IT really is a dreadful state of affairs that once councils funded and built schools, houses, parks, libraries, swimming pools, even civic centres, but these days everything now is being run down and closed.

One major reason is clearly the huge burgeoning cost of running councils. Enormously generous packages have evolved over the decades including very generous holiday pay and above all the pensions.

And that including a whole-year salary lump sum for those retiring, as much as £100,000 each for senior staff.

For the town I live in, with a pension deficit of £130m, Poole is now and has been for several years all but bankrupt – large amounts of council tax having to be directed into sustaining pension funds, less and less left over to fund public services.

In the end the responsibility for the whole dreadful mess clearly falls then squarely on Poole Tory councillors who for the most part have run Poole for the past 20 years.

They have presided over a council which has quite simply run itself into the ground. Now there is no money left.

And the consequences of this, schools badly understaffed and failing, social services threadbare, public toilets all closing, libraries badly run down, and so it goes on. But any regret from any public councillors? No.

They are for the most part it seems quite happy with nice extra incomes, and nice extra pensions to look forward to.

STUART FLEMMING

Alder Road, Poole

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