Your letter from Davey James regarding the Lodge Park borough election in 1998 (Letters, May 30,) risks reinforcing the mythology which Scott Preston's leaflet had prompted me to write about.

The facts are that Labour polled 487 votes; Mr James, standing for "From the people for the people" polled 256 votes, as did the Conservative candidate; and the Liberal Democrat polled 195 votes.

This was a borough election in Lodge Park ward. There was no county election for Lodge Park division.

Scott Preston's recent leaflet wrongly told people the county elections would be on May 3, not June 7th.

And the text says: "In 1998 the Independent candidate contesting the Lodge Park division came very close to winning, pushing the Tories into third place".

I'm inclined to be generous and attribute these serious inaccuracies to ineptitude rather than malice.

But Mr Preston and his party must now apologise to the electors of Lodge Park, both via your paper and by delivering a leaflet setting the record straight.

If democracy in Redditch is not to be made a laughing stock, we cannot tolerate this sloppiness.

That is why your readers will await Mr Preston's response with interest.

Councillor Gavin Smithers

Rockford Close

Oakenshaw South