DEAR EDITOR - We shall soon know whether the politicians have betrayed our trust again by inflicting yet more enormous council tax rises upon us.

This Government inspired legalised robbery has been going on for six long years under new Labour. The results of this huge spending and taxing are not better services but waste and incompetence.

Latest official figures show the cost of one MP is now a total of £425,000 per year. A Euro MP costs a staggering £1m per year.

John Prescott now wants to add yet another layer to the politician's gravy train by bringing in Regional Assemblies no doubt stuffed full of expensive ex-Government Ministers and Quango queens.

As councils or assemblies can do very little without Government funding, neither they nor the people will have any real say in what amount is spent, or how it is spent.

What we do know is that under new Labour, council taxes will continue to rise to the level of a second mortgage.

We have seen funding taken away from Worcestershire and given to Labour strongholds in the north, so that Tony Blair, John Prescott, Peter Mandelson, Alan Milburn and other Labour MP's can help their constituents. They care nothing for the rest of us. The question is who will help the people of Worcestershire?

R Fownes

Wellington Road

Bromsgrove