WE were given a nice pen last week, when my wife and I attended the LINk meeting in Lydney as advertised in the local papers.

We were met with expensive glossy brochures, promotional materials including said pen, and offered coffee and lunch. All very nice. We were then given a presentation by the well-meaing volunteers running this branch. The objective of this quango is, and I quote: "A Local/Involvement Network (LINk) allows people to help influence, improve or change the way local Health and Social Care services are planned and delivered.'

It is a long time since I heard to much claptrap spouted so well. These groups are going to listen to people's complaints and, with no power or authority, change the system? What a laugh!

Achievements to date, Nil! Expected achievements, Nil! Cost to us, the taxpayers, £200,000 per group per year over the three years for Gloucestershire £600,000, 150 groups nationally for three years, £90 million. This is another quango's quango set up purely so that this Government can stand up and say 'we are listening to the people,' and an obscene waste of £90 million.

Wouldn't it be lovely for our hospitals to have the money to spend! – I L Blayney, Aylburton Common.