AS A parish town councillor I have recently been receiving numerous complaints about the state of our small local roads. Many local people have been demanding

AS A parish town councillor I have recently been receiving numerous complaints about the state of our small local roads.Many local people have been demanding some action is taken. For instance when salting the roads, our council usually only covers the main roads, whilst many locals drive on the smaller side roads which are more dangerous to drive on anyway. It is not enough to say this is because of limited funding when you consider some of the items that our local councils have wasted money on recently. For instance, on one of the councils I sit on a substantial amount has been spent on upholstering some chairs, which could have been replaced with new ones for a fraction of the cost. Another council which I serve has spent a rather large sum on a new bench, yet at present there have been questions raised as to whether it follows health and safety regulations and is indeed safe for the public to use at all. It is for reasons such as these why I have previously stated I think it would be preferable to amalgamate all small parish councils into one district, so in our case we would all be controlled by Sedgemoor District Council. Whilst I can fully appreciate the advantages of having small, local councils ie an increased awareness and knowledge of the area, I feel our current system sacrifices the availability of expert opinion. If we had one single council we could concentrate the knowledge that exists in our area more effectively. As it is, I do not think there is enough financial expertise available in each parish council to handle money issues as successfully as they could be handled.This is a plea to all those who are unhappy with the way in which certain things are managed within our area to speak out about it. The council has a responsibility to look after our roads and I do not believe they are fulfilling this correctly. Action needs to be taken but it cannot be up to just a few to do this. I now hope others, such as those who have complained to me in the past, will take up the challenge to get something done about our roads.COUNCILLOR CHRISTOPHER BYRNE - Wavering Down House, Cross