IN recent years we have all become aware of the many problems in the banking industry in this country, whether it be banks lending money to people who simply could never have afforded to repay the loans, the miss-selling of PPI and other dodgy financial packages, manipulation of the Libor rate and now allegations that one of the big banks is alleged to have effectively been laundering Mexican drug barons’ money.

It is now widely accepted that one of the main contributory factors to the problems in the banking sector has been the promotion, by successive governments, of light touch regulation of the banks since the 1980s which is a stain on both of the main political parties.

I now note that the Tory dominated Bromsgrove District Council has recently voted to reduce the number of meetings from nine to six for the next 12 months. I see that the leader of the council, Roger Hollingworth, has stated that six meetings was enough as there was not enough business to justify nine meetings and that most council business could be dealt with by the cabinet system.

So in effect he is saying that the Tory cabinet should be allowed to run the business of the council with reduced supervision by the opposition parties. Sounds a bit like light touch regulation of the council to me.

I think the residents of Bromsgrove should be very concerned that the Tory-led council gives the appearance of becoming a one-party state.

The job of the opposition parties is to hold the leader and cabinet to account for the decisions they take. Reducing the number of council meetings reduces the accountability of the council to local people. I would urge that this perverse decision is reversed. After all, what have they got to hide?

Bernard McEldowney, Lickey End, Bromsgrove