Bournemouth council has not exactly been covering itself in glory recently, but the latest unseemly bickering among councillors over tickets for the event to honour The Rifles is an absolute disgrace.

Someone needs to grab the whole bunch by the scruff of the neck, give them a good shaking and drum it into their skulls that this event is not about them or for them – it is to honour men and women who have been serving this country.

If councillors could serve Bournemouth with one one-thousandth of the dedication and loyalty that our servicemen and women serve the country we’d be a great deal better off.

Frankly, If I had my way the only member of the council to attend the reception would be the Mayor. The rest of the tickets would be reserved for families and close friends of servicemen – with a small number allotted in a random draw to local people who pay the inflated ‘salaries’ of councillors.

As for that councillor who suggested that if their families are not invited to the reception they should boycott the event – she should be thoroughly ashamed of herself!

Robert Readman, Norwich Avenue West, Bournemouth