EVERY citizen has a legal right to attend meetings of the city council and listen to their councillors' deliberations.

But this right can be rendered worthless if the proceedings are obscure or confusing.

As someone who regularly attends council meetings as an observer for the Liberal Democrats, I've noticed that the council seems increasingly reluctant to make copies of the agenda and associated reports available to members of the public.

I recently saw five people struggling to share one set of papers between them. Sometimes, no papers are supplied at all.

Clearly, this makes it much harder for the ordinary voter or council taxpayer to follow the debates, and understand what decisions are being taken on their behalf.

If this is a cost-saving measure by the Conservative administration, it strikes me as a particularly mean and undemocratic one.

PAUL H GRIFFITHS,

Worcester Liberal Democrats.