Now that we have received our Council Tax demands for the new financial year, we can see just what our elected politicians think of us - nothing more that cash cows!

In Leominster for example, where the Town Council readily admits that there is a great deal of social deprivation, they have upped their Council Tax precept for 2016/17 by 38%, something that can only make things harder for the less well off.

At a time of austerity, we the public have had to cut our cloth to suit our pockets, but all bar three local councillors had other ideas, and passed a resolution to demand this extortionate tax increase, on the basis that they wanted new offices and to extend the number and nature of services which they provide.

I have asked our MP, Bill Wiggin, to investigate why, at a time when County Council taxation is capped at 2% p.a. (with an extra 2% this year for adult services) why no such cap applies to parish councils such as Leominster, where councillors who live outside the Leominster precept area can (and did) vote for (in theory) unlimited increases that they will not have to pay themselves.

Graham Carpenter

Leominster