AS a person who has lived in Herefordshire all his life, and who loves his county very much, I was appalled to read at the gross salaries that our elected councillors and leaders pay themselves with council taxpayers' money,(including gold plated pensions).

As a young man growing up the county, I can remember when councillors were local business men who gave their time for free, and felt it a honour do so. They were men of integrity, vision, and above all men of sound decisions. Now it has become a wasteful gravy train with salary's paid beyond belief. We look at our roads which are an absolute disgrace, and still nothing is done. We drive around the county and we see scores of council vehicles manned sometimes by three or four men parked in partially hidden gateways taking time out.

My neighbour who is a pensioner of some years takes his pittance of pension money into Carrick House to pay his council tax; he takes it in by hand because he does not trust the post office and he does not understand direct debit. He was one day late paying because he missed the one weekly bus so his son drove him to town. When he returned home he opened a letter from the council. No, not a rebate, but a threat of court proceedings for late payment. The man is understandably quite upset.

What has happened to our lovely county? Our once fantastic country that I love! The scales are not in balance and something must be done soon.