Surprised by claims

I was also disappointed that in my council tax demand for the coming year, Littlehampton Town Council was the only authority to post an increase in tax.

My point is this. Why can’t our councils (Arun and West Sussex) behave like us? In times of plenty, we have forked out substantial increases year on year, which has led to wide-ranging spending.

I have personally seen my own income fall in the last two years by about 40 per cent and I know I am far from alone in this. You have to find different ways of doing things – how you shop, travel, conduct your business, etc. – prioritise your spending and, yes, do without.

The councils need to get their heads round the fact we now have a shrinking economy. The ability to pay council tax is challenging many residents. We do not want our money spent on pointless film units, videos, live webcasts (who would want to watch one of these, anyway!), gathering futile web statistics that somehow justify the whole shebang.

What concerns me is that this example is only the tip of the iceberg.

Our councils really do need to get back to basics and if they do this, I predict we will see council tax bills actually decreasing – now that’s a thought to savour.

Colin Marshall

Jasmine Close

Littlehampton