The two letters in last week's “Gazette and Herald”, (6 August), from Mr May and Coun Fogg continue to highlight how out of touch our local representatives continue to be.

They just “don’t get it” and this is something that I have been banging on about for the last few years.

Despite the worst recession for many decades, with nearly 10 per cent of the working population out of work and with the cost of essential goods at record prices, the burden of council tax assumes an even greater significance.

It is accepted that councils have a legal obligation to provide many essential services, but the amount of waste that is still evident is truly staggering.

Coun Fogg is right to have been “shocked” by the proposed salary of £180,000, (plus substantial perks, no doubt), for the new Chief Executive of Wiltshire Council. And to spend another £50,000 on trying to recruit this “wonder worker” defies all comment.

Mr May is correct in saying that those of us who have retired and have managed to pay off our mortgages are now faced with rates of council tax that are out of all proportion to our income.

Reform of local authority spending is now well overdue and the next Government has to put this as one of its priorities.

John Berry, 35 Fallow Field Close, Chippenham.

Within the £10 million plus savings made in the first year of the transition to a unitary council in Wiltshire, I understand that over £400,000 was due to the abolition of four district council chief executives; a saving that will continue in all future years.

Coun Fogg, in his letter to the Gazette last week, says he is shocked by, and will vote against, "the huge rise" of £25,000 being proposed for the person who will take over all the responsibilities of those four redundant chief executives.

This is in addition to the responsibilities of the chief executive of the former Wiltshire County Council.

Surely a one off payment to specialists to attract sufficient candidates for the new post, to examine and check their pedigrees and provide the council with a short list of top tier executives to choose from makes more financial sense than permanently employing someone with the necessary skills and market experience to do that specialist job.

It is not surprising that we occasionally wonder whether some councillors have the business experience and the financial acumen to contribute, on our behalf, to the successful management of a budget in excess of £800 million.

Ronald Scott, Sparrow Farm, Lanhill.