As a resident of Ely, a supporter of ECDC and an optimist that timely, sustainable and best interest will be the keywords that dominate any future Masterplans I am getting concerned that point scoring on a political level seems to be dominating the age

As a resident of Ely, a supporter of ECDC and an optimist that

timely, sustainable and best interest will be the keywords that

dominate any future Masterplans I am getting concerned that point

scoring on a political level seems to be dominating the agenda where

Ely's future is concerned. Regardless of which weekly Ely publication

I pick up, I am reading what appears to me to be quite clear

propaganda in order to try and win votes for the upcoming county

council elections in June. The evidence to support this is

overwhelming and is documented in this week's Ely Standard and Ely

Weekly News; this is not the first and I am sure will not be the last.

This, I am sure, will be vehemently denied and I will no doubt receive a barrage of objections from those self-appointed columnists who consistently fill the 'letters to the editor' section; however I do not have a seat to lose and this letter is not written as a result of political persuasion. I can also think of many more productive ways for columnists to spend their mental energy.

The purpose of this letter is to ask those who are representing us:

the voice of Ely's growth, to take a step back, consider the negative

actions of regular weekly rants across all publications and to start

focussing on building and maintaining cross-party working relationships in order to agree on what is best for Ely, its people and its future

and start to deliver. The Masterplan team needs to be a cohesive and

not divisive unit. It needs to democratically resolve inevitable

disputes over the way the Masterplan should develop; and these

disputes should be contained to the board room. Finally, it needs to

reassure the people of Ely and the surrounding towns and villages that the political in-fighting will cease and that we will see a united community-focussed front emerge in order to make sure that what is delivered is timely, sustainable and in the best interest of the people whose lives this so greatly affects.

JAMIE PURNELL

Broad Street

Ely