I would like to ask our near to bankrupt Council on what basis did Balfour Beauty get the highway maintenance contract? They appear to be bodging repair works on a regular basis and returning to the same sites again and again. Shouldn't council tax payers be demanding an explanation as to where the 21 million pounds has gone which BB received for repairs last year? We cannot afford them, or their shareholders who benefit from our money. I've had many conversations with BB workers who seem disillusioned with management who're instructing them to do an inadequate job. At a recent parish council meeting I was informed by a BB rep that they don't do ditches, surely that is a basic essential of highway maintenance? What's the solution Herefordians, withhold our community charges on mass until the job is done properly? They can't lock us all up!

Michael Gardiner

Michaelchurch Escley