Dear Editor,

In recent times some person or organisation has been doing a lot of work to restore the e North Hill War Memorial. Damage to the engraving caused by water was remedied some months ago.

More recently the memorial suffered from vandalism, and since then the main panel has been fully restored and looks very good indeed.

With Armistice Day and remembrance events coming up, I feel those responsible for the recent improvements deserve some kind of recognition for their dedication and hard work.

David Beach

Minehead

Dear Editor,

Self- styled campaigner and chair of the South West Conservative Rural Forum, James Wright, tells us that the low water level of Wimbleball Lake is a 'visible reminder of national decline.' (Free Express 3st October).

No! Besides actually being a visible reminder of a decline of water over the summer, the associated issues relating to a lack of infrastructure investment are reminders not of a national decline but of political decline.

This political decline is typified by the disinclination of politicians to take difficult decisions and an eagerness on the part of our political class to chop and change those who lead, thereby further disenabling the firmness of direction that is needed.

So, Mr Wright, please look long and hard at your own house of politics and seek to put that in order.

Anthony Jones

Minehead

Dear Editor ,

I would like to comment regarding the incident reported on your front page October 17th. It concerned a councillor who was out campaigning for a candidate in a local council election.

Not able to find a toilet he discreetly (so he thought) urinated in a public place.

Then followed a statement by Cllr Michael Fife Cook and I quote “This is an unfortunate incident but highlights the shortage of public toilets, and this is what can happen when you close 50% of them" and this perfectly highlights a situation that now exists in our country.

Quite often in the past you could see male visitors stop in the lay-by with a view of Dunster castle to relieve themselves! And in 2016 during a packed public meeting in Blue Anchor the late Cllr Bryan Leaker boldly stated “Does the council want a cholera epidemic on the beach”?

It was made quite clear that West Somerset Council were not able to financially uphold the Blue Anchor public toilets, neither could the Parish Councils take them on, although in our case the latter have given vital support from the onset after volunteers finally took over their management, and they have so far remained loyally supportive.

I can understand they have the unenviable task of having to juggle many other requests for financial support, nevertheless their help was forthcoming, yet it still only covers around half of the cost in keeping them open.

It is now fast approaching nine years in which we have successfully kept them open, and worked hard to do this on a daily basis for the common good.

The annual running costs to date is £15,600, and if expenditure cannot be met we shall see another sad and deeply regrettable closure, to add to the already 50% that have disappeared.

We keep reserves should serious problems arise in the sewage system etc, which has happened twice already, and this work does not come cheap.

On a third occasion two of the volunteers managed to rod the main outer sewer during the night, but as we get older in years, to use our reserves would be extremely foolhardy….

Although it looks likely we may have no choice but to do this from now on.

We are enormously grateful to the toilet users who leave a donation…but not everyone carries cash nowadays!

Food and drink are the necessities of life, and so are toilets whether they be in our homes or when we go out and about. Some local people may never use them as was pointed out, but their service providers do, these include postal deliveries, refuse collectors, and the ever increasing number of food delivery drivers, etc’.

Further toilet closures really need to stop, maybe more volunteers can be found?

When a coach full of visitors alight from their journey to find just a couple of toilets in use it’s enough to put them off making a return visit.

Even pet owners will know if you take your dog on a long journey the first thing it will do on arrival is relieve itself by the nearest tree, lamp post or wall.

I’m reliably informed in some countries when this happens pet owners must use a disinfectant spray!

Margaret Smith

On behalf of the volunteers

Dear Editor,

Late on Thursday evening, 23 October, after the polling stations had closed, I went to Washford Memorial Hall, where I was privileged to attend the counting of votes cast by the electorate choosing a candidate to be the next Councillor for the Dunster division of Somerset Council. It was a novel experience for me: the breaking of the seals on each of the boxes from the 13 polling stations, the sorting and counting of ballot papers, ensuring that they were kept visible to candidates, agents and observers present, the bundling of votes given for each candidate, and finally the presiding officer's declaration of the winner of the ballot.

Cara Strom was declared as the next Councillor for the Dunster division, and everyone applauded. I was impressed by the courtesy shown by the Labour, Reform UK and Conservative candidates in offering their congratulations to Ms Strom. The campaign had been hard-fought by all four candidates, with the final days' canvassing and leafleting turning out to be an endurance challenge against high winds and driving rain.

For me, as a Liberal Democrat activist supporting Cara, the campaign was an incredible personal experience of democracy in action. Across the world there are many countries where democratic processes and institutions are under threat. Our first-past-the-post system in the United Kingdom isn't perfect, and there's an increasing interest in electoral reform - perhaps towards some form of proportional representation - but I'm proud to have played a part in a very civilised West Somerset campaign to elect a new Somerset Councillor.

Ian Scott

Minehead