So, the knives are out for district councillors, to judge from both a news article and the leader in Monday’s Oxford Mail.

My wife became a Vale of the White Horse district councillor in May 2007 and was told by her sponsors that the post was as rewarding as the effort which she put into it.

Since that time, she has generally been at meetings connected with her council work several times a week, both in the evenings and at times to suit the convenience of others.

Although her statutory duties may be as limited as your article suggests, the opportunities for a district councillor to serve the community are varied and wide. I scruple to ask her for full details.

Lest she appear to be letting me blow her trumpet, but here are a few projects in which she has been involved since 2007: the running of the local pavilion and sports ground, including the building of a new bike trail; the refurbishment of two major children’s playgrounds; membership of the parish council; being a governor of the local primary school and helping to set up a new after-school club; assisting in the refurbishment and prospective reopening of a disused community centre.

Technically, some of this activity derives from membership of the parish council, but her position on the parish council stemmed from her being a district councillor, previous to which she had not been involved in this kind of public service.

Equally, she would be the last to claim sole or major credit for any of this work: all these projects have been supported by a wide range of individuals from the community.

Also, the district councillor is the first port of call for anyone in the ward who wishes to make representations to the council and thus can offer much help to the community in this.

So, before you start printing knocking copy about district councillors, it might be wise to shadow one or two to see just how much value a diligent district councillor can add to the local community.

By the way, very early in her career, the decision was taken to claim no expenses, despite covering many hundreds of miles each year on council business.

You won’t find any duckhouses on the ponds round here!

Martin Roberts, Stone Close, Botley, Oxford