ON reading the Evening Advertiser on Friday February 28, I had to take a quick look at the top of the page for the date thinking that somehow the whole of March had passed me by and we were into April, April 1 in fact.

But it was no April Fool's joke but a true story in which a real professor (must have been the one who invented the chocolate teapot) headed a report advising a 43 per cent allowance rise to councillors.

Did professor Jim James and his panel note the 15 per cent council tax increase this year on home owners? Did they forget last year's increase, did they forget the telephone calls to thousands of households asking homeowners about the increased council tax, did they forget the lap tops councillors had last year?

Did they forget the amount of money wasted in the bid for Swindon to become a city, did they forget how much money has been wasted on the Steam Museum?

Now the councillors feel we should have an Art Gallery in Swindon, perhaps showing paintings of great steam engines which once stood in the Steam Museum, or why not go all the way and have an Opera House in Swindon.

Did professor Jim James and his panel lock themselves away all last year when doing this report, not knowing that our education system in Swindon hit rock bottom?

Did they not know social services were going the same way as education and that so many of our so-say professionals in charge of these departments had jumped ship, including the head of our council?

Why would anyone work hard to reach a target, while employed by a company, to obtain an increase in wages, when all you have to do is become a councillor.

Turn up for meetings providing you are not away on holiday or doing something else more important take no notice of the general public and their views and get it wrong over and over again, but it won't matter as you get at least a 43 per cent increase because you are a councillor.

Brian J Osbourn

Tawny Owl Close

Covingham

Swindon