SIR – I agree with John Pennington’s concerns regarding the proposal for a Bingley Town Council (T&A May 28).
The decision-making of the Bingley 16,000 who will have a say should be conditioned by experiences elsewhere.
In Baildon the cost of actual benefit to the community is somewhat high relative to the town council’s staffing and administrative costs and there appears to be no ceiling on the precept charge, which has increased by 125% since the original establishment vote.
The less said the better regarding the auditor’s report, which outlined significant weaknesses in Keighley Town Council’s governance.
In principle town councils would benefit all communities whereby, rather than a precept, they were financed by a percentage of what they have paid in the basic Bradford council tax, being devolved back to elected community members, who would spend it under the aegis of their local city councillors.
The problem is that in order to quantify the percentage, the electorate would need to know how much each ward pays the city council and for their own reasons they are loath to tell us.
John Pashley, Westcliffe Avenue, Baildon
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