Dear Editor,

As a former town councillor I was pleased to read that there was no breach of regulations when the council passed its 2022/23 budget.

Councillor Coole must consider an apology to the council staff involved since he has been on the council he has continually been in conflict with others occasionally some of his criticisms of former mayor Richard Rowles have been justified.

READ MORE: Andover Town Council finance auditor finds ‘no breach’

As an ex-army man Cllr Coole needs to be much more of a team player and only criticise when it is really justified.

Secondly I was pleased to read that retiring Hampshire County Council leader Keith Mans has blamed the £80m cuts on national government.

More autonomy needs to be given to county councils to enable greater local control over local finances. That is something people right across the political spectrum would agree upon.

Richard J Kidd

Augusta Park