Sir.-It was with some amazement that I read in The Gazette that Hampshire County Council still exists.

As far as the parish council of Mortimer West End is aware, the highways department has disappeared without trace!

Council tax payers may be aware that outside the urban area of Basingstoke and Deane, the highways are the responsibility of HCC.

At every parish council meeting that we have, highways are always on the agenda. Councillors raise issues that they or members of the public have brought to their notice and these in turn are reported to HCC by the clerk or the councillors.

The response for the last several months by HCC is complete silence.

I could list at least 10 examples where simple maintenance of roads is not being carried out. One example is Welshmans Road where it was authorised last year that a 50mph limit be set. In May of this year, when I asked when it would be installed, I was told that they had not got enough surveyors to measure the distance between the speed signs. Welshmans Road must be all of three-quarters-of-a-mile long!

Another example is Soke Road where it was resurfaced about a year ago and, despite e-mails and letters, the white lining has still not been replaced.

In Church Road, the surface is so badly worn in places that instead of a single white line in the centre, there are three lines where wear has exposed previous resurfacings.

In our opinion, HCC does not provide a service to council tax payers in this area. In Mortimer West End, people are asking "What do we get for the council tax that we pay?".

They certainly do not get their roads repaired, the 10 or so children of the village attend Silchester School, which is a C of E school, and no other service is provided by HCC.

I know Cllr Keith Chapman does his best to get things done, but sorry Keith, we believe a radical rethink of HCC should take place. To reflect on "Are the ratepayers getting value for money?", the answer is an emphatic "No".

Meanwhile, I offer our sincere apologies to the ratepayers of Mortimer West End and to the many motorists who drive through our parish. The state of the roads is beyond our control.

-William Cane, Chairman, Mortimer West End Parish