CLLR DEREK Bateman states in your newspaper that "Government policy on Local Government financing is bizarre" and that "the Government has given money to inefficient local authorities and taken money off Cheshire to do it".

Is he talking about the present Labour Government? As a resident of Nantwich I have had, for the past four years, a Labour town council, a Labour borough council, a Labour-led county council and a Labour Government.

During this period my Council Tax has increased by a massive 32 per cent from £1,022 to £1,343pa.

Can Councillor Bateman tell me which of the above levels of Government he feels is to blame for the average rise of 8 per cent per annum or will he blame those nasty Tories once again?

David Greatorex

Mercer Way

Nantwich