IN REFERENCE to your story about Colchester Council and its intention to raise council tax, before its attempts to bundle this through, it needs to provide answers as to just what did happened to the portion of £26 million of New Homes Bonus money it has received?

In response to Paul Smith’s pessimistic opinion there is no alternative but to raise council tax by a possible £5 per household, I would draw his attention to the revenues coming on stream in the next four years from his council’s extensive New Build programme to the north of the town.

With average house prices in the area at £200,000, the average council tax is about £1,500 a year.

The 5,000 new houses being built at Cants, Severalls and Betts alone will generate approx. £7.5 million in revenue, easily enough to cover the £2 million shortfall and the £446,000 the council must pay central Government.

There are similar sized developments elsewhere in the borough generating equal amounts of tax.

It would seem the council also has £26 million of reserves.

I look forward to Paul Smith considering these extra revenues and adding them into his calculations, and then retracting his intention to raise the council tax.

It is the very least he can do to compensate the people of this town for the loss of vast tracks of virgin farm land being sacrificed to accommodate his grand development plans.

They have no visible benefits to the people of this town, yet the roads, rail and other infrastructure is groaning under the extra strain this brutal and thoughtless expansion has already generated.

B Fisher Great Braxted

  • Economy cannot be built on art

If Colchester Council can afford to be so generous towards the arts, it can never again make cuts in funding to vulnerable organisations as everyone has a right to be treated as equal to the “art elite”.

Councillors Tim Young and Paul Smith will agree.

An economy based on knowledge and art will collapse as there is nothing to sustain it.

It was the manufacturing industry of the past which brought wealth and prosperity to this country.

Part of the trouble now is the education system where they look down on those who work in manufacturing or do important jobs like nursing.

John Culley Fox Street, Ardleigh

  • Seagulls and binmen left a mess

HERE are a couple of is photos of the mess left behind in my street, Gwynne Road, Dovercourt, after seagulls attacked a nearby home’s bin bags.

Braintree and Witham Times:

Braintree and Witham Times:

The binmen collected all the black bags today, but this was left behind.

I’ve subsequently phoned the environmental department at Tendring Council and asked who is responsible for clearing up.

They’ve advised me it’s the householders and, if I like ,I can have a word with them.

Why should I put myself at the risk of possible abuse?

We pay our council tax for an inadequate service, the streets never get cleaned as it is and this mess could attract yet more vermin in heat like todays.

Anne Hines Dovercourt

  • Praise for Roger’s views on travellers

Councillor Roger Buston should be congratulated for telling it like it is regarding the “travelling community”

As for Tina Bourne, if she has so much sympathy for them, perhaps she should let them set up camp on her property to defecate on her lawn and pile up their rubbish to be cleared at her expense.

V Wiggins Knox Road, Clacton Schoolboy helper was a real star I WOULD like to thank the Philip Morant school boy who helped me with my bin bags last Friday morning.

Such kindness put a glow in my heart, a wonderful start to my day

86-year-old Boadicea Way, Colchester

  • Thanks for speedy bush trimming

I WOULD like to say thank you so much for the quick response regarding the issue of the overgrown bush in Thoroughgood Road, Clacton.

It make it so much nicer to go walking.

Debbie Howard Thoroughgood Road