Swindon Borough Council are at it again with a twinning visit to the city of Torun in Poland costing the rate payers thousands of pounds.

This is only the more obvious figure and I would suggest that the true cost in time will be many times this, caused by the internal council costs of staff time to make the arrangements for the trip, numerous meetings and reciprocal visits etc.

I would suggest that to the residents of Swindon the fact that we are twinned to a town in another country matters not one iota, let alone a third one as Torun will be.

As for opening the Polish market to Swindon companies, I have not read of or heard of any additional business that has happened from a twinning arrangement, apart from the hospitality costs racked up by our councillors on our behalf.

Swindon ratepayers do not want their rates spent on frivolous overseas jollies.

D Titcombe

Haydon Wick

Swindon