Given Leeds is up for a whole council election, I was considering standing for the ward I live in. Poor management at work and of other (non-party-political) community projects have worn away my mental defences, so now I unable to help. I do feel slightly bitter at being in this situation, however I can't turn back time.

My father has given me horror stories of what happened to his friend Andrew Mather in Congleton (and while I like living where I do, I’m under no illusion to whether it’s rougher than Congleton). He’s more or less intimated I’d loose the moral support of my family if I took on such responsibility with my current impaired ability to cope with stressful situations.

This is not that I don’t think I’d make a good councillor, I think with my background in voluntary work I’d make a good and dedicated councillor. However I don’t think being a councillor would be good for me at the moment.