IN response to a letter from Cllr Jeremy Friend-Smith in your paper last week, I felt I should set the record straight. During the election in May, many members of the public took the opportunity to question prospective councillors on waste collection. Th

IN response to a letter from Cllr Jeremy Friend-Smith in your paper last week, I felt I should set the record straight.

During the election in May, many members of the public took the opportunity to question prospective councillors on waste collection. They voted accordingly and elected those who they felt could deal with their issues.

They made it abundantly clear that if we could retain weekly collections then we should. This is exactly what we managed to do through the recently signed waste contract. We listened to what they said.

It also seems that Cllr Friend-Smith did not make it past the headline of the story. If he had, he may have learnt that the council is not complacent about recycling at all.

We recognise our recycling rates are lower than our neighbouring districts, but we do send less residual waste per household to landfill than any other council in Cambridgeshire.

It is only by encouraging people to effectively manage their waste and promoting the best ways to recycle that we will tackle our recycling rates.

We are determined to work with local residents to collect even more in the existing black box collection system and will be introducing kerbside collection of plastic bottles in April, to give people a better and improved service.

Who listened? I listened, the Conservative Group listened and more importantly the electorate's views were heard and taken into account. We now must act to make sure we make a difference.

CLLR JOHN SEAMAN MBE

Chairman of the Environment and Transport Committee

East Cambs District Council

I DISAGREE most strongly with Cllr Friend-Smith's views about weekly black bag collections.

I completed the council's questionnaire, expressing my serious disquiet at the prospect of fortnightly collections, as many other residents obviously did. I was, therefore, relieved and delighted when the council decided to listen to our concerns and continue with weekly collections.

Cllr Friend-Smith cites Witchford as a good example of fortnightly collections but my recollection of correspondence at the time is that many residents were not at all satisfied with this.

I have not met anyone who is in favour of stopping weekly collections and this is borne out nationwide by letters to the press and TV programmes.

I think this sends out a clear message to electors: The Liberal Democrats do not take heed of residents' concerns, but act in accordance with their own agenda.

I would add that I am a dedicated recycler and I could not recycle any more if fortnightly black bag collections were introduced.

PAMELA HALLINAN

Sycamore Lane

Ely