Re the discussion at Minehead’s annual town meeting about the town council’s financial reserves (Free Press April 28), when they were termed “the rainy day fund”, they could perhaps be viewed as a fund to cope with frequent showers.

These are basically the issues and responsibilities which the town council is becoming increasingly liable for as part of the ongoing process of devolved responsibilities from the district and county councils.

That process itself can be far from straightforward, and finding a satisfactory solution can be quite lengthy and complex. I admit I can get quite frustrated by this.

The town council has now taken over the public toilets from the district council and is carrying out additional grass-cutting and grounds maintenance work.

The operations manager and grounds maintenance staff are doing excellent work but are now stretched to the limit.

Taking on additional responsibilities will obviously cost more and we must maintain adequate reserves to do that.

Please don’t forget that the town council will always consider requests for projects and funding, especially where we can work with other authorities and organisations to achieve the best result.

Minehead Town Council has in the past provided funding for the town bus service, the football club and the Regal Theatre’s lift, to name but a few.

Let me give an example of something that merits attention.

Wellington Square is in poor condition, and the benches there are badly broken and in need of substantial repair.

The asset of Wellington Square is managed by the district council,and for the town council to take responsibility for it, it must acquire the asset from the district council.

So this is one issue of many that needs to be resolved and one which I will attempt to do so.

I must also point out that any success in this project will be because I have worked with others to achieve a consensus and solution.

Cllr Oliver Harvey, Minehead Town Council.