IT'S interesting to read of the councillor from Portmadoc refusing to attend the opening of a new £35million by-pass because the invitation, from Cardiff, wasn't in Welsh.

This is an example of the rational against the irrational! Someone, in Cardiff, demonstrated good sense by not wasting money on unnecessary printing. The councillor, while he could read the invitation perfectly well, chose to be offended because it wasn't in his preferred language.

If rational thinking had been used more over the past year, £10m could have been saved by the Welsh Assembly on the printing of census forms and a further £4m on court summons papers. A Freedom of Information question revealed that less than 3 per cent census 2011forms were returned in Welsh and this was fewer than in 2001.

In these times of economic crisis it is reasonable to look to public service organisations to find savings. The £14m cited above is just a small example of saving potential which could save jobs of doctors, nurses, teachers or police officers. Savings on printing alone could substantially improve spending on education and health.

Western Mail (August 15, 2011) reports a newly appointed language policeman at £95K a year? Is this really appropriate spending when child poverty in Wales is highest in the UK?

– Roy Garner, Collingwood Close, Chepstow.