In the debate about the performance of councillors, the role of the main political parties has not yet been mentioned.

The Conservative and Labour parties have consistently gerrymandered the boundaries for boroughs, parliamentary constituencies and council wards. This cosy carve-up is designed to give both parties the maximum number of seats for the minimum amount of effort. It really comes as no surprise that councillors that do nothing to get elected continue to do very little once elected.

We now have a position where borough and ward boundaries reflect this self-serving axis of arrogance and bear no relation to local communities. Take my own ward of Cockfosters as an example. Hadley Wood is immediately adjacent to the village of Barnet yet is not included in the same borough. Instead, it is tacked on to Enfield where it is remote from the rest of Cockfosters, let alone the heart of the borough.

That is why, if elected, I pledge to hold an in/out referendum in Hadley Wood to enable residents to decide if they want to remain part of Enfield or join their neighbours in the borough of Barnet. The result will inform a request to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England for both a borough boundary review and subsequent ward review.

Steven Deller

Liberal Democrat candidate Cockfosters ward