AS usual I read my Advertiser with interest and on the front page the headline article was about the farmers’ market, which for a change Councillor Carr can take some credit for.

On page two one reads Councillor Hooke stating that “the borough is capable of doing something when it puts its mind to it”. Indeed, I wonder how much of the recent changes of heart can be the result of Cllr Hooke’s criticism.

Moving on to the letters pages, I was amazed at the letters of Mr Mark Barlow and Councillor Drew (they surely must feel embarrassed on reading page two). It can only enforce the fact Cllr Hooke is a very rare genuine democratic councillor. All this reminds me of the early 1970s, when Andover’s last truly democratic council was replaced by Test Valley District Council, which, when labelled undemocratic with some councillors being accused of corruption, had its status changed to Test Valley Borough Council, meaning the disbanding of the town council with its mayoralty, thus removing the “political thorn” from their side.

I only wished that we had more genuine councillors like Tony Hooke.

Peter Sumner, Coachways, Andover