THANK you to the correspondent who explained what I meant by “bottom-up”; that is shared solutions, community ownership, local communities’ participation in development issues.

Is this not happening? Are not groups forming and achieving things?

We have Taunton Live with its summer festival, Music on the Quantocks bringing world class musicians to Taunton, the Taunton Literary Festival (authors beg to be invited), all run by volunteers on a shoestring - just a few examples.

I take his point about development issues.

The problem, as I see it, is that central government, in its top down control games, has disembowelled local government.

This is just local administration on a shoestring, carrying the can for government failures.

Whitehall’s job is to ensure the security of the realm and our safety and maintain a sound currency. And trust us to do the rest.

Why should they know better than us?

The result is that we all, including councillors, have lost faith in the whole process and opted out.

Besides, we taxpayers cannot afford the cost of this top-down system.

There is a chance to change things with next May’s local elections and ensure we hammer out a sensible way forward.

It is the councillors’ job to think ahead and make sure the new council and not the officers call the shots rather than follow Whitehall Diktat.

Local residents have the wit to do this.

D BRADLEY

Kingston St Mary