YOUR front page headline that selling Witham’s Town Hall could fund more security and safety for residents is misguided in the extreme.

It is becoming clearer by the day that Witham’s higher crime rate, with more armed robberies, shows that criminals have got the message that Witham is under-policed. The crime rate will not be reversed by Witham sacrificing one of its most valuable assets.

What is also becoming clearer by the day is that the Government’s austerity policy is not working. Public services are underfunded and subject to increasing pressures.

Selling off Witham’s “family silver” as former Conservative PM Harold MacMillan described liquidating public assets will not solve this crisis.

It is a crisis made by the Conservative Government.

It seems certain the county council, police and district council will raise their elements of the council tax to help social services, and reverse some of the cuts in police budgets.

If the town council raised its own element by the same amount it could at least ensure that some modest extra resource was available for Witham’s people.

But it will not reverse the increased risks to Witham’s people wholesale cuts in the police service have already caused. I’ve been saying for years – “cuts have consequences!”

Cllr Phil Barlow

Labour member Witham North