MOREDON - No-one agrees with this rise

Evening Advertiser Letters Page (1/04/03)

After reading the response by Labour Coun Maureen Caton (letters 4 Mar), I have to agree wholeheartedly with Mr Heenan (letters 26 Feb).

To raise a legitimate point about why our councillor refused to speak out against the 15 per cent council tax hike and then for the answer to completely ignore that fact is disgraceful.

Coun Caton admits she believes the hike is "painful", "difficult to defend" and "when anyone grumbles about tax and particularly council tax I sometimes wonder". My congratulations to Mr Heenan for finally getting a straight answer from this Labour politician.

I would have hoped that it is the local councillors who make the effort to talk to the residents who elected them. I have never met any of my Labour councillors in the five years I have lived in Moredon. Are councillors not employed by the residents to act on their behalf? I certainly thought so and I know of no-one who agrees with this latest tax hike.

Chris Paterson

Bryony Way

Swindon