IT would be remiss of me not to respond to Councillor Leech?s letter in last week?s edition of the Times, especially as he states ?We have a policy not to reply to letters in the paper?. How very wise. And how precise of Cllr Leech to appraise me of the sources of some of the payments for works of art in Okehampton. I stand corrected on from where, but not on how much. And while I concede this point, Cllr Leech seems to have missed my point entirely. By the term ?our money? I refer not to tax revenue but to monies provided by the borough council, Waitrose, United Charities, Merlin et al, for the benefit of Okehampton. We mere mortals are not greatly concerned about the origins of payments into the town?s coffers, but more how it is put to use. The town council, surely, must have last say in such decisions. And while Okehampton United Charities have agreed with the developers to set aside a sum to provide a work of art, must it be another sculpture or statue, priced at £20,000? Why not something useful? Art works can be created in many forms, a well designed bus shelter with a suitable inscription, for example. Or take a look at the entrance to what was once our District Hospital. Now that is a work of art, and a memorial and it has a use. Food for thought? So my thanks to Cllr Leech, but he?s not getting away that easily. He states ?The market was not sustainable?. What! Take a trip down to Tavistock. And goes on to say that ?it ended up being heavily subsidised by the local taxpayer?. Well, of course it did. But let us be honest here, the market failed simply through mismanagement, which was a crying shame as only a few years previously it was bursting at the seams. I am informed that two of the Reeves from Tavistock market offered their expert help and advice to get ours up and running ? and they should know how! So don?t try to tell me that a successful market in Okehampton is unsustainable. It lasted for years ? centuries. One can only hope that when the Merlin lease expires they can move somewhere else in the town ? I?ve nothing against them ? and let us have our market hall back. Until then we remain an un-market town. Richard G Williamson Cranmere Castle Road Okehampton