WITH reference to the report in last week's Crow I would like to comment that Cllr Pat Whittaker's offer of Norfolk Road Playing Fields in Buntingford being ceded to East Herts District Council will, in all probability, be met by silence. I say this becau

WITH reference to the report in last week's Crow I would like to comment that Cllr Pat Whittaker's offer of Norfolk Road Playing Fields in Buntingford being ceded to East Herts District Council will, in all probability, be met by silence. I say this because I wrote to the district council on October 27 2003 and asked whether it would accept responsibility for all play areas and facilities if these were ceded by Buntingford Town Council. Needless to say, I never received a reply, It's understood that the district council has a budget of £585,000 for the maintenance and up-keep of these areas for which it is responsible and that 50 per cent of this figure is paid by central government. This, when applied to the tax paid by individual households amounts to a sum of £5.31. It can, therefore, be seen that the 2,000 Buntingford taxpayers contribute to a sum of £10,620. It's also understood that the district council refund a portion of this sum to the town council for the maintenance of Layston Court Gardens. This figure when taking the amount paid by central government amounts to £3,750, thereby leaving the district council with a surplus of £6,870. Should the district council not accept responsibility for the play areas and for facilities in Buntingford then I believe it only right for the taxpayers of Buntingford to demand a rebate for over paid sum. Additionally, the repaid sum should include interest and be back-dated for at least 10 years. DAVID CLARK Campbell Close Buntingford