It doesn't work

Here we all are, enjoying the lowest inflation and interest rates we've had for decades and yet our poor local authorities just can't seem to make ends meet.

Every year since it was introduced we have suffered an annual increase of at least 10 per cent, regardless of the fact that the underlying costs haven't gone up by anywhere near that amount. So why has it gone up again?

Well the claims are: the Government has cut its subsidies, wages have gone up (am I the only one missing out here?), transport costs have increased, and just look at all the services they provide for us. There are the libraries, and they empty our bins and umm . . . did I mention the libraries?

No, sorry, it just doesn't work on me. Not when I receive a leaflet from Worcestershire County Council trying to justify its portion of the increase.

One item that was omitted from the figures enclosed within said leaflet was the cost of producing it. By the time they've had a working committee to discuss it at several meetings, written it, photographed it, printed it and posted it to every household throughout the county, it must have cost a village worth of Council Tax.

From what I could make out from the information contained within this publication, we should all be

grateful to our local authority that the increase isn't any more than it is! If it didn't waste our money sending out this propaganda it wouldn't be as much as it is.

The main reason the tax has gone up by the amount it has is simply because the council know that they can get away with it and that Joe and Jo public, while disgruntled, will just accept it as we have to every year, and continue to pay. I wonder how far they can push it? Watch out for a 13 per cent increase next year.

Incidentally, this is the third bank holiday week this year that my bins have not been emptied. Perhaps MHDC needs to save money in this department so they can afford to send us all a leaflet telling us why they have had to cut back?

Steve Fulcher, Newtown Road, Malvern.