I REFER to the article 'We won't be given a second chance (EA, September 30), that explained how the leader of Swindon Borough Council, Coun Kevin Small, was presented with a highly critical draft corporate performance assessment report by audit office officials.

Among the comments from Coun Small were: "The issues raised we can tackle if not, we don't deserve a second chance and probably will not get one"; and: "It's not rocket science".

Since the creation of Swindon Borough Council in 1997, Coun Small and the Labour group have been in power for most of the time except for a few months when the Conservative group ran the council.

After the report on education came an equally appalling report from auditors about the state of social services. For years the Evening Advertiser has been full of complaints from people about extremely poor service provision and the lack of response to complaints. Numerous complaints have been made about Swindon Services, the council's contract department.

Swindon Borough Council has been in existence for more than five years and has persistently failed to learn from its mistakes. Council tax has outstripped inflation by several times each year to rise to extortionate levels year after year and there is now another threat of a 15 per cent rise for next year. Considering the severe deterioration in service provision these figures just don't add up.

Of course Coun Small is absolutely right, this is not rocket science, but can a body that is incapable of keeping public conveniences clean and tidy be trusted to look after vulnerable and educate the young?

Some of us have longer memories than Coun Small appears to think, and because we can count we know that Swindon Borough Council has already had numerous chances to put things right. I can therefore assure him that I and many others are fully aware of the incompetence and mismanagement that has occurred on numerous occasions and for many years at Swindon Council.

E Fell

Ellingdon Road

Wroughton

Swindon