Election 2011

How do you decide who to vote for? Do you already know beforehand who will get your vote; or does the place where you put your mark on the ballot paper remain a mystery until you stand in the booth, pencil in hand?

I am sure that it would not surprise you if I said that how I'd been treated by politicians - when I'd approached them to help us with various planning issues - will have a bearing on my personal decisions at the polling station.

I am not talking about whether or not a politician took a view on a particular development which was akin to or opposed to mine; no, I am thinking about whether they actually sought to engage with the issues, listened and then spoke honestly about how much the system allowed them to do on our behalf in a fair manner.

In my experience the much vaunted planning reforms are failing the public and APTSec would look to whoever was elected to represent us to be willing to remedy that failure.

What do you think?

Have you written or spoken to local politicians on planning issues? Did that communication help to resolve the problem or issues that you had? Were you impressed?