Over many weeks I have followed the letters on the modernisation of Kendal Town Hall.

The access via Angel Yard during inclement weather was seen as a hindrance to constituents visiting the South Lakeland District Council offices as one of the reasons for modernisation.

I wonder if another entry is being constructed so that the companies and their customers can avoid access via Angel Yard during inclement weather. If it is not the best of entries for one group of people, it would not be for another.

Until March 2018 I attended many monthly meetings of Kendal Town Council. Access to the meeting was via the entrance on Highgate.

The room was beautiful and traditional, as are the other rooms at the front of the building.

There were modern microphones on front of each councillor’s seat, as happens in other councils that I have attended.

Unfortunately having modern microphones, they then ignore them. Each councillor stood to speak, often turning to face the mayor while talking – thus their mouths were up to one and a half metres from the microphone.

The only person who could always be heard was the mayor as he remained seated and therefore nearer the microphone.

So to bring the council up to date, they need to drop the arcane tradition of standing to speak. This would cost nothing.

When leasing rooms to earn money I hope that the person booking thinks of compatibility. At two meetings I could hear nothing as a choir was singing in the next room. Their voices were louder and clearer than the council’s. They were crystal clear and wonderful to listen to.

One way the electorate can ask SLDC to save money is to have elections every four years for the full council, which is what is done elsewhere.

The idea of having an election so that a few stand after only one year means that just as the councillors are learning the ropes they have to go into election mode.

For councillors, either within a party or independent, this means many pounds for the printing of leaflets and then many hours delivering them, up and down stairs, searching for houses with a name and no number, walking up and down steep roads, finding their way to a farm house or the entrance to flats above shops to put the leaflets through letterboxes. Thus having less time being a councillor.

If SLDC had election every four years, like other councils around the country, they would have had money to put into their annual budget, or even have saved in the kitty to modernise the town hall.

Modernisation does not just mean fancy carpets, but such things as improving the acoustics of the council chamber.

M. Bond

Kendal