WHEN is all this talk about 'cutting costs' going to come to an end?

More important, when are all the cuts going to end? Because, if we let it, all this cost-cutting can go on for ever, until the final cut of all is made!

It reminds me of the simple chap sweeping dust from a floor. He never knew when to stop sweeping because more and more dust seemed to appear. Cost-cutting is the same, wherever one looks, more ways to make cuts always seem to appear.

All this mania for cutting costs started some 18 years ago at the beginning of the long run of Tory governments - and it's still with us!

Instead, more importance should be given to stopping all forms of waste such as wasted manpower and wasted resources. And we all seem to know when something is a 'waste of money' or a 'waste of time.'

There is a vast difference between stopping waste, and cutting costs.

Let's go into the New Year - and certainly the Millennium - resolving to cut out all forms of waste, wherever it exists, instead of continually cutting costs, especially to essential services and care centres.

D H L KIMBERLEY (Mr), Duddon Avenue, Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.