I WAS astounded to read the item in the Advertiser in which the Mayor of Andover Town Council suggests that his parish council should be scrapped and its powers handed back to the Borough Council (November 8, ‘Mayor backs disband calls’, page 6).

From all that, we read about the petty squabbling among his members. Neither he nor they realise why the Andover Town Council was formed.

I was one of those who took part in the fight to get a parish council for Andover. When the Test Valley Borough Council was established Andover became the only part of the Borough who did not have a parish council to represent them. The villages all had a body to hold the Borough Council to account for its decisions - and it showed. Hence the need for a Campaign for a parish council for the town which only succeeded despite many years of opposition by Test Valley Borough Council.

Members of the Andover Town Council should do what all other parishes do and make themselves known to those in the wards they were elected to represent. It takes time and effort as they should have known when they stood for office.

John Barrell, Weyhill Road, Andover.