From Simon Rhodes, Niton:

We are indeed fortunate to live in a beautiful place but we are very poorly served by a council whose depths of incompetence and stupidity stagger all reasonable folk.

Hardly a week passes without another breath-taking, snort-inducing example of addle-brained thinking being reported by the County Press. Last week’s comedy was the decision to close the slip road into the dump to prevent queues (CP, 27-04-18).

This, of course, relates to the idiot idea of saving money by reducing the opening hours at Lynnbottom Tip to the huge inconvenience of all Islanders. Two hours to drop waste off is not uncommon. Ridiculous — and the obvious consequence will be an increase in fly tipping, congestion, pollution etc. and all to save less than £100,000 per year.

Then we read the council has recently re-employed the same consultant who “advised” on the notorious PFI deal to help the council save money — at £8,000 per month (CP, 20-04-18). That is basically the cost of shortening the dump hours, and we all know which gives better value to the poor payers of council tax.

Ditch the consultant and re-open the dump! Say bye bye to the “meet and greet” chap on the entrance, who is no doubt a lovely fellow but we don’t need him as we can all read where to put the rubbish, and that is a sensible saving.

The leader of the council is quoted in a remark that is frankly patronising about we, the public, having to alter our behaviour when using the dump. Well, Cllr Stewart, some of us actually have to work and you have already made alterations to our behaviour by making it so very difficult to use it. You should listen to the “Voice of the Customer” and put the hours back to something vaguely sensible.

You see IW Council, we in the real world have no confidence in your capabilities and you keep on demonstrating that opinion is correct over many years.

All I need to do is list a few: the floating bridge (approaching £1 million additional costs and it still does not work properly), Cowes Enterprise College, Undercliff Drive, the PFI contract, I could go on.

It is even possible to predict the next bungle. The so-called road improvement plan for easing traffic congestion in Newport. We all know the main issue is Coppins Bridge and where are the council starting on? St Mary’s Roundabout.

Think IW Council — Think Chimpanzees’ Tea Party.