n ONCE again we are having a huge council tax rise imposed on us that will no doubt hit those on a fixed income - like pensioners - the hardest.

And for what? So Worcester City council can poll 20,000 residents as to what times they would like libraries to be open. At what cost?

Or is it to enable an inefficient police force (if you see a thief stealing your car from outside your house the police view is that this does not warrant a 999 call) to maintain their inflation-proof pension out of my pension.

Isn't it about time that Government organisations, both local and national set their budgets within what is available based on the previous year, plus inflation or less? I recall my last years working for a multi-national company where we were told, in order to compete in a difficult market-place, we would have our budgets cut each year while no loss of production could be tolerated.

Flourishing

These conditions were met and the company is still flourishing. But once anyone gets into Government, local or national, they seem to think the money pot has no bottom.

Well, I suppose while we keep voting Labour/Conservative or Lib-Dem into power, we deserve it. Personally I can see no difference between the three of them.

The only politicians that have a grain of integrity are the Independents, like the MP for Kidderminster, who do not have to toe the party line.

So, pensioners of Worcester - and anyone over 55 should consider themselves pensioners, unless New Labour raises the retirement age - the next time you vote locally or nationally, ask the prospective candidates what they will do for you.

You could be the majority.

A A PENNELL, Worcester.