Cllr Kevin Lake, of Lime Grove, Exminster, ward member Exminster-Kenn, writes:

I feel l must respond to the article in your newspaper entitled 'District to look again at garden waste tax plan'.

In my opinion the article is incorrectly titled.

my leader and executive are 100 per cent behind me on the garden waste subscription scheme. pardon me for correcting the MDA but surely with your expertise in grammar tax is blatantly the incorrect word – it is an optional subscription choice service. tax is a charge levied by central government, which obviously Teignbridge is not.

Mr Younger-Ross is frankly incorrect. His political scheming and questions are based on fantasy perceptions which l answered in a straightforward manner. I always do that.

All the immense research I and my officers have done with many other councils, rural and urban, shows:

no increase in fly tipping (as the Lib Dems were disproved when DCC introduced tipping charges); no increase in residual waste from green waste; and no increase in bonfires as a result.

Simple: l hope that is clear for him to comprehend.

How dare a former MP removed by the electorate and exposed by the Telegraph for the expenses claims scandal (of which he showed no remorse after meaningless apologies, quickly claiming his repayments back) show his elitist arrogance and ineptitude from knowledge of ordinary people's existence challenge my right as an executive member with nothing but the residents of Teignbridge in my mind whenever l make a decision; and, my background as an ordinary working family man with three children existing on a meagre salary. My connection with my ward and my residents is that my children went to school locally. I know my residents across all my five villages – that is how my popularity increased at the last election!

This scheme not only provides a better service demanded by my residents, but it deals with the huge investment needed – over £2.5m – in our depots both of which despite a report commissioned in 2009 by Cllr Hook under leader Connett's administration was buried due, I believe, to lack of political will, and guts. We now have to deal with that and the replacement of our aged fleet that will leave Teignbridge in the forefront of recycling targets and the scheme of joint working which DCC aspire to.

The much-lauded petition of 5,000 signatures is but a 'mere' reflection of Teignbridge population. my officers have had several supportive emails, and the local BBC featured a resident fully in support, so do not always take hook, line and sinker the picture presented by the point-scoring Lib Dems.

For this I make no apology and, unlike the L/D administration I do not wish to burden all of our council tax payers with a ten per cent council tax rise to pay for this investment when a scheme that is optional that removes those with little or no garden from paying for a service they do not use and with garden club benefits is a scheme affordable and attractive to those who do.

The green waste service is not a 'statutory' one councils have to provide. we, unlike many, do not wish to remove it but to offer an optional subscription service. with central government grants to councils shrinking yearly, hard decisions lie ahead.

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