COUNCIL tax is to be allowed to increase by up to five per cent, to help fund the ever-increasing demand on social care.

The UK spends 12 billion a year on foreign aid. Isn’t it about time this was reduced and the money saved directed to the services that are so desperate for funds here?

Asking rate payers to pay more so that our foreign aid programme can be maintained does not make sense but probably makes politicians feel good. After all, whose money are the government giving away?.

The burden of funding social care should not be the responsibility of local government. National Insurance contributions are paid to the government during the working life of everyone in the UK in order for help to be available to everyone at the point of need. People should not have to wait up to 13 hours sitting in corridors to be seen in A&E because of bed blocking due to the lack of care provision.

It would also help the situation if local A&E departments had not been down graded to ‘Primary Care Units’. It is totally illogical for people from the South Lakes area to have to travel to Lancaster to be treated, when if the system was properly financed they could be treated at Kendal.

When will politicians start applying common sense to given situations instead of reducing services to save money and ending up with a system not fit for purpose?

People coming to this country should be refused entry unless they have valid health insurance to cover them. They should not be treated here for free. This is not being racist or infringing human rights, but applying plain common sense.

We are a Christian country and no right-thinking person would wish to see others of whatever colour or creed suffer if we can help. We cannot, however, be custodians for every nation on earth. Reducing our foreign aid budget to look after our own should be our first priority.

Digby C. Hodgson

Lyth