MADAM,
It is precept time again! The Town Council publishes next year's donations list but ignores the cost of distributing this bounty, also the £10,000 taken from reserves to massage their annual expenditure, now £107,200.
Each town resident may be giving only £1 to the CAB but the Town Clerk's office (plus a new Minute Clerk) at £25,750, is taking around £4 from each of us. We now have an Area Manager to help them.
Some councillors claim maximum expenses, while the mayors cannot manage on their personal allowance of nearly £3,000 a year. Foreign travel is expensive, like professional portraits and fanfares, while new clothes are publicly claimed. Entertainment (for whom?) and Ceremonial including mace bearers, are separately funded (£750). Who benefits from attendance at Conferences (£1,000)?
The County Council's Shire Hall needs far more than £10,000 for essential conservation, but when we raised private money, with planning permission and Listed Building Consent, towards the protection of this vital building, council apathy prevented its implementation.
In the 1970s when I sat uncomfortably on Carnival floats (yes I did) we financed ourselves and I sponsored the Festival. Now councillors, barely known, take and give my money so why should I contribute more?
If every household refused to pay this local tax - averaged at £25.60 - and gave it to worthwhile charities, passing local administration to the Area Manager's staff, would the town deteriorate or improve?
Now we must just wait fearfully for another huge demand from the County Council.
Kirstie Buckland
Chippenham Gate,
Monmouth