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Finances don’t add up

TO REPLY to the council leader’s request for how to run the council:

1. It was discovered last week that the Bristol City council has a debt of £95m, described by the Mayor as due to rank bad management, which had to be sorted as soon as possible, as it was a drain on their resources.

With that in mind, can the council leader, explain the Swindon Council debt of £300m and the yearly interest payments on that sum, of £9m a year. He asks for better ideas on how to run the council, that’s a no brainer as, if they weren’t paying out that amount each year, they could spend it on such essentials as child care centres, libraries or just cutting the grass.

2. He then mentioned the new charge that every household is now going to pay, £25.45, for services that the council doesn’t even provide.

I live in a non parish area and have for years paid the “non parish area” payment. In 15/16 this was £27, last year it went up to £47.05, so to charge everybody for this must be wrong. Remember at the cabinet meeting, Mrs Martin was asked to explain this, and she said the money was going to be used for “other things.”

I don’t know where he got the “special expenses charge” from, but this is just another way to increase the council tax and will only add to the costs to residents.

If he is so sure of the charges, then put the entire council up for election in May and see what the residents, once they get their new council tax invoices, think of it.

3. They have just taken 15 days to repair the street lights in Wheeler Avenue, so perhaps he should put his own house in order first.

T REYNOLDS

Wheeler Avenue, Swindon

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Homes at crisis point

THERE was an interesting article in your paper (Feb 15) about the White Paper dealing with the housing crisis.

The Government sets out ways to repair the broken housing market but the plan relies mostly on the private sector to create all the new affordable housing.

With the benefit of hindsight it now seems to have been a mistake to have sold off so many council houses and not have built new ones.

The shortage of houses has created a dangerous house price bubble. The young generation now find that they cannot afford to buy or rent at the current sky high prices.

The Right To Buy has been a disaster for the young people who are now looking for affordable homes in Swindon.

The Conservatives did not realise back in the 1980s that selling off all the council houses would lead to a desperate shortage of affordable homes.

STEVE HALDEN

Beaufort Green, Swindon

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Plea to bulldog owner

WHILE walking my dogs in the Lawns recently I noticed a lady with an English bulldog,waiting for him to “do his business” under a tree.

She looked at me and shouted: “I’m not picking that up, it’s not on the footpath so I don’t have to!” and walked off leaving me to do it.

Children love to play around trees so can I suggest she teaches him to do it at home or take a few poo bags next time she visits the lawns?

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED