I AM writing as a Wellington resident and part of a Wellington family here, where we are bringing up our children, but I am concerned about the changes I am seeing and for the future of our children, for local services, public transport, the most vulnerable people in our society and the environment we all live in.

Over the last few years I have witnessed our roads, doctors’ surgeries and schools at capacity while the Conservative-led councils seem determined to build yet more houses - some 17,000 in the next 10 years without adequate provision for social and affordable housing or other infrastructure needs including car parking spaces.

The party has even cancelled the zero-carbon standard for all new housing. Jobs and employment appear an afterthought.

This is not sustainable.

I am not against sustainable housing, far from it, but when I see large developers milking the community for purely increased profit it makes me feel uncomfortable.

In Wellington, for the last seven years or so I’ve seen a lot of comment about our historically-listed Tonedale Mill building but, regretfully, I have not seen much action!

Ironically, this seems to be the one place the Conservative-run councils are not developing!

Apparently, no officer has been designated to deal with this piece of our town’s history.

In contrast, the administration has plenty of money available to spend on merging with and bailing out the insolvent West Somerset Council and to spend £7m refurbishing the Deane House.

Rather than these unpopular schemes, wouldn’t it be better to focus on restoring a Wellington landmark and do something about the traffic snarl-ups in our town centre?

Wellington shouldn’t have to pay the consequences of the council’s poor planning decisions.

But, perhaps, some are hoping the merger will put an end to an opposition by eliminating any party other than the Conservatives?

MARIE TROAKE
Wellington