Bala Mahendren, chief executive of Basildon Council, made a number of politically biased comments about cuts in services (July 13).

In doing so, he said pregnant 16-year-olds need not turn up at the council and expect to be housed.

Mr Mahendran should have checked the accuracy of his comments. Had he done so he would have known Basildon Council has not housed any pregnant 16-year-olds.

In the past year, only four pregnant 16-year-olds have been referred by the council to Swan Housing which has placed them in a specialist support unit.

The council has a statutory duty when it comes to housing and many of its other services meaning it has no choice what it does.

When the chief executive and leader of the council talk about cuts what they are actually saying is the Conservatives who run Basildon Council are choosing what services they no longer want to provide.

Since they took over running the council residents and opposition councillors have seen a number of cuts in services, while leaders continue to pursue an agenda of their own.

The money they have wasted in court cases alone runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Millions have been spent on their own pet projects without any concerns for the council budgets.

Reduced services are nothing new and to suggest the chief executive and council leader were being honest about the cuts is ridiculous.

They were simply using the opportunity to try to appear less responsible for what they do.

Cllr LYNDA GORDON

Newlands Road

Billericay