IAN Johnson’s ‘clear response’ to my letter leaves me in the dark. Is he saying that I am the only Labour member unhappy with Clr Ladbury’s performance in representing Poulton South?

Has he called a meeting to ascertain this or do we just take his word for it?

Is he saying that our MP and parish councillors are happy to endorse a candidate whose attendance at council meetings last year was 25 per cent.

He says he does not like party business appearing in the press: a bit late for that.

First, in the past year the Guardian has featured stories about a councillor accused of hacking into another’s e-mails, and an investigation by the Labour Party into the Warrington North Constituency Party for bringing the party into disrepute. Mrs Phillips’ latest romp into fact-free territory is hilarious. Clr Ladbury’s poodle tells us the good councillor has not claimed anything beyond her allowance: the fact is that this allowance is nearly £8,000 a year plus the basic petrol allowance of £243. What has she done and where has she driven to earn this? Warrington Arts Council is an association of ordinary people and two hard-working and highly respected councillors, Lib Dem Celia Jordan and Labour Tony Higgins. In 2013 it hosted a reception at the Town Hall to integrate ethnic groups into the life of the town; secured free advertising space in the bus station for not-for-profit local societies and raised £2,000 to pay for the noticeboards and an outstanding mural by artist Richard Cowley. It organised a dinner to raise funds for poor art students in Warrington which raised £1,000. More events are planned for this year. Hardly the ‘nondescript and ineffective body’ of Mrs Phillips’ venom.

She then indulges in innuendo about the expenses of other councillors, unnamed of course. The many councillors I know are hard-working and, according to the WBC website, none of them have claimed any expenses to which they were not entitled. Warrington is a very well-run town and Labour can take great pride in its achievements: in last week’s edition of the Guardian it is reported we are one of the top 10 ‘cities’ in the country for economic growth, the council is spending £90 million on new affordable homes, and a new University Tech is to be built in the town centre. These are all verifiable facts, not a tirade of spiteful abuse.

Dr Michael Murphy Poulton South