IN RESPONSE to last week’s letters. Firstly, I fully appreciate the concern of Helen Hallam and other residents over the council tax increases from Bradford Council.

Unfortunately, at the budget setting meeting the other week, it was made clear that whoever was in charge of Bradford Council would have had to do the same thing. The Tories intended on increasing council tax as well but by a slightly smaller amount.

The main reason behind this is that the council is getting less and less money from central Government. This means that the council needs to raise revenue in whichever way they can and raising the council tax is a really effective way of doing this.

While I do not like the fact that the council tax is rising, unless the Government increases the amount of money which they are giving to local authorities it will remain an inevitability.

Secondly, in response to Malcolm Balmforth. I fully respect his views on wanting to form a breakaway council. I accept that this is a view held by many residents in the Keighley area and understand its appeal. While I am not, of yet, fully convinced of the apparent benefits of this, I am always keen on hearing the different viewpoints and joining in the debate. Saying this, how my letter was “patronising” is beyond me. It was simply a viewpoint and open to debate.

What I do find patronising, however, is to cast aspersions on someone’s views because they are young. He claimed that my letter was “waffle” and that I was a “babe” and therefore, apparently, naïve and uninformed. I am young, I give him that, but the idea that I am, in anyway, uninformed or stupid is nonsense. He may disagree with me, that is fine. I disagreed with quite a bit of his letter as well but I came to this judgement based on the merits of his argument with no consideration for his age.

CLLR LUKE MAUNSELL Oakworth Ward, Keighley Town Council