I READ that, for the next parliamentary elections, both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats in the Vale of York, have adopted candidates from outside the constituency to represent its citizens (July 6).

Are we to assume that these individuals are preferable to any of the 90,000 citizens actually living and working in the Vale of York or, if we include surrounding constituencies, preferable to any of the 470,000 citizens in North Yorkshire?

Politicians are constantly bemoaning the decreasing electoral turnouts; small wonder then if the main parties refuse to field candidates from within their own communities.

Candidates for election to local government must satisfy strict conditions in respect of their residence and employment, whereas Westminster candidates, in marked contrast, can be any old Tom, Dick or Harriet from anywhere in the UK.

The result is that electors in many constituencies often have a choice which largely consists of "imported" candidates, who will be more concerned about their careers and more answerable to their party leaders than to the constituents. It is not surprising that many voters refrain from making a selection from among such poor options.

Alan England,

Carr Lane,

Sutton-on-Forest, York.