There was nothing in Conservative councillor Alan Hill’s letter (July 31) to contradict my assertion that years of underspending on our county’s roads has left them in a terrible state. Wiltshire Conservatives have been running our county since May 1998. Their failure to act in a timely manner on road repairs during those 15 years has meant a massive spend this year. One which can be ill afforded when vital services are being hit to make up the shortfall in the council’s coffers.

Coun Hill also fails to tackle my questions on the priorities for these repairs. Since the Gazette & Herald published my letter, residents have contacted me about ‘surprising’ locations for road repairs. One was on a rural road right outside the house of the Conservative leader of Wiltshire Council.

Perhaps this is just a coincidence although more cynical readers might ask whether holding such a position might help facilitate such works. Maybe the answer is best summed up in the words of the 1990’s TV Series House of Cards: “You might think that, I couldn’t possibly comment”.

Dr Brian Mathew, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for North Wiltshire.