In my ward, Dewsbury South, a turnout of 50.5% in the recent local elections seems to have been regarded as good because it was up to 10% higher than elsewhere in Dewsbury and Mirfield. It seems to me to be anything but good that 49.5% of voters in the ward did not bother to express their opinion.
They probably abstained for a wide variety of reasons (and I could write at length about the non-local nature of today's 'local' government which is perhaps one of those reasons), but I have to wonder how hard the parties work to provoke all voters into voting.
I have lived in Dewsbury South and its predecessor wards for nearly 40 years and have frequently not received literature from one or more of the candidates. This last election broke all records, however, as we received nothing from any party or candidate. All the information we had was contained in the brief notes which you published.
I have spoken about this deficiency with someone who is active in politics and who attributes it partly to a shortage of funds, but also partly to a lack of interest from the main parties in the votes of certain parts of the ward, or perhaps it should be called a greater interest in the votes of other parts of the ward.
I really hope that this potentially divisive situation does not exist but, if it does, that the parties will act to change their policies and practices. If they don't they are helping to create yet another reason for a substantial number of voters to abstain and making an already divided community even more divided.

David Ward
Judy Haigh Lane
Thornhill Edge
Dewsbury