AS a pensioner I would like to appeal to all candidates in Thursday's elections. Please place reducing the council tax high on your list of things to do. For us pensioners it has become a terrible burden.

For those in Totton and Eling standing for the town council please note that the parish tax has gone up 40 per cent in the last four years.

Please try to reduce the parish administration costs which are nearly half a million pounds. Why do we need to pay £100,000 for a clerk and his deputy?

Also the councillors for the town now cost over £40,000 whereas only five years ago it was less than £5,000.

For 120 years serving the town was done for nothing and attending one meeting every six months is nothing like as hard as being a governor or a JP who do not have the power to vote themselves a monthly income.

If those costs were cut out the council would be able to afford to honour the dead heroes of the Second World War as they would have done five years ago, instead of appealing to people's charity.

I say to all candidates please listen to what the electors are saying otherwise everybody will lose all interest in local elections.

RITA WILSON, Totton.