I HATE to rain on Bill Douglas’ parade but when he praises Chippenham Town Council for good housekeeping, did he not notice only a few weeks ago council employees out and about with the begging bowl, approaching the Borough Lands charity for help and, to my surprise, getting it to the tune of £5,000?

Good gracious, times must be hard.

When I asked the chief executive of the council why, I was told: “to reduce the burden on the rate payer.”

If Bill Douglas is so keen on good housekeeping may I suggest that he looks at the electric and gas bill for the town hall and Neeld Hall which came to a total of £24,000, equal to that of 17 houses.

Could he, I wonder, in his spare time, go round and turn a few thermostats down and switch a few lights off, all in the name of good housekeeping?

I note that the leader of the council is proposing to spend £40,000 on an odd piece of land sandwiched between Boots the Chemist and the Neeld Hall on the advice of one of his friends “because it might come in useful”.

Boots do not want the land, nobody else does, so why pay £40,000, the asking price, without negotiation?

Good housekeeping? Pull the other one, Bill.

PETER SLATTER Elmwood Chippenham