WITH regard to the report on the Palace Theatre (Advertiser, January 18), though there has been some excellent restoration, the rear part of the original 1913 auditorium has not been restored - it has been demolished.

The Stake Holder's Group was promised it would be consulted but this was not done until it was too late to change any of the mistakes.

There is a consensus the new extension is ugly, impractical and the loss of the back of the auditorium an act of wanton hooliganism.

The councillors and officers involved have shown to be lacking in taste, common sense and have failed to demonstrate the high standard of ethics the council's own guidelines require.

Despite my writing to every councillor, David Wilmore (the theatre consultant), Paul Patten, Ken Watkins and Borough Director Chris Smith, nothing has been done to rectify the situation.

Most letters have been ignored. Mr Smith has dismissively striven to persuade me to accept "Big Brother" and his ''experts" know best. Nonsense.

Leaving "experts" to do the council's thinking is likely to be as effective as Railtrack's decision to let "experts" do the maintenance on the railways.

They too denigrated those who warned them there would be serious consequences in not changing the proposed course of action, warnings that proved to be prophetically true.

It will cost a great deal of money to put right the mistakes made by the bad planning and absence of any effective consultation.

The cost of these mistakes may well dwarf that of the AIR Festival fiasco and we will have to pay, despite the shortfall in the council's income.

We need to replace our weak, ineffectual councillors and the nave, foolish and conceited officers with ones with more honesty, integrity, reliability, fiscal wisdom and common sense.

John West

Abbotswood Close

Winyates Green