Anne Grant, Fareham:

Islanders may not have noticed that by-elections have taken place across the mainland to replace councillors who stood down after being elected as MPs.

Joe Robertson and Richard Quigley jointly decided to continue to serve on IW Council until next May, to save the council the cost of staging by-elections.

Would both MPs now consider jointly lobbying the Government to revoke the councillor candidate subscriber rule brought in, as an emergency measure, during the covid pandemic?

The old rule requirement for a candidate to get their name on the ballot was to have the backing of ten named subscribers (a proposer and nine seconders).

That changed during the pandemic to proposer and two seconders. It could be argued this set a low bar.

Cancellation of this covid hangover is overdue. If a candidate can’t muster ten backers, are they worthy of standing for election and asking for your vote?

An extra new rule could be to standardise local and general election candidate deposits.

For MP elections, a £500 deposit is forfeited by candidates who fail to get more than five percent of votes cast. Why doesn’t that apply to council elections?

Another new rule is needed, as recently identified on the Isle of Wight.

To the dismay of many, an IW councillor wanted to continue serving from his prison cell.

Conviction of a crime didn’t immediately trigger a by-election. It wasn’t possible for constituents to demand a recall petition.

Surely it is time to end this undemocratic situation?

Change the rules, to try to restore at least a modicum of public trust in the political system.

Here is an opportunity for the two Island MPs to lead the way on behalf of the country.

Work together to press the Government for a simple three-point change: Ten backers, £500 deposit, Instant by-election invoked following a court conviction.

Dare we hope it can be achieved ahead of May 2025 local elections?