WE were told that the reason for the appalling increases in council tax was to preserve vital services. This is obviously not the case.

The truth is Blair/Brown just want us to pay more locally and cental government to pay less so that they can spend our taxes on their pet projects. Brown wants to spend £100m in Africa on its health service and schools whilst Blair needs the money to pay for his stupid war in Iraq.

He has already squandered £600m of taxpayers money killing and maiming tens of thousands of mainly innocent people. Just think how many doctors, nurses, midwives and others that would pay for. He needs much more as Iraq is in greater chaos than ever. Blair also found tens of millions of pounds just to pay for publicity and junkets to get the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Our local health trust needs just £30m to keep hospital services from disappearing. If Blair wanted to he could give us the money tomorrow. He won't because there is a national plan to close services locally and build super hospitals in cities with private finance. Despite weasel words about local democracy we all know that Blair and his dishonest government crave more power and more of our money to spend nationally and internationally.

I hope Julie Kirkbride will oppose this vigorously locally and that the Tory party will oppose it strongly in the House of Commons.

R Fownes

Wellington Road

Bromsgrove