25th August 2026
By a Romiley resident, responding to the debate published by LibDem Voice
LibDem Voice has recently asked whether the Liberal Democrats are becoming invisible.
For those of us in Romiley who have spent years trying to get help from Liberal Democrat representatives, the answer can feel painfully obvious.
We are sick of their invisibility.
Not simply their invisibility in the national media, but their apparent invisibility when local residents need help, answers or support.
The article published by LibDem Voice asks whether the party should worry that, despite attracting millions of votes, holding parliamentary seats and controlling councils across the country, it is often treated as though only two major political parties exist.
One long-standing Liberal supporter writes:
“I have voted Liberal and Liberal Democrat for around 60 years, and in all that time I have never had my own candidate win.”
That is indeed a sobering thought.
But there is another question that deserves to be asked here in Romiley:
What is the point of having elected representatives if local people cannot get them to respond when serious concerns are raised?
For more than two years, residents have been attempting to raise concerns about Padden Brook and the surrounding area. Questions have been sent to councillors, Council departments and other elected representatives.
Residents say that communications have repeatedly gone unanswered or have failed to address the questions being raised.
And this is not simply one person’s complaint.
I am able to produce evidence from other local residents who say that their own emails and communications on the same subject have also been ignored for prolonged periods.
That is why the issue of “persistent” correspondence needs to be looked at honestly.
When someone sends an email and receives no answer, what are they supposed to do?
When they send another email because the first was ignored, and that too receives no meaningful response, what then?
At what point does a resident become “unreasonably persistent” rather than simply persistent because those elected or employed to deal with public concerns will not engage?
The Council’s own policy recognises that persistence does not necessarily mean that the underlying issue is invalid. A person may have a legitimate concern even if the manner or frequency of their communications is considered unreasonable.
That principle is important.
Because repeated emails are sometimes necessary when previous communications have simply been ignored.
The concerns surrounding Padden Brook include questions about planning enforcement, the status of the land, the W1 woodland designation, alleged changes and activity at the site, and concerns raised by residents about potential risks to nearby properties.
These are matters that residents believe deserve clear answers.
Instead, there is growing frustration that the people who are supposed to represent the community appear unwilling to get involved.
For a party that has historically promoted itself as the champion of local democracy, community politics and listening to residents, that is deeply disappointing.
We do not need more leaflets telling us that the Liberal Democrats are listening.
We need them actually to listen.
We need councillors to answer emails.
We need representatives to acknowledge serious concerns.
We need them to ask questions when residents cannot get answers.
And we need them to stop disappearing when an issue becomes difficult or controversial.
The LibDem Voice article asks whether the Liberal Democrats are invisible.
Perhaps the question should be put directly to our own local representatives:
Where have you been?
Because from the perspective of residents who have spent more than two years trying to obtain answers about Padden Brook, the problem is not simply that the Liberal Democrats are invisible on national television.
It is that, here in Romiley, too many of us feel they have become invisible when we need them most.
This is not about demanding that councillors automatically agree with every concern raised by a resident.
No one should expect that.
But residents are entitled to expect an answer.
They are entitled to expect their elected representatives to engage with them.
And they are entitled to know that when they raise a serious local concern, it will not simply disappear into an inbox and remain unanswered for years.
So yes, LibDem Voice asks whether the party should worry about its invisibility.
In Romiley, some of us are no longer merely worried about it. We are sick of it.
