OVER recent weeks there have been several articles, and many letters in the Echo, about the decision by Conservative-controlled Devon County Council arbitrarily to remove mobile library stops in Exeter which are within two miles of permanent library provision.

Much of this has centred around the total lack of consultation and involvement that the Tory-dominated authority has given to Exeter councillors and others over this move, a courtesy that they did extend to local members outside the city in rural areas.

Why are Exeter county councillors treated as second-class representatives by the Tories at County Hall?

At last week's Exeter County Committee mobile libraries were discussed, and I made it very clear to senior council officers how unhappy local residents, community associ-ations, and I have been in the way that the council has now broken its previous promises to Heavitree over this new cutback, coming as it does after the previous Heavitree Library closure when the Lib Dems were in charge at County Hall.

This is in addition to the apparent abandonment of the promised central library project and Exeter's "missing" £10million, denying the city a place on the then proposed LEP board despite it being the region's recognised economic hub and growth driver, the stagnation over the Haven Banks Centre rebuild, the axing of the much-needed new children's centre and preschool in Exwick, and the profound lack of proper forward planning in finding new school places, and getting new school buildings up and running in tandem with Exeter's growing population.

Despite the economic downturn significant regeneration work is still being done by the county council outside Exeter, a good example of this currently is the multi-million pound redevelopment of Newton Abbot library and learning centre, which follows the recent completion of a £2million enhancement scheme in Newton Abbot town centre. Good luck to them, but if it's good enough for Newton Abbot, why can't Exeter Central Library receive some new investment?

Yet again the Con Dems show that they have little or no respect for local democracy, and the genuine community concerns of local people in Exeter, and are treating our city with patronising contempt on almost every possible front.

Cllr Olwen Foggin

Labour County Councillor

Heavitree and Whipton Barton