As a Southampton born and bred woman, and also a senior citizenm, I am disgusted at the way our council are proposing to spend our council tax, which again in this year will raise by approximately three per cent.

I thought that our councillors were elected by the people for the good of the people.

However, they seem intend on wasting £500,000 on unwanted items to give the city the wow factor, namely a piece of art costing £250,000 which I am sure only a very small minority of citizens will view.

We then have the proposed expenditure of £250,000 on the laser lights to be beamed from the clock tower.

Southampton used to have its own wow factor with clean and safe public roads, footpaths and open spaces.

In recent times these have become littered with rubbish and potholes in every road within the city.

Whichever way visitors enter the city the areas are strewn with litter!

This £500,000 could have been spent helping the aged and disabled citizens and not cutting much needed services to them.

For instance, instead of the residents having to make more environmentally unfriendly car journeys to the bottle banks why can't we have curbside collections of bottles and glass like the recycling of garden rubbish, paper and plastic?

Other smaller councils in the area can achieve this so why can't a city the size of Southampton?

Think again, councillors, we have elections in May when I hope the people of Southampton will do the necessary at the ballot box and make Southampton a safer and cleaner city.

SHIRLEY SANDERS, Redbridge, Southampton.