Roy Phillips, of St Joseph's Court, Carlton Place, Teignmouth, writes:

I read your front page article headlined Town clerk goes part-time in the current Teignmouth Post with a sense of bewilderment.

Is the town clerk deciding the future management struture of Teignmouth Town Council? If, as stated, he wants to go part-time, surely the town council has first to debate and decide if they want two people doing one person's job at extra cost?

I had read nothing of any meeting to decide upon the restructuring of the council's management and operating structures.

If, as reported, the present town clerk wants to be involved in the town's regeneration, then he can do so, as former councillor Bill Ridley has for many years been doing great work with many of the organisations some of which he set up while chairman of Teignmouth Town Council.

We are most fortunate in this town that so many good and experienced people, like Bill Ridley, are willing to give of their time and expertise for the betterment of our town. Organisations would gladly accept the town clerk's help, as they do of many other volunteers.

When one reads, on page 69 of the advertisement for the curious position of 'town clerk designate' I question if those councillors who support this proposition really understand its implications. I know, as presently constituted, teignmouth town Council still functions on the same statutory level as it had some 40 years ago, but surely, as Teignbridge's second largest town council, it is high time to move forward as both Dawlish and Newton Abbot councils did some ten years ago.

If most councillors still want to function as little more than a parish council, then its £300,000-plus annual budget accordingly needs to be cut drastically. Adding on so-called services and/or duties which district and county council wanted rid of is merely tinkering at the edges.

As things stand, if for example the district council continued to want to close public toilets in Teignmouth – a basic and essential service for a holiday resort – the town council still has to go cap in hand to beg Teignbridge not to.

Then there's the recent closure of the Beechcroft rest centre. Again the town council had no powers, as this decision was made by others outside our town.

All applicants for this so-called position as a 'designate' need to remember this present town council does not have the authority or power to commit this change on to the council after May 2015. The new councillors will decide what the council's structure will be and who does what.

The article states that the town clerk wants to go part-time from next May – it would be for that council to then decide if they want change to a two-person part-time position for the clerk of their council.

The present council cannot foist and impose their convoluted reasoning on the new council.

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