YOUR front page of January 19 gave us, side by side, two interesting and contrasting attitudes to public service, both from the District Council.

On the left, community safety officer Jenny Lawrence reported on an imaginative scheme for reducing bad behaviour by irresponsible young people. On the right, another council officer responded to a complaint about rubbish in Avenue Road by saying that it was incumbent on people to take their litter home with them.

Local government comes in for more criticism than it deserves, but it will continue to do so until it makes more responses of the first kind and less of the second. As a county councillor, I constantly bear this in mind. I do my best to make sure that the County Council is as positive, clear and communicative as possible in all its dealings with those who pay for its services.

Jeremy Webb, County Councillor, Cowleigh Road, Malvern.