HAVING followed Leonard Entwistle’s campaign for a directly- elected mayor in Rossendale with some interest, I think it’s fair to say he hasn’t engaged with the local community.

In my opinion this is a shame and a missed opportunity to rebuild the image of local politics and our democratic system in general.

As a keen follower of the Rossendale political scene, I’m sometimes stopped in the street by people who want to vent their frustration with something the council has, or has not, done.

I often find myself giving them the same solution; get involved, attend meetings, lobby councillors and do something about it.

The response is usually the same, “I’m too busy, I wouldn’t have the time”.

That being the case I reckon they have to live with some of the poor decisions made by those on the political stage.

Involvement in local politics has become like losing the remote for the TV.

The majority of us will stick to one channel watching any old rubbish rather than bother ourselves to get up and do something about it.

It doesn’t have to be like this.

On occasions when we have got a good campaign going, nine times out of ten we get a result, take the parking charges and swimming pool closures as examples.

The minute councillors and officers realise the public have stirred, they immediately up their game, albeit very often a little too late.

The vast majority of council meetings are open to the public.

I’m no mystic Meg, but I can tell you now 90per cent of the members of the public who are likely to attend.

It’s not hard as there are only four or five and they are political anoraks like me.

I tell folk there are two things they shouldn’t know – how sausages are made and how they are governed.