Party politics taints public service ethos

Am I being naive when I think that elected representatives represent everyone in their constituency/ ward irrespective of who voted for them or whether they voted at all?

Am I being stupid in expecting an elected government to do what is necessary for the people in any constituency irrespective of the political colour of that constituency?

How is it that a much-needed secondary school is not built if an MP does not support the Prime Minister or indeed defects to another party?

My daughter lives in Bury, is she to expect a new school only on condition that her MP supports Boris Johnson?

My grandfather and grandmother were councillors and after years of service they became mayor and mayoress of Battersea in the hard year just after World War II.

They did this with no financial reward and sacrificed their family time, which was limited.

Grandad was a plasterer by trade and in those days people in the building trade worked long hours, including Saturday mornings.

He was proud to be in public service and treated it as a privilege. We are also very proud of him knowing he did some amazing work, not only as a plasterer in the heyday of the cinema where his work can be seen in some of those ornate interiors, but also he worked hard for his community during the depression and war years.

However we may vote we should acknowledge the good work our representatives do for us. We don’t have to agree with their politics but our local MPS and councillors once elected deserve our support as people doing a difficult job.

We in turn deserve their undivided loyalty to us, their constituents, and that loyalty transcends party politics.

What happened to the idea that public service was a contract between the elected representative and their constituency?

Laurence Tindall Southdown