AS A mother of five children aged 17 years to 17 months and a resident of Hilperton for 13 years (the last three years at Paxcroft Mead), I'd like to thank the council for a wonderful array of facilities provided on the Paxcroft Mead estate to meet the needs of the resident children.

Apparently, they have recently spent £10,000 on a park area which doesn't even have swings and this only took three years. No skateboard park, no park benches or litter bins in the 'landscaped areas' and in some areas no suitable pavements. In the summer months we have bored teenagers with nowhere to go and boredom often breeds trouble. OK, it takes time to hand over areas to the council from the estate owners but I believe the council have had the funding from Gallagher Estates for the children's recreation areas for some time, so when will they spend this money?

It's quite a different story when they decide, without residential consultation, that we don't need a secondary school in the area but instead more housing. Are they quite mad? How are the existing secondary schools going to be extended when they are currently struggling with pupil numbers and under-funding? How will the children travel to school when currently the bus fares are £1.50 per day return per child?

Is this council just plain greedy by agreeing to more housing? Will they be regarded as Trowbridge residents or Hilperton? Trowbridge council tax rates are least five per cent higher most Paxcroft Mead residents I suspect pay an average of £1,000 per year, so could we please have a small percentage back in facilities?

Gallagher Estates have given us the promised services where possible, why won't the council?

MRS A MARTIN,

Montague Court,

Hilperton.