Dear Editor,

THIS seems an odd time for the Somerset Council leader to be praising the chief finance officer when that officer is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy which has recently awarded the council just one star out of five for financial management.

He was also in post when the council received five statutory recommendations criticising performance.

The first quarterly report of the council’s £20-million Inspiring Innovation consultancy for advice on how to save money told us of ‘a whole council diagnostic’ which is much bigger than the failed Liberal Democrat South West One outsourcing.

The second quarterly report confirms our worst suspicions of this potentially predatory contract which is much stronger on activity, capability-building, and future benefits than on evidenced delivery of cashable savings.

In wave one, five projects have entered delivery while in wave two, 11 opportunities are still being explored and developed into future business cases.

Most strikingly, four years after winning authority to merge councils, ‘Future Council Design’ is distant wave three.

In 2007, Wiltshire voted for a unitary council and has probably saved at least £200 million by simply redesigning services across Wiltshire using existing managers with about £8 million external IT support.

Somerset residents deserve to know why these perfectly normal business reforms were not prioritised from the outset and why, years after reorganisation began, the council is still paying consultants to identify opportunities that should have been implemented long ago by highly-paid senior managers.

Chris Mann

Taunton

Dear Editor,

SOME time ago your reporter John Thorne wrote an article about the vandalism to my flagpole in Minehead, which was knocked to the ground by persons unknown.

Since then, it has been restored upright and is flying the Ukrainian flag, the EU flag, and the Tibetan flag.

Both before and after the attack on the flagpole, I had numerous favourable comments, both by passers-by and with notes posted through my letterbox.

Some of those people I have been able to thank personally, either because they rang the bell, or because they left a contact telephone number.

Others, I have no way to thank for their appreciation and comments, such as the most recent one from Sarah, who said ‘thanks for the flags in a time when hatred and divide is increasing, acts like yours are valued, especially outside a school’.

I would like to thank Sarah and all those anonymous people who took time to show their appreciation, through your excellent newspaper. Should they be passing again, I would be happy to offer them a coffee and chat.

Margaret Bradshaw

Bircham Road, Minehead

Dear Editor,

THE government has announced a £50-million investment to prevent flooding in Somerset paid to Somerset Council.

Government officials say to help flood prevention measures including defence schemes, nature-based solutions, and better maintenance of waterways.

Well, going by the council's previous spending decisions, such as £5-million to spend on laptops for council employees, I am sure this £50-million will be welcomed and go toward the council spending the money on a few lorry loads of sandbags.

Andrew Brown

Minehead

Dear Editor,

For many years I spent happy times walking in the Minehead area.

Since 2003 I was finally able to retire to historic Watchet. Some months ago I was entertaining visitors from Berlin and told them some of the stories about the area passed down by my father.

One of them was about Cecil Alexander who wrote the hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful" while sitting on Grabbist Hill.

As they wanted the venue for a walk I decided to guide them up the steep footpath to view the site of her inspiration. I'm proud to be able to say I managed the climb at the age of 81 but imagine my horror to find that the view was no longer there.

The trees have been allowed to grow and obscure it. It's just as well that Alexander was able to see the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his feet, the little stream that wonders and the purple headed mountain.

The hymn certainly could not have been written today!

Chris Bradshaw

Watchet

Dear Editor,

I read the article in the Free Press concerning the warning not to swim off Minehead beach because of pollution risk.

This is nothing new to the area when you consider Dunster Bay is one of the most polluted bays around the country with its brown flag award. Unfortunately the water industry seems to have little interest in getting its act together and improving water quality and the sooner the industry is brought back into public ownership the better.

However we must all play our part in solving the problems. For years households have been putting toxic cleaning materials and other chemicals down drains. Micro Rubber and plastics along with oils etc are washed off roads into our rivers. This all then combines with agricultural runoff. No wonder our rivers and coastal areas are so polluted. We need to improve the way we do things. Our environment cannot keep going on the way it is. If we don't start protecting it what will be left for future generations?

Ian Atkins

Deer Holt, Ellicombe

Dear Editor,

During the last three years there have been several occasions when like events have clashed.

Where I lived previously the Library held a diary for organisers to enter their event so that future organisers could check that their proposed date did not clash. This worked very well.

Please, please could a similar arrangement be used here in Minehead.

Anne Plumb, Minehead