Once upon a time, it would have been unheard of to propose development on Coate Water or The Lawns – sacred places of peace and greenery to so many people of Swindon.

But also in the dim and distant past, there was a place for moral values in the council chamber and a healthy camaraderie between parties which is all but absent now. While the government sides with the building contractor at every turn in an effort to destroy as much greenbelt as possible, politicians openly abuse the privileged system of subsidies and handouts.

The connection between the two is corruption, and we are all seeing so much absolution of power left, right and centre that we as a nation are heartily sick of it.

I applaud Better Swindon's campaign to reinstate common decency into the governance of local issues. People want to be represented, not remonstrated for their views. They want community interests at the forefront of decision making, not the quickest route to the next lucrative deal. Hand in glove, political and corporate agendas leave no room for morality, integrity and quality of life. Currently it’s all about how much can be wrung out of the public purse to fund private interest, and this, despite many feeble bleatings to the contrary, is no route to sustainability.

We need change, and we need it fast, before we lose great swathes of precious landscape and witness the complete dismemberment of fragile communities. We cannot afford to continually lose municipal services, irreplaceable environments and essential support for the most vulnerable. As it stands at present, the council chamber is not up to it – not just here, but across the nation. That's not to say certain politicians don’'t want to see change in favour of the community, many obviously do. But they need, to quote Councillor Bawden, to “stand up and be counted.” They are, indeed, the elected representatives. They have a job to do. Action groups like Better Swindon are formed in the hope of ensuring that they get on and do it well, instead of allowing a corrupt faction to fleece the community.

I spent most of my life in Swindon and am proud to support this group wholeheartedly. We can all do our bit for a better world, if we are prepared to stand up against those who would much rather we didn't.

Kathy Ratcliffe, Lutterworth, Swinford, Leics