the rules regarding who can become a councillor, where they live and what other offices they can hold need tweaking.

If Mr Adey still has an interest in politics then why not stand for office here in Fife instead? I am sure he would make a great councillor/local representative here in Fife and would be a welcome addition. He certainly could not be any worse than those currently serving. Alastair Macintyre. Webster Place, Rosyth.

Lesley Laird speaks after winning her Fife Council seat last year.