The following is a copy of a letter I wrote to The Star a couple of weeks ago about Labour councillors spending £3000 of council taxpayers’ money on learning how to speed read.

It was a shock to learn that Labour councillors are spending £3,000 of local taxpayers money on ‘read faster with greater understanding’ workshops for themselves (The Star, Monday 18 Feb). The irony of wasting money on reading classes for Labour councillors at the same time as threatening to close our libraries, including my local library at Newfield Green, is clearly lost on them.

Whilst £3,000 might not seem much to Cllr Lodge and his Labour cronies, it is the equivalent to two or three households’ council tax bill throughout the whole year. It is this kind of attitude which has seen the Council waste millions on Town Hall refurbs, consultants and hand outs to Trade Unions.

For the benefit of Labour councillors who seem to have trouble reading things and understanding them, I will spell this out. Stop. Wasting. Taxpayers. Money.