YOUR Letters to the Editor page brought to mind a pack of jackals that smell blood as they yap and snap at the heels of Tony Hooke.

His crime? He listed a number of his ideas for the benefit of the people of this town.

Such a pity these jackals could not think of something a little more constructive to say.

Mr McBride, chairman of Andover Town Council, starts by sneering and undermining Hooke’s aspirations.

McBride, as a politician himself, should have devoted more constructive space to his own ambitions for this town.

Mr Carins commendably supported Hooke’s attack on the sheer blind stupidity of shrinking our law enforcement officers to the extent that they are no longer able to adequately enforce the law.

Mr Drew, apparently ashamed of his position in Test Valley Borough Council – or was he ordered not to disclose this?

He goes on to gloat that councillors’ allowances have increased by 30 per cent despite Hooke’s efforts to the contrary.

Would it not have been better for Mr Drew to support Mr Hooke in his endeavour to reduce expenditure?

Mr Dunsmore probably takes the biscuit when he criticises Hooke’s ambition to cut councillors’ allowances to £2,999.

He then goes on to criticise him for taking all his allowances and donating them to the Neighbourcare charity!

Since when was it a crime to support a charity?

Peter J Rigby, Goodworth Clatford