I READ in the Times (October 17)?that West Devon Borough Council's planning committee is soon to discuss the plans (once again) for a new Tesco store in the town on Plymouth Road.

This comes after an earlier report in the Times that the Local Government Boundary Commission is undertaking a study of all borough councils as to the size of their membership and to their viability.

In their forthcoming deliberations on the Tesco store we have the perfect example as to why borough councils like West Devon are not needed and should be abolished.

Why should borough councillors from Okehampton, North Devon, Chagford and all other points of the compass have a say in what Tavistock needs or wants? Is that at all fair to the views of Tavistock residents?

If we believe in true localism, our excellent and hard-working town and parish councils, should be looked to for decision making and planning at local levels, supported by a properly funded Devon County Council providing all the services and infrastructure we need across our communities.

Get rid of this unwanted and unnecessary middle tier of government and use the money saved on borough councils to plug the funding gaps we can all see around us in our schools, on our highways, in community care, public health, in policing, the library service, provision for the elderly — I could go on and on.

Keith Scrivener

Sheepstor

I FEEL compelled to write in response to the news item in the Times (October 17) in which Richard James, of Marchfield Properties, the owners of the proposed Tesco site, plays the 'new jobs card'. 

It would appear that he is now creating 105 new jobs whereas it was previously 'up to' 105 jobs. It is blatantly obvious that this is the 'carrot' that he is dangling in front of the planning committee and West Devon Borough Council to tempt them into approving his plans for Tesco.

Yes, jobs are very important but the vast majority of the jobs will appertain to the conversion and fitting out of the building and I expect that will be done by specialist shop fitters from outside the district and only last for a matter of weeks anyway.  Management jobs will be pre-trained retail experts and from outside the district. The rest will be checkout staff and shelf-stackers, most of whom will be part-time or 'zero hours' jobs. 

It's all about money. Tesco do not want to open in Tavistock because they love the people of Tavistock, they want to come here to make money.

I think Nigel Eadie, chairman of the chamber of commerce, is quite right to oppose Tesco's development as it is bound to undermine many town centre traders who are already having difficulty in remaining viable in these difficult times. 

If traders are forced out of business then jobs will be lost, shops will become derelict, business rates will be lost and Tavistock will be the worst for it. 

Paul Phillips

Sampford Spiney