THE article in last week's Times regarding the poor condition of buildings at Tavistock Primary School, is further evidence that this Government's austerity plans are continuing to fail the ordinary, hard-working people of this country. The residents of Tavistock should be reminded that, prior to the last election, the previous Government had, since 2004, been investing in a 'Building Schools for the Future' programme, had planned to spend £6.5 billion pounds in the year 2009/10, and had agreed an estimated sum of £55 billion to be spent on refurbishing schools. After the election the new Conservative/Lib.Dem coalition government cancelled this scheme. Not, you will note, 'reduced' it or 'temporarily postponed' it but cancelled it to the detriment of all those school premises that were not only old, but cold, had leaking roofs, had no decent toilet facilities, or draughty windows. Schools that had waited years, and had been given a life-line by the Labour Government, had the rug pulled from under their feet by the Tories. So now, each school has to 'fight its corner' and spend endless hours filling in reports, writing letters and begging support from the community in order to persuade government to carry out tasks that should be done, and paid for, automatically from the taxes of us 'hard-working' people'. I note that Mr. Cox has invited Devon County councillor McInnes to join him at the school, and I've no doubt that the 'blame' for the lack of funding will be shifted onto DCC on the grounds that they hold the purse-strings. But, that again, is an attempt to disguise the true position. We are all aware that local government have had their budgets severely slashed by George Osborne and co, while, at the same time, they have had more and more responsibility put on to them. I expect that the regular answer of 'Austerity' will be thrown out by Westminster, and I agree that, because of the banking crisis, there will be a need for any government to bring in suitable measures to deal with this problem. But, as any hard-working family will tell you, delaying necessary repairs today, only to have to pay out more for the work in the future, makes no financial sense whatsoever. I wish Tavistock Community Primary School good luck in their negotiations to get money to carry out this necessary work. I only hope that it doesn't take too many staff away from their very important job of teaching children whilst they fill in all the paperwork, and attend the usual committee meetings. Bryan Podmore Redmoor Close Tavistock