Given that so many parishes in Herefordshire cannot find people willing to serve as parish councillors I am delighted to see that there will be a contested parish council election in the Lea.

Nine people will be battling over seven seats and what is striking is the high quality of all of the candidates. Here I must declare an interest; I happen to be married to one of them. I also happen to be chair of the Lea Action Group, so naturally I will be supporting the three Lea Action Group committee members who are offering themselves up for election.

What is really important though is the contest itself and the degree to which this reflects growing interest in what is happening in a village which has been deluged by, largely unwanted, applications for outline planning permission to construct even more dwellings.

Whoever is elected, I trust that they will combat further attempts to cover the Lea in concrete and increase the, already serious, threat of surface water flooding. The Lea's inhabitants would prefer to keep their feet dry.

Steve Banner, Lea