DON'T you just love the quote from the Eastleigh Council leader regarding the 199 per cent increase in publicity costs... "It shows we've not spent enough in the past''!

It would seem to a layman, the level of spending in the past was the correct level and the current expenditure merely shows the councillors are failing in their duty to check exactly what empires their officers are presently building, to the obvious detriment of council taxpayers.

After all, this amount of expenditure cannot be the work of the original team and must mean there has been a substantial increase in staff in order for this profligacy to occur so, why have the councillors rubber stamped the staff increases and not asked the normal question "What if we don't?'' Barry Burton, Fareham.