SIR — So, this is how it starts. The Government announces a halt to all Council Tax increases but West Somerset Council knows of a cunning scheme to increase revenue.

Services are to be devolved downwards to the town and parish councils. The spin is that if a facility is provided in, say Minehead, only Minehead council taxpayers will pay for it. But pay for it they will. 

Taking this as an example leads me to see many problems.

As Minehead taxpayers have already paid, what about others from outside of Minehead using the facility? Will Minehead then charge them for using it? Will Minehead taxpayers be exempt? How will this work?

Don't forget that in the past, the official line regarding facilities provided in the larger towns and not in the smaller ones is that everyone can use them no matter where they live, they only have to travel to get to them.

Town and parish councils have no infrastructure or staff to manage or run these facilities. Will West Somerset Council offer to manage it for them and charge them for the service?

What about the employment angle? What about the health and safety angle?

The reason for this strategy it that county and district councils are forbidden to raise council tax this year and so they are expecting the town and parish councils, who are not so restricted, to make up their shortfall, rightly stated to be taxation by the backdoor.

I welcome the comments by Cllrs Tipney and Stokes but where is Cllr Kravis coming from? Does she not live in our world?

I say again, we the taxpayers of West Somerset have no more money left.

Can I repeat my earlier letter and say again that the way to provide better services is to cut out waste and to tightly control costs.

I read in the Free Press that the council has wasted another £190,000 on the abortive development in Watchet. This, on top of earlier examples of waste, borders on the irresponsible.

Cllr Kravis is being disingenuous when she says that West Somerset Council's council tax bills are lower than other areas, a point made by Cllr Keith Ross in his earlier letter.

Mendip council for instance has a council tax of £10 more than West Somerset, but she fails to mention that for this extra money they provide two leisure centres and a swimming pool.

Can I be the first to say that I would willingly pay an extra £10 if West Somerset Council would provide these services for us.

Looking from here on the 'wrong' side of the moor, I believe the time of West Somerset Council is passed.

It is time for it to be wound up, started afresh with a new more professional approach, administration passed to another authority (maybe another district council) or even the county council - maybe I am arguing for a unitary authority here.

Based on past performance, things could not be worse.

Peter V Tout,

Dulverton.