As one of the many rate-paying pensioners who live in the borough I was appalled to read that there is a possibility of an increase in the rates of 15 per cent.

Bearing in mind that we are lucky to get a yearly increase of two per cent in our state pension, where does the council think this money is coming from?

Every year we have to find extra, and when one is on a fixed income the only way to keep paying the way is to cut one's own standard of living. Why should this be, when no other age group is prepared to do the same?

This followed the previous Evening Advertiser's article on 'Cut Backs' and where are these proposed cut backs? Once again the elderly are in the forefront!

As a grandmother I appreciate the need for extra money for our schools, but I went to school during the war years and had a very good education, and money was tight in those days.

It seems to me that too much money is spent on administration and too many people collecting statistics for some over-paid bureaucratic government officials who then collate the information and tell us we need to spend more.

The same argument applies to our hospitals and the police force.

(Mrs) P Cutting

Tweed Close

Swindon