There has been a lot of discussion lately about Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council's Conservative Party leader Morris Bright stepping down from hosting an event being run by the council (Leader bows out of studios event, April 4).

Morris Bright, he of the four most influential posts in our local government that relate to our studios, has tried to portray this issue as only Labour councillors having concerns.This isn't true. The Conservatives are the only political party which hasn't appreciated the overwhelming conflict of interest that his participation in this event raised.Mr Bright holds enormous sway over how the studios are run, while also making his living from the same business. He announced his participation in this event in a press release to the paper three days before the council was due to discuss this matter.There are no absolute objections to him hosting the event, but he should get in the queue just like anyone else, not appoint himself just because he's hoovered up all the plum jobs.It was always our intention to discuss this matter at the council meeting on Thursday 3rd, however it transpired that earlier in the day Mr Bright decided to excuse himself from his position, an overdue display of common sense.There the matter would have ended were it not for a few Conservative town councillors, at that Thursday night meeting, putting on a clearly well-orchestrated partisan show accusing Labour councillors of an invented slight against their 'truly magnanimous leader'.As Labour councillors, we still have serious concerns about Mr Bright being the leader of the borough and town councils, while holding the position of portfolio holder for the studios and chair of the board of directors of the studios, all the while making his living in the film and TV world. Every time the Conservatives want to portray something as politically safe they mention the cross-party nature of the issue, but when opposition councillors disagree with their decisions, the refrain is exactly the same: "Let's take the politics out of this".If we're going to be accused of being political by highlighting areas where there is a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of the few, or where those in positions of power fail to recognise obvious conflicts of interest, then that's just the way it's going to have to be.Councillor Peter Hedges Labour, Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council