MUGGED again! We have come to expect the annual ritual of getting 'done over' for new higher levels of Council Tax each year, but it still hurts and the fact that the perpetrators are 'elected representatives' does not reduce the sense of being victimised, taken advantage of and ripped off.

For as long as I can remember the increase in local taxation has completely consumed any inflation adjustment I have received from employment.

Such an adjustment is supposed to cover all increases in price for the year, to leave me with the same standard of living. But, no, it all goes on local government.

It is way past time that reality was allowed to intrude into the management of local government budgets.

I work for a company that, to stay in business, has contracts that commit the company to five-per-cent-a-year price reductions, for the life of a product. We have a major product which has just had 27 per cent taken out of the costs and it is still produced in Lancashire. This is the reality of today's world.

Local government is a monopoly. In any particular location there is only one supplier of local government services. Changing supplier is not practical.

Yet we have established ways of dealing with monopolies' price control. Telephones, gas, water are no worse for having had price/cost disciplines imposed.

Given the demonstrated differences between the parties at local level, I have reached the point where I will pledge my vote to the party that will establish some reality in local government finances. Red, blue or yellow, come on, can you enter the real world?

The bidding for my vote starts at one per cent. That is right -- the bill for staying where I live will be this year's mugging plus inflation minus one per cent (or better), and the same in each following year, for ever.

I W McKENDRICK (Mr), Elmwood, Chorley.