WITH reference to your report into the decision by borough councillors to raise council tax for second-home owners, (January 22) it was gratifying to observe that one council member at least, Mr Roger Mathew, possessed some clarity of thought in the matter and had the courage to express it.

In claiming to be strong on principles, perhaps Cllrs Sherwell and Clish-Green could enlighten your readers as to what has happened to the principle of charging fairly for services supplied.

Since two of the major items of expenditure funded by council tax are education and social services, neither of which are available to second-home owners, one questions why it is considered unreasonable to give a discount, bearing in mind that second-home owners receive less in services than, for example, a single occupant? who receives a 25% discount. In a commercial business, charging for services not being supplied would be considered fraudulent.

Clearly there is a cost benefit to the council to charge people and not have to supply a service in return; hence, it could logically be argued that it would be beneficial to increase the proportion of second-home owners, thereby reducing expenditure in relation to income.

Conversely, a decrease in the proportion of second-home owners, Cllr Sherrell?s aim, would likely increase expenditure in relation to total income received.

In our free and tolerant society it would appear that minority groups are increasingly considered fair game for envious sniping.

Given that employment is arguably the major key to a prosperous and thriving community, it might be more constructive if Cllrs Sherrell and Clish-Green, instead of pandering to small-minded prejudice and blaming all ills on 327 second-home owners, set themselves a personal target of creating 327 meaningful long-term employment opportunities for their constituents.

At intervals they would have the pleasure of explaining how successful they were in achieving their target. Your readers, I suspect, might well be deafened by the silence.

D Atkins

The Old Granary

Broadwoodkelly