TOBIAS Ellwood is absolutely right when he states there are only two ways of making cuts; to slash staffing levels or reduce frontline services.

His call for Poole and Bourne-mouth councils to merge, sharing responsibity for children and adult services for example and the substantial costs incurred by posts such as chief executive is in my view an excellent one – and one as, a resident, I have been calling for in various forums for over a year.

Not to mention the fact that sharing departments and reducing staffing levels is Conservative policy and this council was returned in May with a huge Tory majority.

Conor Burns’ position of maintaining the status quo is completely out of sync with government policy and as anyone who is dependant on council services will tell you their services have indeed been slashed or cut altogether.

Mr Charon’s self-congratulory statement that Bournemouth Borough Council is ahead of the game in saving £32 million over the past four years neglected to say that it has been on the back of services to the most vulnerable in the closure of day centres for the profoundly disabled and slashing 70 per cent from the funding for critically disabled people like my son, rendering him and others at risk. Something to celebrate?

LORRAINE ZAVADIL, Huntly Road, Bournemouth