Paying more for anything is tough – but a 1.99 per cent rise in council tax in the past six years seems a price worth paying.

No one likes to pay more but, then again, no one wants to see statutory services stifled, as we have seen in so many other boroughs across London in the past few years.

I have seen libraries, youth clubs and non-statutory services closed elsewhere.

We have seen other councils really squeeze and upset residents by putting double lines everywhere and extracting a fortune in aggressive parking ticket schemes.

Our council seems to run a tight, but fair, ship. It seems to have made a genuine attempt to consult with us. It has tried to cut the least amount of jobs possible and the morale of street cleaners, dustmen, and other front-line staff I see, seems positive.

The way it has managed to keep our two theatres as theatres and drawing in big employers like Subsea 7 to Sutton has been textbook good local management.

There are tough decisions to come as it seems there will be further central Government cuts on the way. It is prudent the council have kept a kitty for that eventuality and not used it all up.

We know what happened when the Greek government did not plan for the future and spent all its Euro money at once.

Who knows what the future holds but, for the moment, this Sutton resident is giving our council a pat on the back.

DOMINIC JOYEUX
Sutton