IT was heartening to see some of the townspeople expressing concern at the Town Council's proposals to apply for City status.

What utter nonsense these proposals are. We have no cathedral or law courts, we are a small market town with a few tourist attractions. There is a lovely river running through the town, now being ruined year by year. What was once a beautiful riverside green recreation area is being marred by ice cream and balloon sellers, Sunday market stalls, hotdog stalls, buskers and funfair operators.

The Town councillors should research and study events in the years prior to reform of local government in 1974, before embarking on this silly exercise. The Town Council came down to a parish council then because of the shortsightedness, and lack of understanding of many councillors. I was one of the minority who spoke for the moving of the then borough council into the district as a whole, without separate status for the town being retained. Yet the majority took us down to a parish council. Some at the time said that this was mostly because some councillors felt that otherwise they would never become mayor.

The present mayoralty budget is some £45,000. Is this all really justified now that it must be paid for out of the precept and when Council taxes are rising?

CLLR FRED PARROTT, Eton Road, Stratford-upon-Avon.