THE letter from Michael Jackson asking who will pay for repairs to the Lancaster cycleway (Citizen, last week) was excellent.

The past performance of both Lan-caster City Council and Lancashire County Council clearly demonstrates that the continued funding of local government is unsustainable and does not represent best value for taxpayers.

Perhaps our chief executive can explain why the newly completed millennium bridge requires some £50,000 of unplanned expenditure?

I have witnessed a consistently failing public service system in action as a local ratepayer, a former council officer and whistleblower and a former parent governor at Torrisholme primary school, where my children spent half of their primary education in temporary' accommodation and received an unreasonable amount of supply teaching.

Work commenced on site to replace the mobile classrooms with a permanent structure in the summer of 2003 and is still going on.

Mr Jackson asks the key question when will responsible local govern-ment come about. I believe public accountability will only come when its customers (the ratepayers, that is) take control.

The leader of Lancaster City Council has indicated another inflation busting increase of five per cent in the city's portion of the council tax next year.

I say people should exercise their customer power and only increase payments by the current rate of inflation perhaps then this appalling system will cease being a bottomless pit and become accountable.

S C Williams, Torrisholme.