An open letter to headteachers Aidan Maloney, Ashton on Mersey; Antony Dutton, Wellfield Primary; Wayne Hitchcock, St Mary’s Primary School; Nerys Hitchcock, The Firs Primary School; Claire Walmsley, Park Road Primary School; Anita Fagan, All Saints Primary School

We Ashton Upon Mersey residents regularly receive mailings from the local Conservative councillors.

There is nothing wrong in this. However, among these Conservative Party mailings are newsletters listing your school choirs as participants in events organised by the local councillors. The writer, Alan Bennett, describes this sort of practice where the Tories identify their party with the community as totalitarianism.

The people of Ashton upon Mersey come from a wide range of backgrounds.

Our Conservative councillors are not representative of the age, gender or ethnic mix of local residents.

The sitting Conservative councillor retained his seat by a majority of 109 votes in the May election. He polled 1,677 votes. The other candidates together polled 1,907 votes.

The fate of the ward is being decided by a few dozen marginal voters.

By supporting events used by local Tories as propaganda you may be deciding who wins and who loses the local council seat.

I am sure the schoolchildren in your care enjoy singing in public and local people enjoy hearing them.

I, and many others, would be more than happy to help arrange local community non-political events where this could be achieved.

Please withdraw the children in your care from any events which are used by party politicians for political ends.

Mike Milligan

Kings Road

Sale