RE the letter “Vote to stop cuts and presefve our liberties” (May 16), signed by various local government trade unionists and unionists.

The casual reader would fairly assume they were paid for by trade union members. By and large they are paid for by you, the tax payer, who hands over £250,000 a year to fund these “campaigners”. What is perhaps most depressing is that none of them seem at all interested in you, the tax payer.

The average working family in Bolton now hands over 50 per cent of their earnings to the state in income tax, VAT, council tax, green levies etc. When “campaigners” talk about and end to “cuts” what they really mean is they want to start spending more of your money.

Ask yourself a simple question. Who is more careful with your hard earned cash, you and your family or the state and its many quangos and bureaucracies? Who will get better value out of it? Ed Miliband has spoken about a cost of living crisis and to some extent he is right, but what is the biggest cost to the average family?

It is their tax bill. It is too high and, once we have dealt with the dreadful deficit we inherited, Conservatives want to let you keep more of your money.

Cllr Martyn Cox Westhoughton North and Chew Moor