Sell Steam and Lydiard to help the public purse

In the first letter Mr Short told us that it is not possible for the council to sell Lydiard House and the Steam Museum because the council has received grant funding for them.

Lydiard House is a second, or even third rate, historic building. If it really commands such historical importance why was permission given to build a modern unsympathetic and inappropriate extension on the side of the house?

There are probably plenty of private organisations who would be prepared to buy Lydiard House and develop the site as a theme park for public use. This would save tax payers a substantial sum of money for the upkeep of the building and its grounds.

The Steam Museum has been a drain on the public purse for years and has taken much needed finances away from essential services. If it was sold the capital raised could be used to repay any grant funding and the surplus capital could be transferred to essential services. There would also be a huge saving on the revenue budget which is wasted on this project year after year.

In the second letter Mr Short told us that the appointment of three additional employees to jobs at Swindon Borough Council would not affect taxes. Where does he think the funding for these posts is coming from? The answer is simple since any job in the public services is funded by tax payers' money.

Swindon Borough Council is so bad at providing services that last year it was named by the Audit Commission as one of the 10 worst councils in the country. This year it has slipped even further to become one of the seven worst councils in the country.

Mr Short may want to see the status quo maintained but Swindon needs and deserves dynamic and radical change to its failing public services.

Councillors must ensure that the same old incompetence wastefulness and inefficiencies are not allowed to continue.

(Mrs) E FELL

Wroughton