THE increase of 17 per cent in Council Tax is a downright insult to the residents of Blackburn.

It's time people started to question these outrageous demands. After all, it's our hard-earned money and, as taxpayers, we should have a say in how it is spent.

They may not have increased Council Tax last year, but they have certainly made up for it this year.

Instead of spending £2 million on revamping the Boulevard and building a new Jobcentre, they should bring down the rates to encourage new businesses and prosperity in the town, instead of devouring its resources and bleeding it dry. I noticed they dropped the new Council Tax bills through our letter boxes a month before they were due to be paid.

Was this foresight by the council, or was it just to help cushion the blow? If they were more efficient about salting the roads, so refuse could be collected weekly, instead of being left for up to a fortnight in the winter months, then this surely would be a feather in their caps.

Come on, councillors, get your act together - if you can't do the job, then let somebody in who can.

H W FOGARTY (MR), The Crescent, Cherry Tree, Blackburn.

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