Cllr ROY G PHILLIPS, of Carlton Place, Teignmouth, writes:

Your two-page spread on pages 8 and 9 of last week’s edition of the Teignmouth Post deals mainly with the increase in salary, and the salary itself, of Teignbridge District Council’s chief executive. On Thursday, October 13, this issue was also a topic of news on both local and national television programmes.

As a very recently returned Teignmouth town councillor, I believe that all these reports missed a far more vital issue, namely that the residents of our town, as well as those in other towns in Teignbridge, are now paying twice for the same service!

In more recent times, Teignbridge Council and Devon County Council have been rapidly shedding a lot of their former responsibilities and leaving them to be done by town or parish councils – but at their own respective expense!

Both councils – county and district – are seemingly pursuing a reverse Robin Hood policy, ie taking from the local residents the monies paid by them for local services, but not now delivering these services but passing on these monies to the Government. For example, here in Teignmouth, where previously residents paid Teignbridge to maintain the flower beds, etc etc, it is their town council who now does this work and charges taxpayers for doing it.

Another classic is the now defunct Tourist Information Centre: it is acknowledged they received more than 40,000 enquiries each year, yet Teignbridge has reduced this service to a so-called Information Point, manned by volunteers in the new Pavilions building. This downgrading makes absolutely no sense whatsoever in a town where a large and vital part of its economy is dependent on tourism!

Where are the shelters on the seafront for visitors and residents to use on rainy days and other days when the weather is unsettled? A seafront shelter removed and not immediately relocated, and both updated?

Why the continual refusal to double in size the present Brunswick Street car park? Teignbridge own the land and still hold most of the monies given by the Co-op to them for replacement car parking spaces. They know the desperate need for more parking, yet for years continued to ignore the pressing and urgent need for parking in our town!

What need then, or benefit to residents, is either of these councils? Why not go back to 1973 (before the Heseltine changes) and return all authority to the towns and parishes? Then the Government can really and truly make efficiency savings!