ON Wednesday January 22, Monmouth Town Council will decide how much they wish to spend next year. This will be collected as council tax from every household.

The present proposal is that the budget should be £135,000. If agreed, this amounts to an increase on the tax of 14.8 per cent over this year. There has already been an average rise of 33 per cent for each of the last ten years.

I find this unacceptable. Expenditure should go down not up as the 'One-Stop-Shop' takes over much of the council's present work and the new finance officer reforms the economic control.

Ceremonial and entertainment (for whom?) are expensive and so is general administration.

Councillors are committed to a "Best Value" policy but we do not get it.

The meeting is to be held in the Public Library at 7.30. Come if you can and anyhow, please tell your town councillor what you think should be done. – Tim Buckland, Chippenham Gate, Monmouth.