At a loss at claimed ‘value for money’

Dear Sir,

It was with incredulity that I read the claim from Paul Bates (Cabinet member of Cheshire East Council responsible for finances) that with high quality services across the board this council continues to deliver excellent value for money," when the council is delivering a budget that increases our council tax by 5.99% as well as cutting vital services.

I am at a complete loss to understand how anyone can think Cheshire East Council is delivering excellent value for money with so many past scandals; three ongoing police investigations, including one into falsified air quality data as well as about £720 being spent on officer misconduct investigations which have all been featured regulaly in your newspaper and in Private Eye.

If Cheshire East Council had not been so incompetent, Cheshire East would not have recently featured in the list of the top 10 councils failing to fill in pot holes and Cheshire East Council would not have had to consider cutting vital services such as closing Mountview Community Support Centre in Congleton.

What a pity voters in Cheshire East have to wait until May 2019 before they are able to deliver their verdict that Cheshire East is far from offering excellent value for money.

Yours faithfully,

ROBERT DOUGLAS