HOUSING committee chair Coun S Reid (Letters, June 29) informs us how wonderful, generous, caring Blackburn Council has been refurbishing the bedrooms and lounges of the hostels for the homeless with new furniture, curtains, carpets and whatever.

This is an on-going policy of spending taxpayers' money with typical Labour extravagance.

Surely, something must be wrong: this same bunch has allowed several million pounds' worth to accumulate in rent arrears.

They have hundreds of empty council houses on which they have spent incalculable amounts of public money on improving and have got themselves in such a state of frustration that they are unable to manage them and have brought in a firm of private consultants to advise them at the cost of a few paltry thousands pounds. There is no doubt that people in genuine need should have all the help they require, but is all this unrestrained spending without controlled stewardship necessary to achieve the right results?

Instead of hostels being made like hotels, would it not make sense to give the homeless a place of their own in some of the many empty council houses?

Or would that be just too simple for Blackburn's Socialist-run council to organise?

WALT MEADOWS, Whalley New Road, Blackburn.

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