I READ, with little surprise, your story ‘Mayor not going to stand at polls’ (Keighley News, February 19) This must have been one of the worst kept secrets in the chamber and for the wider public audience, especially in light of the wealth of information the council and officers seem to exert energy in keeping out of the public domain.

We still have, at the time of writing, no functioning website after the hosting company folded, and requests for copies of agendas have not been forthcoming.

With the elections for a new council approaching, this inability to manage communications, alongside the increasing media coverage of the failings of this body, seem to offer no encouragement to eligible members of the public to seek office.

An ongoing police investigation, damning auditors reports and the scrabble to identify monies to prop up the loss-making civic centre all add to the chaos.

The mayor has stated his belief those of Cavetown Council, and other critics of KTC, should stand for election, but when the current regime is reluctant to be open and transparent, then there is little hope for interested parties in gathering enough information to make an informed decision.

Councillor Mitchell claims that as “a very old man” it is time to step down, and he’s mentioned in the past the issues within the council have brought about ill health on his part. He now says the past 12 months of revelations relating to the maladministration of this public body have nothing to do with his decision to now retire and write a book.

There is one crucial question that needs to be asked and addressed: Why has he failed to step down sooner from leading this council, which would then have allowed others outside the previous administration to begin the mammoth task of trying to pick up the pieces and rescue the name of my hometown?

MARK PULLEN Brighouse