We are writing to protest against the failure of the mainstream media to provide serious coverage of the local authority elections and, in particular, to report on candidates to the left of the establishment parties.

One of the defining characteristics of politics in Britain today is the unanimous support for austerity among the three major parties. Ukip, the supposedly anti-establishment party, is also pro-austerity, with Nigel Farage recently arguing for an "extra" £77bn worth of cuts. At local level, austerity has been translated into the huge destruction of public services, with local authority spending being slashed by one third over five years. Yet the national media appear to consider elections to councils – responsible for administering the bedroom tax and cuts to social care, along with library and youth club closures – to be an irrelevance.

We are not arguing here for support for particular candidates standing in this year's elections for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (co-founded by the late Bob Crow), for Left Unity or for other anti-cuts independents. But we are arguing that they, standing in one in seven of all the seats up for election this year, should be given a fair hearing in the media, the Guardian included.

Dave Nellist Chair, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Peter Pinkney president, RMT, Mick Cash acting general secretary, RMT, Steve Hedley assistant general secretary, RMT, Alan Pottage national organiser, RMT, Daren Ireland regional organiser, RMT, Sean McGowan regional organiser, RMT, Mike Sargent Council of executives, RMT, Stephen Skelly Council of executives, RMT, Kevin Morrison Council of executives, RMT, Alex Gordon past president, RMT, Sean Hoyle former member Council of executives, RMT, Steve Gillan General secretary, POA, Joe Simpson assistant general secretary, POA, Brian Caton ex-general secretary, POA, Dave Ward Deputy general secretary, CWU, Ian Hodson President, BFAWU, John McInally PCS vice-president, Cllrs Keith Morrell and Don Thomas Southampton city councillors – expelled from Labour for voting against cuts, Hannah Sell deputy general secretary, Socialist party, Charley Kimber national secretary, SWP, Mark Thomas editor, Socialist Review, Cllr Michael Lavalette independent, Preston, Nick Wrack Independent Socialist Network, Pete McLaren Independent Socialist Network, Glenroy Watson RMT activist on London Underground, Hugo Pierre Camden Unison convenor for education

• I agree with Victoria Trow (Letters, 19 May) that the Guardian, a sensible centre-left newspaper, should tell us more about the Green party, and the "other others". In a blind tasting of 2010 election policies, 25% of 400,000 users on Voteforpolicies.org.uk picked the Green party's policies, twice that of Ukip and more than Labour and the Tories.

John Launder

Skipton, North Yorkshire

• This Thursday voters in Scotland will elect six members of the European parliament (MEPs). In total the UK will elect 73 MEPs and between Thursday and Sunday millions of voters across the EU's 28 member states will be electing 751 representatives to the parliament.

The parliament is the directly elected law-making institution of the European Union and amends, approves or rejects EU laws, many of which have an impact on our daily lives, from consumer protection to workers' rights.

However, despite such a crucial role, voters take little notice of the European policies of the political parties and simply express their judgment on the government of the day. Ukip, like a number of other Eurosceptic parties, is set to gain a bigger foothold in the European parliament through a mixture of protest and voter apathy.

These elections will shape the future direction of the European Union, in areas ranging from climate change to immigration. The European policies of the political parties in these, and other areas, is therefore vital. It is also especially important this year as the key political groupings in the parliament have put forward candidates to be president of the European Commission, the body that proposes legislation.

It is not only important that electors in Scotland vote in these crucial elections but that those heading to the polling booths treat them with the respect they deserve.

Alex Orr

Edinburgh

• Polly Toynbee stated that "[this] week's polls are a free hit" (Comment, 16 May). Does that mean that local elections are meaningless? Does that mean that local elections are insignificant? Does that mean it is not appreciated that councils have more local and immediate impact on people's everyday lives than Westminster will ever have? Does that mean it is considered that MPs are more influential on the immediate issues that concern residents than are local councillors?

Too many electors cast their local election votes on the basis of national issues and national parties' popularity. As a consequence, good, effective and hardworking local representatives, of all parties, are discarded through no fault of their own.

It's time that London-based journalists and politicians understood that the world extends further than the Westminster village.

Cllr Dave Hibbert

Cabinet member for environment and housing, Oldham MBC

• You told us what Ukip voted for and against (Say no to Nigel, G2, 30 April), so with the European elections now upon us, can you tell us what the other UK parties supported or voted against? It would also be useful if you could state our MEPs' attendance record as well.

Martin Smith

Guildford

• A simple test of just how much citizenship teaching is going on in our schools today and of what quality (Letters, 19 May; Report, 15 May) would be to find out how many secondary schools, state and private, have been examining the campaigns for this week's local and European elections, and I don't mean merely mentioning they are going on.

I never missed the opportunity, 20 years ago, to engage in examining election manifestos, and helping students understand the process of elections, though it never added a grade to anything other than engagement with a process with which they became fascinated. Asking a 15-year-old to write a five-point manifesto will tell you something about him or her – but more importantly about how they perceive the state of the nation and its issues. The great paradox is that in an era of such enormous political interference in education pupils are exposed to so little political education.

David Handley

Skipton, Yorkshire

• I think we've all been amazed at the amount of coverage given to Nigel Farage (Letters, 19 May) but there is no Ukip candidate in the Winchester ward where I am standing as an independent against the three main parties. As a former Lib Dem councillor (I resigned when they went into coalition) I am standing an alternative for the many people who will never vote Lib Dem again, but as a fairly well-known local campaigner I find I am picking up votes from all sections of the community who are disillusioned with the main parties. I've been struck by how much of a protest vote Ukip has attracted by the fact that residents who say they will vote them in the European ballot will vote for me in the local elections. I explain that I could not be further away from Ukip politically but it does not seem to matter. I will benefit by default simply because I am not in one of the main parties.

Karen Barratt

Independent local election candidate, Winchester