I HAVE learnt that we now have in Malvern an outreach worker, appointed by the West Midlands European Network to assist local voluntary groups obtain "European funding". I suspect other such outreach workers have been installed elsewhere.

I do not know who or what the West Midlands European Network is, or how it is itself funded.

But let us be clear of one thing; the European Union is not granting any favours to voluntary groups, local or otherwise.

Britain is currently sending the EU approximately £25m a day - in other words, more than £1m every hour, day and night.

Only Britain and Germany are the net contributors; all of the other EU states are net beneficiaries.

So any so-called European funding that we mere mortals in Britain are given is simply our own money, or at least a little bit of it, that the EU graciously allows us to have back.

It is a fact that the total cost of Britain's EU membership so far (27 years) would have been more than enough to pay for every hospital, school and police station this country could ever need - and there would have been enough money to give to our voluntary groups without needing European Network outreach workers to beg for it.

Surely, we would all be a lot better off if Britain left the European Union and we got rid of the outreach workers ?

IAN MORRIS,

UK Independence Party,

Malvern.