I REFER to the letter October 10 from Ian Thompson "Taxes are not high after all." There are however, certain key facts that Mr Thompson neglects to include.

When Swindon Borough Council was created from Thamesdown Borough Council and part of Wilt-shire County Council the new council decided to appoint highly paid management consisting of a chief executive and 10 directors.

It then decided that it needed five high paid assistant directors in each department and so promoted existing staff and gave them a substantial pay increase.

Recently Swindon Borough Council decided that instead of the old committee system it should have a cabinet system, to make decisions on council business.

The council also decided that its councillors services were undervalued and so their allowance should be doubled.

Since Swindon Borough Council is theoretically run like any other business and has to make its books balance it has been forced to make decisions on the level of service provision and council tax rises.

The consequences of this has been crystal clear to the public for the past three years.

Services have been cut and deteriorated while the council has persistently increased council tax.

It is hardly surprising that somebody in Mr Thompson's position, who is paid £70,000 £80,000 out of council tax payers money, makes attempts to justify tax increases.

But taxpayers of Swindon Borough Council beware, Mr Thompson is obviously trying to defend a deplorable record and pave the way for another substantial increase in council tax.

I believe Swindon Borough Council is over-managed, poorly managed and as a consequence lacks resources for front-line staff and decent service provision.

E FELL

Ellingdon Road

Wroughton