Some of the cuts that our council has made are really beginning to bite. Footpaths are not being cleared of overhanging vegetation, graffiti is not being cleared up and traffic wardens are a rare sight in Tilehurst. Plus the library is open for even fewer hours and potholes take even more time to get filled in.

None of these issues are vital in themselves and other, vital services are being maintained but the effects of continued austerity on council budgets leaves us watching our village slowly sink in to decay.

Austerity is delivering death by a thousand cuts. We need a change in government.

The truth behind the cuts

Local residents who are concerned about the cuts to local services need to understand how much the Conservatives are cutting from local authorities.

By 2020 councils will have lost 60p out of every £1 they used to receive. This is why Council Tax is going up and essential local services are being cut back or stopped altogether. There are few further efficiency savings to be made and the Tory Government (in which local MP Alok Sharma serves) needs to be honest with residents about why they are paying more Council Tax to receive less services.