I see that once again we have the annual ‘Pantomime of Irony’ at County Hall.

The Labour/Lib Dem opposition is proposing a lower council tax increase based on unsubstantiated figures – when the whole farce is built upon the pathetic settlements handed out to rural Authorities such as Powys by the Welsh Labour/Lib Dem Government in Cardiff.

The script goes:

Act 1: The Labour/Lib Dem Govt ignores the cost of providing services in rural areas and places like Powys find themselves in the relegation zone when funds are distributed;

Act 2: The Council Cabinet is forced to consider unpalatable decisions, either cutting services and/or increasing Council Tax, as a result of under-funding from Cardiff;

Act 3: The Labour/Lib Dem opposition at County Hall shed faux tears and come up with an implausible alternative that ignores the impact of the decisions made by their colleagues in The Senedd;

Act 4: The vacuity of the alternative proposal is exposed and the Cabinet does what it can to alleviate the financial impact upon council taxpayers;

Act 5: The Council Taxpayers stump up yet again.

There is no need for an encore.

After 21 years of Labour mediocrity shored up by successive Plaid Cymru/Lib Dem support, on May 6 we can elect a Government in Cardiff that has some understanding of the difference between rural mid Wales and the metropolitan M4 corridor.

Peter Weavers

Talgarth