Unfair rises in council tax

Sir, - We need to have a council tax increase to allow the services we expect to continue.

I would suggest the 3% rise should be the minimum per year for a few years,

But a 12% to 20% increase to band E to H is unreasonable and unacceptable to those who have worked to put together a comfortable twilight years.

It is even less acceptable to the younger professionals who may look for a better life south of the border or elsewhere.

I read Councillors Paul Valentine’s and Bill Duff’s epistles on what they are doing and why. It made poor reading and, as a retired businessman, I am concern they do not have a clue on how to operate in a downmarket.

Given the Angus Council shortfall is around £15 million, the steps they promote will not work in the longer game.

We will now have a new chief executive in June (cost £127,000). We have consultants Ernst and Young, at a cost of £1 million, advising a committee of councillors to identify cost reductions.

The job of a chief executive or chairman in industry is to direct the overall business. We either need a CEO or a group of consultants not both, or do we have the wrong people on committees or in positions of power? Do we have too many councillors?

I worked for a USA corporation for 40 years and was asked to move on two or three occasions to California and Texas. I declined a on both occasions as I liked my homeland as did my family .

If I rolled the clock back 30 years I would now accept. I predict the young professionals in Scotland will look at what is on offer at home and accept the same offer I turned down.