GOOD luck to Gareth Dempster in trying to delve into the mystery of Tavistock Town Council's finances (Letters, March 19). In 2012-13 they raised the precept by 22.7%, an extra £100,000 year on year. I also went down the route of trying to find answers. Most of our representatives from MP downwards were dismissive, said it was not in their remit, or seemed amazed that I had the temerity to even ask, one even suggesting I was exaggerating. It took many reminders to get them to even respond and eight months for any sort of answer. I was assured that the extra £100,000 a year was required for planned maintenance/restoration in ten year's time ie 2022-23. By my reckoning they should have £300,000 in reserve by now! But try to find out and you hit the equivalent of a website brick wall. Like Mr Dempster all I really want is a fair, open and transparent council. Jim Turner Tavistock I READ with interest the letter from Gareth Dempster printed in the edition published March 19. Gareth states that when he spoke to councillors he was met by the response that he needed to speak to the town clerk. The decision on the budget cannot, by law, be delegated and is a decision taken by all councillors and this year no councillor opposed the budget. I am happy to explain why I supported the budget this year. As town mayor I realised at the beginning of my first term that the way to achieve any large project was to work in partnership with others. I am of the opinion that by taking the decision to match fund, we would achieve a £2-million pounds investment in our fantastic town centre. An opportunity also exists which means that working with partners we have an option to provide a sustainable future for the Guildhall complex. The town council needs, in my opinion, to provide sufficient funds to look after areas of the town for which it is responsible. This includes the commercial centre with improvements in and around our fabulous market and Duke Street. It is always important, in my opinion, to maintain to the highest level you can buildings in your ownership; we have allowed funds to do this work throughout the year on a planned basis. As one of the critical buildings in the THI scheme, the Butcher's Hall suffered from issues relating to a previous occupier and is the first building scheduled to be improved and is planned to be completed this year. In these times of austerity I am of the opinion that the role of the voluntary sector increases in importance and I was happy to support, by the making of grants, many voluntary organisations with the work they do in a town recognised as having one of the highest levels of volunteering in the country. The budget that was put to all members clearly identified that we would continue to subsidise services to the local council tax payer and that we would still be raising more than half of the income required to provide those services from our commercial activities. A principal part of that commercial income is our superb market. At a time when I am being told trading in the town has not recovered from the recession I formed a view that a vibrant market is central to how our town operates and I did not favour an increase. I agree with Gareth that improvements are required to the council website and that was my reason for supporting the inclusion of funding for that purpose. Last year we delivered a successful Goose Fair, garden festival and widely acclaimed Christmas lights. I voted for the budget which allowed that to be repeated. Any increase in council tax is regrettable. In the past two years I have supported a standstill precept. This year the borough council reduced the money it passed to Tavistock Town Council, which equates to a one point five percent reduction in income. I wanted an increase of eight pence per week for a Band D property to represent support for the town and its residents, encourage tourism through various initiatives and result in a vibrant and resilient environment. I was convinced that the budget related to the council tax bill did that. Harry Smith Tavistock Town Mayor