SIR, — Can someone please enlighten me as to how Herts County Council can justify the huge increase in care charges. Are they implying they have been running this service at a loss so hence the inflated increases? I did smile at the quote from Andrew Daws

SIR, - Can someone please enlighten me as to how Herts County Council can justify the huge increase in care charges. Are they implying they have been running this service at a loss so hence the inflated increases?

I did smile at the quote from Andrew Dawson: "The minimal increases in charges over the last eight years reflect how heavily the service has been subsidised in the past." Oh really, Mr Dawson, a 40 per cent increase really reflects excellent management skills?

Once again it's the elderly and vulnerable who have been hit. What is our city coming to when an elderly man of 82 caring for his wife of 86 has had to cancel the weekend carers to eke out his money; another man of 88 who cares for his wife now may have to move out of his home. I am sure it won't bother those council officers who have recently given themselves huge pay rises.

I noticed in a copy of Horizons magazine in the same paragraph County council leader Robert Gordon was quoted as saying: "We will also be meeting the needs of the growing numbers of elderly and vulnerable adults. We have tackled the long-standing backlog in road and footpath maintenance by providing an extra £10 million for the work."

Well bully for you Cllr Gordon, it looks to me as if this is another of your robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul exercises. Is help for the road funding coming from the savings made at the expense of the elderly, we do wonder.

The day centre at the Jubilee Centre in St Albans is a prime example of the spin the county council system extends to the public. I do believe the day centre will be down to 10 places in a sitting room at the proposed site in Vesta Lodge, while the other poor friends will be farmed out in buses into other areas.

A word of advice - don't save that rainy-day money for your old age, you will be penalised. The county council won't be happy until they have drained every last farthing from you.

I am not a political animal and the local elections are very near, but the stress being placed on these vulnerable aged 80-plus senior citizens is appalling.

One still cannot believe the lack of response from many of the councillors on the issues concerning the elderly, or did I blink and miss something?

BONNIE WILLIAMS,

The Drive, Blackmore End.