WHAT an inspiration to non-political beings like myself was Councillor Brian Mawby, who spoke at the extraordinary Torfaen B.C meeting on Tuesday 23rd (and which I attended with an interest in South Sebastopol Development).

Quietly spoken, articulate, eloquent and ethical was Cllr Mawby,displaying none of the loud, brash, intimidating “bully-boy” tactics that I also observed. It appeared that Mr Mawby sought to unite the borough in a stand against enforcements being imposed by the Assembly Government, not attempting to divide Torfaen, setting area against area and bowing down to the rulers in Cardiff, behaviour that I also noted. Unfortunately, Cllr Mawby’s justifiable and superbly presented arguments, while they clearly exposed irregularities in the biased arguments put forward by employees of the authority and democratically elected personnel, failed to sway the majority and his proposal was defeated by the narrowest of margins. BUT—if ever Cllr Mawby has the opportunity and the will to lead the authority in the future, I, for one, will have a restored faith in democracy and its implementation in local government.

Denise Thomas, West Avenue, Griffithstown, Torfaen