MUCH has been written about the competence of senior officers and councillors who claim to have the skills required to run our local authority.

When senior officers are found wanting they are allowed to resign or retire with significant pay-offs and generous pensions indeed in the case of the recently departed director responsible for finance, an eulogy of the highest order was afforded him, describing him as one of the most talented accountants in public service.

Could this possibly be the same accountant who failed to notice he had a massive £2.5million which just happened to be sitting in a bank account which everyone in his department had forgotten about.

Council tax rises of 15 per cent were based on the false premise that council coffers were empty perhaps our local politicians have taken a leaf out of Mr Blair's book.

You will recall he took this country to war based on an exaggeration.

I hope the council find a lot more money just lying in some dusty cupboard.

Des Morgan

Caraway Drive