I attended a planning meeting at Hove Town Hall on July 2.

As a resident of Goldstone Villas, I was interested in an application to build on land between my road and Denmark Villas, two conservation areas.

The decision was deferred last month so councillors could visit the site.

This month, five Conservatives voted against because they felt a green space was better than a new building and five Labour voted for, as they felt that a new building was better than a green space.

The Lib-Dem councillor abstained and the Green councillor spoke against the building then abstained. The decision to approve was then taken by Labour chairman Bob Carden, using his second vote.

This is why your vote for Lib-Dem or Greens in the recent elections was a wasted vote. Their pre-election promises do not translate into action.

How can anyone be elected to a ward and be placed on an important committee and then abstain from voting?

For and against votes speak for themselves. But abstentions deserve an explanation, most of all to those who voted for these two members, David Watkins and Sue Paskins, and to those objectors who were mystified by the whole procedure.

For all their posturing, at least the Conservatives and Labour members voted. A vote for Greens and Lib-Dems always was, and still is, a wasted vote.

-M Ashby, Hove