For once, I must agree with Frank Avenell. (Letters, February 26).

There is no excuse whatsoever for a number of the elected representatives of Swindon being absent from the main council meeting of the year. As for the member who, for an ulterior motive, abstained from the vote words fail me as, no doubt, will his constituents next time around.

Inexplicable tax rises apart, I am sure that it is this cynical attitude on the part of the councillors which causes the obviously widespread discontent within the electorate.

Not so long ago, councillors were drawn from the ranks of the respected in the local community who discharged their responsibilities without fuss and without pay in their spare time. The town clerk and his merry men and women saw to the administration of what the council required.

Now, it seems, in order to cease being politically led nonentities, councillors aspire to become politically led somebodies by virtue of paying themselves more and more.

While some councillors will lose no time in telling anyone who will listen that they have a full time job doing their duties, they will almost boast of their plans for employing a member of the 'Chief Executive Breed' at £125,000pa who will replace the last one and will magically do better than the last one because he will be paid more.

It will then be said that the councillors need to work even fuller time for even more money in order to keep an eye on the chief executive.

Swindon needs to get back to basics with a voluntary non-party council working for Swindon not itself with employees doing ordinary jobs without the pretence that they are in any way extra-ordinary and requiring astronomical wages.

R J HARVEY

Pound Close

Lyneham

Chippenham