I REFER to your article 'Call to clear up ghetto' in the Wiltshire Times, December 7.

Melksham may not be the classiest or the smartest place to live and work in, but to describe it as a ghetto is an insult.

There is a nucleus of hard-working, community-spirited people who give freely of their time and enthusiasm in the town and who would welcome encouragement not insults.

The article was undoubtedly not aimed at individuals but it is disappointing to say the least to hear the town mayor using such words.

The area in question may be run down but please save us from the grass mounds and concrete monstrosities at the entrances to Paxcroft Mead.

It would also be interesting to know exactly how £17,000 would be spent. It's not a huge sum by today's standards but it seems a great deal of money for a cleaning up operation and a few trees and shrubs.

Perhaps an itemised account of how this money would be allocated could be published in our paper for us all to see and have a better understanding of the expenditure.

If this amount of money is available, why not use it to give employment to a local, unemployed person who could be responsible for the upkeep of pavements, kerbsides and roundabouts in the town.

A position similar to the road sweeper of years gone by who took a pride in their towns and villages.

Another possibility would be to use offenders on community services.

NAME AND ADDRESS

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