Regarding ways to cut council budgets, I would suggest that the councils abandon their grandiose schemes, which include enormous fees to consultants and, instead, allocate the money to putting right what we have already got – social care, day centres, street cleaning, keeping public conveniences open etc.

This area used to be a lovely place to live (I was born and bred in Poole) but it has gone to seed.

It used to be that the councils looked after the area and its inhabitants, but now they appear to want to leave their mark with large schemes which do nothing to improve the lives of council tax payers.

Mrs V Jones, Westham Close, Poole