SIR — District councillors have nailed their colours to the mast - their motto is to be not that "we are all in it together" but "you're all in it together".
With a few honourable exceptions, they have voted to keep their excessive allowances (Free Press January 28) but are still going to cut staffand cut services.
But that's all right, they will not lose anything, they are still on the same old bandwagon, still feeding at the same old trough.
A perfectly reasonable proposal was put to councillors that they forego 25 per cent of their allowances in line with the cuts they are making elsewhere, but no, they voted to insulate themselves from any pain they are going to inflict on the rest of us.
That 25 per cent of their allowances would be £21,000.
In a full year our councillors are drawing £84,000. What would that amount protect?
Our recycling centre in Dulverton is to be closed, saving £76,000 per year. There would be some money left over.
Our youth club is to be closed. How long would £84,000 fund the youth club for?
Libraries all over Somerset are still to be closed. How long would £84,000 fund them for?
The parish lengthsman is to lose funding. How long would £84,000 fund that for?
I know some of these services are funded from the county council, but the fact remains that allowances have rocketed over recent years and now services are being cut but our councillors seem to think they can
isolate themselves from them.
A bit of joined-up government would protect some of the threatened services.
I again call on our district and county councillors to reduce their allowances in line with the service cuts they are inflicting on us - just maintaining the present level is not enough.
Peter V Tout,
Dulverton.