EXPENSIVE road schemes can mean less funding for essential services.

Alternatively, we all pay more income tax and council tax.

The south-west regional priority list includes various other road schemes.

WCC's Westbury bypass is not amongst them.

Call it by whatever you like, but it effectively means that the controversial eastern bypass is not actually going to be funded in the foreseeable future.

It ought to be obvious that if Westbury is to have any traffic relief, it has to be by other than an umpteen million pound environmentally-damaging bypass.

The Government has not encouraged the county council to further waste public money with a planning application for its scheme. The Government has carefully avoided objecting, but has pointed out that the county council runs the risk of failing to meet its targets.

The Government advises local authorities to concentrate their efforts on schemes that are likely to offer the best value for money.

J BOWLEY

Warminster