THAT Hyndburn Council is considering spending several million pounds on new council offices to "lower carbon dioxide emissions and fuel costs" is a bitter blow to the council tax payers.

It also defies belief.

I think council leader Coun George Slynn should tell us why, at a time of restraint, redundancies and cut backs in grants for housing improvements, the council can sanction spending at least £250,000 on a highly debatable consultancy for a highly debatable requirement, and boast of it.

It says something when a council puts the grandiose schemes for its own comfort and glory before those of council tax payers.

The cost of this scheme has been put at £3.2 million. For that, you could employ an extra 177 teachers or nurses in the borough.

If you add to this £3.2 million the gratuitous waste of some £400,000 already expended on traffic-calming, it soon becomes apparent that Hyndburn Council is out of control.

P CONGDON (Mr), Hindle Fold Lane, Great Harwood.

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