I would like to endorse the three letters from Sally Walsh, Geoff Holman and BR Powers that appeared in last week’s Guardian about the ineptitude of both Cheshire East and Knutsford Town Councils. I feel particular sympathy for Sally Walsh who is clearly finding it difficult to make ends meet. The constituents of each council are the customers and the sooner the councils realise they are the servants of the community the better. We have just seen the national electorate ditch the EU because of similar incompetence in that institution failing to act in the best interests of its constituents.

I have written in these columns on numerous occasions before about the need for radical change in style and competence within our two councils, but progress is nonexistent.

I have numerous examples and experience to relate but I will restrict it to one in the context of Mr Holman’s letter on potholes.

At 5.15pm on New Year’s Eve I struck a pothole on Plumley Moor Road at Lower Peover. My front offside tyre was torn and car disabled. It was dark and dangerous and difficult to park up then wait for RAC assistance which took two hours to arrive. I was accompanied by my wife who is suffering from the adverse effects of a stroke. She was upset, disturbed and anxious. It was a bad experience. I have it on good authority that this pothole had been reported to CEC before Christmas and nothing had been done about it.

I submitted a claim for compensation on January 3 which was eight pages long. The tone of the CEC documentation makes one feel that one is submitting an unjustified claim. It is a disgrace.

The claim has been referred by CEC to an agency in Leeds to deal with and they have still not had notification from CEC as to information it holds with regard to its failure to keep this road in proper condition.

Surely there is no need for this agency to be employed, incurring yet more costs. A clerk in the highways department can surely handle such simple claims swiftly and more efficiently thereby reducing council tax.

I have a similar example of hitting a pothole on the M6 slip road at junction 16 some 18 months ago. Highways England settled the claim fully within two weeks using one of their own employees.

Mark Price Knutsford