Many ways to read budget poll

After years of criticising the previous administration for excessive council tax increases the present one has hit us with a 4.3 per cent inflation-busting increase.

Since announcing this some weeks ago we have had endless press releases trying to justify it.

A few weeks ago, after a public meeting, a vote was taken on whether the people present agreed with the proposed budget and increase in council tax.

Sixteen per cent agreed, 35 per cent disagreed, 42 per cent agreed to some extent with the rest don't knows. This led Councillor Eade to announce that 58 per cent was agreed to some extent.

I would like to point out that using the same result I can see that in fact 77 per cent disagreed to some extent.

The most recent press release tells us that following a survey three out of four people agree with the increase. At the end of the article we find it was the council's community panel, hardly a fair cross-section of the population.

However we still have a hope the increase could be more realistic. The reason: Councillor Eade has made so many U-turns since taking office, including one into a directorship of the city region.

He could yet make one more, but then again this would benefit the people of Telford so it will not happen.

J R Elcock, St Georges