I read Liskeard district councillor, Dawn Austin's comments last Friday with interest. We would all, I am sure, agree with Mrs Austin's concern that our council tax money is not wasted through bad decisions taken at Caradon District Council.

In the local press recently, however, there were reports of Mrs Austin calling for Caradon District Council to install an electronic voting system to record council votes taken in the chamber. The reports indicated that an electronic system would cost Council Taxpayers anything upto £25,000!

While I fully support any endeavour to make local government more democratic and accountable, it certainly surprises me that votes are not recorded already. The use of paper and pen, by the clerks already employed at the council, to record these votes would seem to be a relatively cost effective method.

We all spent this Christmas watching the number of refuse sacks accumulating in our back gardens with no sign of a bin lorry. I would advise Cllr Austin to spend more time thinking up ways to ensure refuse is collected efficiently rather than waste time on expensive, unnecessary schemes that will waste more council taxpayers money.

TRACY TILLOTSON

Liskeard.