ALONG with hundreds of other readers I have submitted letters to the Journal over the past year or two.

Sadly, many of the letters have been of lament about our local area and country.

These have included letters about the ludicrous parking layout of the refurbished Evesham High Street, the fiasco of the demolition and renewal of Abbey Bridge and the sorry state of Evesham town centre.

Plus, of course, the wasteful restructuring of our NHS that has made it even more ripe for privatisation.

The elections on May 7 give us all an opportunity to not voice our concern through this page but to remove the local Tory councillors and Tory MP mainly responsible for the declining state of our region and country.

Please take this opportunity to vote, and vote for change.

If you are still undecided as to who to vote for, question the candidates at the candidates debate in All Saints Church at 7pm on Wednesday, April 15.

If we want an economy and society that is fair for all, not just the rich, we must shake off our complacency and vote for change.

We might even end up with a more cheerful letters page.

Clive Phillips

Evesham