To be spent on just three things

THE people currently entrusted with running Weston council seem to have lost all sense of financial prudence.

This week town councillors voted to spend an additional �2.5million of our money within the next three years. Bearing in mind the town council currently takes over �1million from our collective pockets every year, �2.5 million on top of that is a lot for us to find.

Only a few months ago these same people were saying they would pull the plug on spending about �1.2million on the Blakehay due to the dire economic situation we all face.

This additional money is to be spent on just three things:

�200,000 on repairing the Blakehay (a million less than they said it absolutely needed only a few months ago).

�1.5million on renovating and extending Grove House which North Somerset Council owns (town council leaders believe North Somerset is set to hand over Grove House for free when the existing lease deal ends in 2011 - so every penny in this eye watering budget is for renovation).

�750,000 for premises for Barcode (even though the town council has a lease agreement on the current property until 2017, which would be carried over even if the building were sold).

Most of this money they say will come from grants or loans - none of which they have applied for - and bearing in mind a scheme to improve Grove House fell through not so long ago because of failure to secure outside funding, I won't be asking anyone to count on that. Which leaves the option of taking the cash from council tax payers like you and me. The people currently trusted with running Weston Town Council are always banging on about how good they are at managing taxpayer's money - taking another �2.5million from us in these uncertain times seems to completely undermine any claims of financial competence they ever had.

EDWARD KEATING

Councillor for South Worle

Clifton Road

Weston