ONCE again you seem to have given a large amount of space in your paper over to the Andover “naysayers”.

If you knew how difficult it is to obtain evidence that will stand up in court for a prosecution for dog fouling and littering I am sure you would have written a different article.

However, I would remind you that the council is not the cause of this problem and that it can be easily solved. All it needs is for every resident and visitor to take responsibility for their environment by not dropping litter and by not letting their dogs foul the area. Easy! And the council can save £1m a year for use elsewhere on residents’ needs.

As for the “fat cat cap” article, apart from giving a one-sided view to the story, the comments from Hooke are a disgrace and beyond contempt.

In two paragraphs he manages to denigrate every TVBC employee (and councillor). Test Valley is not a “poxy borough council” but an award-winning, well-respected council with hardworking and dedicated staff (and councillors), delivering excellent services to our residents, which, with a notional £75m turnover, is run on good business lines.

TVBC is also ranked number one nationally for its medium-term financial prospects to 2019/20 and third nationally for its level of working capital in a recent Local Government Association Financial Sustainability report. That’s not by accident but excellent planning by well-qualified, well-trained and committed staff.

As I have already said, Test Valley Borough Council is not a “poxy borough council”. However, it will surely become one in a very short time if Hooke gets anywhere near it. I am sure, though, that most residents see him for what he really is and they won’t let that happen.

Councillor Ian Carr, leader of Test Valley Borough Council