NEWPORT has about ten to 14, Torfaen quite a few, and Monmouthshire has dozens of community councils and town councils.

Although they have minor local powers compared with county councils, they are an important part of democracy and have an organisation which represents them nationally – The Voice Of Wales. There is an equivalent for parish councils in England.

So I was a little taken aback when I made an innocuous query to it about payment to community councillors.

Apparently this publicly-funded body only answer queries from community councils! If Joe Public has a question, they won’t answer. What a disgrace!

I am sure their staff and bosses have decent salaries, but I cannot for the life of me see what they do if they never answer questions from ordinary members of the public, who pay for their existence.

In recent years there has been much criticism of quangos and super-high salaries. I would suggest the Welsh Assembly ought to begin a probe into how it operates. For certain, its approach does not project a good example for the councils it represents.

Jim Dyer Stockton Road Newport