SIR — As the days shorten and the leaves fall, I would like to draw your readers’ attention to the floral displays, grass verges and roundabouts in Minehead.

Over several years, Minehead Town Council has taken responsibility for maintaining amenity land owned by both West Somerset Council and Somerset County Council. The county council pays a small amount (which it arbitrarily reduces annually) for us to maintain its roundabouts; the town council has secured sponsorship from local businesses so that we can eventually restore them all.

Over the summer, in response to the concerns of our residents, we have taken over much of the grass cutting, tree lifting and strimming from West Somerset Council in return for an undertaking to share the watering of the plants in the town. The areas around the Ellicombe roundabout, Seaward Way and Woodcombe Walk are looking particularly attractive but most of the verges in Minehead are now cut by the town council regardless of ownership.

I know it doesn’t concern the public which council does what; they are rightly only interested in the end result, however I feel that our men deserve some recognition.

The amenities team at Minehead Town Council consists of trained horticulturalists and it is their skill together with their acceptance of new working arrangements that have enabled the town council to begin to restore Minehead’s open spaces to their former glory.

Cllr Jean Parbrook,

Mayor of Minehead.