I NOTE that WWDC is still increasing staff levels. In the Star last week, among the ads for pest control operator, burials and admin officer and caretaker, there are two more questionable posts on offer.

One is a Member Support Officer 'on hand to offer constitutional advice and ensuring the smooth running of councillor and officer meetings', the second, a new post, is for a Democratic Support Officer 'to assist the member support team in ensuring the smooth running of officer and councillor meetings etc.' Both of these posts offer salaries 'up to £20,235p.a. though one would appear to be an assistant to the other.

Just how many of these jobs are we financing out of our bloated council tax? It strikes me that if our councillors and officers need all this assistance, we have the wrong councillors and officers. Meanwhile, our roads and pavements go from bad to worse along with so many of the services on which we rely.

It is surely time to stop this silly game in its tracks. Let us go back to the beginning, identify what we really need to be done, and then employ only the numbers actually required and pay them only what the job is really worth.

All councils should have to justify, in a public forum, all the jobs we are financing, then we might begin to get good public services at a price we can afford.

J SANSOM.

Parklands, Trowbridge