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No need for museum

IN REPLY to Kelly Collins’ letter about moaning minnies (The Adver, December 15). You worked in customer service Kelly, so you should have realised that my letter about fog lights was not a moan but an observation about poor driving skills and the hazards blinding rear fog lights can cause when used incorrectly.

My next few sentences are a monster moan about the proposed new art museum and gallery. A lot of people seem to think will be a refreshing addition to the town.

Yes, it may well look pretty but it will drain SBC’s coffers to try and make sure it does not turn into another shameful waste of tax payers’ cash.

All across the country there are museums, art galleries and heritage sites closing, 42 at the last count. One in five regional museums either closed or partly closed in 2015 because councils all over the country are cutting back Kirkless council in Yorkshire closeures Fleetwood council closeures, across Lancashire 34 out of 74 Libraries have closed the lists of closeures goes on and onand then SBC comes along and goes against everything that is logical and spends £5 million on something that may or may not be able to self-fund itself.

In this time of cutback after cutback and the need to still find £4.5m of savings to balance the budget SBC wants to give £5m away. Please don’t come back and say people will pay to see it all, yes 50 per cent of the population of Wiltshire may pay to see it but within a short space of time that footfall will dry up and, guess what? Closure. The time is not right we cannot afford another white elephant. That was a moan Kelly.

JOHN L CROOK

Haydon Wick, Swindon

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Priorities are wrong

WE WERE informed our council tax will increase in 2017. Recently the government has announced that our council tax bills are about to rise by six per cent in the next two years to cover the shortfall for Social Services.

Are we are going to get hit twice? Firstly for more money as Swindon Council are not capable of managing on the money we pay and secondly extra money for the Social Services.

Today I discovered SBC are planning to build a new museum and art gallery for £25m. I can’t see how they can contemplate spending this while libraries and children’s centres are closing.

We have a hospital that can’t cope with the patients needing treatment. How can the people of Swindon put up with a council so out of touch with reality?

PATRICK O’SHEA

Highworth

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Time to be accountable

I BELIEVE it is time for someone in the government to show some backbone and immediately disband IHAT.

We have all these brave people who put themselves in harm’s way on our account and are then vilified by these mean-minded people.

This is no better than the Gestapo was in Germany – people who never get to the sharp end of any engagement but are happy to persecute those who serve in extremely dangerous situations.

When is someone in the government, going to be accountable?

DAVID COLLINS

Blake Crescent, Swindon