TAVISTOCK Town Hall?s open day on February 17, supposedly to enlist the views of the public, was an eye-opener. The council wanted to know how well it was doing caring for ancient monuments and in the provision of seats and litter bins (very well except for the need for more seats along the canal walk in the Meadows) with league tables on display comparing Tavistock with other towns. When I raised a few queries, such as what is happening about: landscaping of the square, restoration of the rail link to Plymouth and replacement of the refreshment cabin in the Meadows the shutters came down. Persistence produced mumbled excuses why nothing could (or was it? was not willing to) be done about such issues. And there was a deafening silence when I asked how some other towns manage to deal with such matters. After all the hype, the forum confirmed what I have long suspected that the council is not really interested in the opinion of residents, other than on relatively trivial issues. Anything beyond litter bins, such as accessibility to and beautification of our town are beyond them. Perhaps this needs to be remembered when we are next asked to vote for councillors, both town and borough.
Terence Scarborough 1 Uplands Tavistock