Mike Trevorrow, acting chairman, Kingswear Parish Council, writes:

Jan Henshall’s mischievous remarks, Chronicle, September 18, include, among other things, a complaint about a poll that was taken by some people in Kingswear to condemn three councillors for failing to represent majority village opinion on the issue of a children’s playground. Her complaint is that voices against the playground have been silenced. This is arrant nonsense. People who wished to voice their opinions either for or against the playground have had three public meetings in which to do so.

The playground is now a done deal. We have talked about it exhaustively; we have voted on it three times, no less; and a vast majority of the ­village is supportive of it.

In the last council meeting there was still anti-playground concerns, and since there was a huge agenda to attend to I allowed a limited time for discussion. There is little point in continuing to complain about something that has already been decided democratically.

I have been asked by the compilers of the poll condemning the three co-opted councillors to explain the reason for it being brought about. It was categorically not anything to do with the playground: it was a response to an insidious campaign of persuasion by at least two of the councillors in question, who were doing their absolute best

to make sure that as many councillors as possible would vote against chairman Jonathan Hawkins’ chairmanship.

Whether you are for or against this issue is not important: the point is that they were trying to interfere with the democratic process in an underhand way. This is the reason for the poll and the real reason for the community anger against these councillors.

It is my fervent wish that the parish council return to a ­balanced, good-humoured and productive way of functioning.

The acrimony we have endured at the hands of a ­vociferous few has been very unpleasant. I wish people would search their consciences before they dish out criticism to others, and I wish they would consider the consequences of their harsh words.