IN very brief response to Mr Eglington (Letters, January 2): if my memory serves, you quoted me (correctly) as saying that Tavistock Town Council?s precept was acceptable. His letter implied (as I read it) that this meant I should be content with such an increase yearly (ie every year).
It would be tedious to expand at length on the context. Suffice it to say that some councillors were arguing for a larger increase.
Having previously made proposals (at a very long committee meeting) for a smaller one and been outvoted, I saw little merit in resubmitting my proposal at the meeting that you reported. I could have kept quiet, depriving everyone of opportunity to snipe. That is not my way: I preferred to stand by the very hard-fought compromise that had been hammered out in committee.
I still don?t know what Mr Eglington is going on about in relation to ?making the borough council [the town council?s] agents?. If he had been following West Devon Borough Council?s recent activities as assiduously as he has been gathering material for a snipe at me, he might have concluded that the boot is rather on the other foot.
Finally, I neither need nor want a ?power base?: that?s not why I have served nearly 16 years on the town council and I don?t think Mr Eglington knows me well enough for him to imply that it is.
Roger W Mathew
Town and borough councillor