I CANNOT agree more with Simon Preston and the pensioner who are outraged at the increase in our council tax, which increases every year while services decline (Letters, March 6).

The council seems to think residents have a bottomless purse yet it is quick to moan when residents think it has never-ending budgets.

Every year, bus fares went up until Pete's Travel arrived. What if the council had competition?

We have rent rises, council tax increases etc, but do wages or other benefits increase to meet this demand? Or is the council trying to squeeze blood out of a stone?

Simon Preston is right - there are too many old people on the council and too many people with rose-tinted glasses voted them in.

While our young people suffer regarding facilities for them in the town, older people cannot understand young people's needs.

This is why so many young people turn to drugs, which is getting to be quite a problem across the country and Redditch is no exception.

Our council is responsible for the facilities in our town and young people need to be able to look to the council for their needs if they want their future votes. I know many young people have left the town because of lack of opportunities for them.

This needs to be addressed and shoving up council tax won't make things any better.

Richard K Armstrong

Green Party

Winyates