THE Reporter announced the refusal of Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, to pay Uttlesford District Council s £45,000 bill for the arrival of the evacuees from Lebanon. Perhaps next time, the evacuees should

THE Reporter announced the refusal of Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, to pay Uttlesford District Council's £45,000 bill for the arrival of the evacuees from Lebanon.

Perhaps next time, the evacuees should be taken by coach to parliament so that Ruth Kelly can deal with them.

We all pay extortionate amounts of money into central government and yet the prisons, health service, pensions, law and order are all failing. It's time that government takes responsibility instead of palming it off onto suffering taxpayers.

Name and address withheld