Dear Editor,

You will no doubt be aware of the ridiculous plan to shut the main road to and from Milverton for 40 days from June.

This will cause mayhem with the only detours available being through one car at a time back streets. School runs will become a nightmare, trips to the Sport Centre almost impossible. Shoppers from Milverton just won’t bother.

My question is “why?” Can’t this work happen overnight or at certain times during the day?

Where are our councillors to stand up for residents whilst yet again large corporations walk all over us and disrupt our lives with impunity?

Regards,

David Mather, via email

Dear Editor,

It was recently discovered by researchers that people who listen to music often have a lower biological age, compared with their actual age.

The jazzers who come to the monthly meetings of Wivey Has Jazz in the Jubilee Hall in Langford Budville have known for a long time how they benefit from the monthly jazz sessions!

At the last meeting, Richard Leach's Street Band was the attraction. They played a wide-ranging selection of tunes from their repertoire which has developed from strolling the streets of Droitwich in Worcestershire to entertain the visitors who attend the many festivals held in the spa town.

The overall sound is underpinned by Dave's sousaphone. We heard familiar tunes such as Some Of These Days, Louis Armstrong's There'll be Some Changes Made, a gentle Black Cat On The Fence, an upbeat Give Me Your Telephone Number, a melodic Linger A While. Composed in response to Humphrey Lyttelton's Bad Penny Blues and discovered by the band on an Acker Bilk LP was Good Woman Blues, which really motored along and featured a raucous trombone from Richard and a vocal from banjo player Mark.

Reeds player Zoltan took to alto sax for Ain't Goin' To Tell Nobody with cornet player Tony providing the first vocal and Mark the second and a lovely duet from Richard on trombone and Mark on banjo. The evening drew towards a close with a gentle I'll See You In My Dreams dedicated to Linda who was celebrating a birthday and finished with a rousing Wolverine Blues where Nick gave the drums and percussion a much-appreciated work-out.

The next meeting of Wivey Has Jazz is on Wednesday, June 10, in the Jubilee Hall, the music coming mainly from the 20's and 30's, starts at 7.30 and will be provided by Spats Langham's Hot Fingers. Spats began his musical career backing the legendary Tommy Burton.

For further details phone 01823 662160 or email [email protected] Entrance is £15 cash only payable on the door and everyone is welcome.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Raybould

Wiveliscombe

Dear Editor,

As we mark Volunteers’ Week (June 1 to 7), I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the outstanding volunteers whose dedication and commitment are vital to the work of RNID. Their time, skills and compassion make a real difference to the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.

This Volunteers’ Week, we’re inviting anyone who wants to make a valuable difference to the lives of people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus to sign up to volunteer with us by visiting rnid.org.uk/volunteer.

Yours sincerely,

Vicki Andrews

Head of operations (South and Central England) RNID

Dear Editor,

Following the recent local elections, now seems an appropriate time to remind councils what local government is actually meant to do.

People vote in local elections expecting competent delivery of local services: bins collected on time, potholes repaired, safe streets, functioning transport and support for schools and vulnerable residents. They do not elect councillors to posture as amateur diplomats or to spend taxpayer-funded time debating international conflicts far beyond their authority or influence.

Across the country, communities are facing serious and immediate challenges. Schools are stretched, elderly residents struggle with access to care and transport, roads continue to deteriorate and many town centres are visibly declining. These are not abstract political causes — they are the everyday realities residents deal with constantly.

Yet increasingly, some councils appear more interested in symbolic foreign policy motions, headline-grabbing declarations and ideological campaigning than addressing the practical concerns they were elected to manage. Such gestures may generate applause on social media and dramatic press releases, but they do little to improve the lives of local residents paying ever-rising Council Tax bills.

Local government functions best when it remains focused on issues it can genuinely solve. Nobody contacts their council asking them to resolve conflicts thousands of miles away before fixing broken streetlights, antisocial behaviour or crumbling roads outside their homes.

The election results should serve as a reminder that voters expect competence, accountability, and attention to local priorities. Residents want better schools, reliable services for older people, safer communities and infrastructure that works — not performative politics masquerading as municipal governance.

That is where councils should focus their time, energy and taxpayers’ money.

Yours sincerely,

Ryan Mendelson, via email