Dear Councillor Berry

I don’t think it was all down to ‘Brexit Rubbish’ (last week’s Standard).

You also applauded Cotswold District Council’s success, including cost cutting.

Cotswold District Council has kept council taxpayers’ costs down for many years.

Can you justify that if it leads to poor or unresponsive services?

  • Cotswold District Council website. Appallingly hard to navigate. I’m told it will be re-vamped by the end of the year. I’ve been campaigning locally. I’ve spent weeks, months, trying to suss it out: the planning bit is particularly dreadful.
  • Information. The council tax bill used to have a really helpful leaflet about council tax and how it was spent by Cotswold District Council, the county council and police. It showed the previous year’s spend and the current financial year spend. Now: no leaflet, no explanation. Information easily available on the Cotswold District Council site, I was told. Not so. There wasn’t a leaflet because the county council usually funded it and hadn’t this year. What about people without computers? Elderly, disabled? What about those preferring printed information? Having asked repeatedly, I have been offered a leaflet of sorts but have waited over two months for this to appear in libraries and Cotswold District Council offices as promised. I have complained yet had no satisfactory response, either from the county council or CDC. Where’s the leaflet, when will it appear?

• You trumpeted your cabinet decision to charge extra council tax for empty homes. Good. I have not seen the same enthusiasm for reforming the council tax system, which favours those living in the very largest properties who pay proportionately less council tax than those living in smaller homes.

Please explain how this all lives up to CDC’s mission statement: Championing Issues Important to local People.

Ruth Wright

Moreton-in-Marsh