Nobody happy with how taxes are spent

CAN someone please tell me exactly what our council spend all our council tax on? We seem to have no old people’s homes, I know they subsidise the elderly with their care package if they don’t have funds to cover the cost, but they don’t have to pay wages, heating, lighting, water, food. We have little maintenance services, grass cutting is down to twice a year if we are lucky, bin collections reduced, libraries closing, few street cleaners, drains cleaned about every two years, no council properties to have to maintain, so where is our money being spent? Oh yes, paying exorbitant wages and redundancy packages to top people who aren’t even councillors, are they? The new council offices are no doubt bedecked with top-of-the-range furniture, totally unnecessary, but hey – what the hell – why worry, ‘cos it’s not their money, it’s ours. I haven’t spoken to anyone who is happy with the way the money is being spent. I think they should be forced to account for every single penny and that the general public get to see this information. Ann Toney Wyken

Not just for big shows

NOW we know why Richard Allen (Apr 30) is against a concert hall. I would like to thank him for answering my questioning of his situation concerning entertainment and culture, which certainly tells us more about where he is coming from than his first letter.

Ignoring the minority who have no interest in culture, there is another minority like Richard heavily involved with the amateur scene, a majority who have little time (acknowledged by Richard himself) for amateur productions but in their thousands go only to big professional productions, and others – like myself – who support both. My support of any big shows which Coventry could attract with a concert hall would not stop me supporting worthwhile amateur productions. So why does Richard argue against something he would not support? Surely he does not think if we had a concert hall it would adversely affect numbers of those attending amateur shows?

I recall that the former Coventry Theatre sometimes put on amateur productions. Perhaps a modern, state-of-the-art concert hall could improve the image of amateur societies. I am glad that politicians and those concerned with Coventry’s image and culture will know the reason why Richard is against a concert hall, not because he doesn’t think people would support it.

I would like to thank all those involved with music-making, particularly Three Spires and Warwickshire Symphony Orchestra. B Morton Green Lane

Brilliant mind saw fate of the NHS

I THINK Mr Blundell (Apr 27) is missing the point of my letter.

I pointed out that Stephen Hawking was a brilliant mind, and that brilliant mind had claimed that the current government were trying to destroy our NHS.

For Mr Blundell to state that I only mentioned this because of my own personal political stance is ludicrous.

The whole point of the letter pointed out that our political leaders don’t stand for one common goal, but several and these goals are often for the benefit of those better off than most. While it is fitting that they respect the greatness of a passing, they should also mourn the loss of this great country. Andy McDonald Tile Hill

Trouble with online box office tickets

RECENTLY I went to the Belgrade Theatre ticket office to get a ticket for a play in the B2 Auditorium on Friday, May 4, only to be told that tickets were only available on the internet.

This does not bode well for all those who do not have access to the internet, if we lose the ability to buy tickets at the box office. Fred Foster Radford

Many thanks to David Wildgoose, of Coundon, for this photograph of ducklings with their mum on the River Severn at Ironbridge. Have you taken a Pic of the Day you’d like to see published? Email it with your name, location and a brief caption to...