THIS AND OTHER LETTERS IN OUR DIGITAL EDITIONRoy White, of Naseby Drive, Heathfield, writes:

Regarding the ongoing saga of the Old Thatched Inn, the Mid-Devon Advertiser is to be congratulated for keeping the public aware of what Bovey Tracey Town Council is up to.

Making this a front page story (Bovey edition) in a responsible manner proves that whatever may be said negatively about the press at the Leveson Inquiry, good journalism is very much alive, at least in this part of the country. This is what a free press is all about, and long may it last, or our democracy is dead. Government at all levels must be closely watched.

Bovey Tracey Town Council, on a small scale, seems to be as gaffe prone and error strewn as the Coalition government. Like many other politicians at all levels, our councillors seem to have adopted the arrogant practice of whenever being asked a difficult question, answering instead a question they would have rather received. This will categorically not do.

The council must answer the question as to why Gilpins was paid 237.5 per cent more for the Old Thatch than the price they paid. Mayor Cllr Klinkenberg seems to think that delays in receiving information from Teignbridge Heritage Department and English Heritage answers this question; clearly it does not.

She goes on to say: 'All parishioners will be invited to view the plan and give their comments.' It would be churlish not to thank her. Thank you, councillor, for nothing. Nothing, that is, but a monstrously unnecessary millstone of a debt around our necks for the foreseeable future.

The council should not have bought the Old Thatch, at any price. Their only involvement should have been to ensure that all relevant regulations were adhered to by whichever private sector company took on the job.

The town council has joined in the habit that is ruining the Western world. Many governments, businesses and individuals went on a decade long spree of spending money they did not have. The chickens are coming home to roost. The really strange thing is that the town council joined in this mad rush to insanity after everyone knew that excessive borrowing was destroying the economy. They must have known it was not the way to behave, so why did they do it?

With the retirement of the well respected Cllr Holmes, it is to be hoped the council tax payers will get the opportunity to vote in a councillor who will keep a close eye on the actions of the town council and do the utmost to put the Old Thatch where it emphatically belongs – back in the private sector.