TO SAY that the proposed rise in councillors' allowances is offensive would be an understatement. An increase of over £260,000 per year in the current climate would be a disgrace. I sincerely hope the desire to make an easy, self-interested buck at the

TO SAY that the proposed rise in councillors' allowances is offensive would be an understatement. An increase of over £260,000 per year in the current climate would be a disgrace. I sincerely hope the desire to make an easy, self-interested buck at the expense of community care, meals on wheels, services for children and support for the disabled will not overpower the members. I would hope that they stood for election because they wanted to make positive changes in their community, not because of financial gain. Public services have been scrutinised and squeezed under the current administration at the expense of jobs and services. The obsession with 'value for money' would be better focussed on the members themselves; a truly independent report on what councillors give us for our money is long overdue. I hope all those vulnerable people in the community whose services have been slashed as a result of cutbacks will write to their councillors and urge them to vote against the proposal. All those members of council staff whose jobs have become almost impossible due to being starved of cash - or even worse whose livelihoods have been devastated by redundancies - have your say and tell your councillor that voting in favour of the rises would be nothing short of scandalous.NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED