THE ARTICLE by Maria Williams (Argus, March 31) describing the £140,000 makeover of Wildings departmental store looks good for Newport, and at least they are using their own money instead of going “cap in hand” to the local council or the Welsh Government.

Yet in the Newport Matters leaflet of the previous week, there is a full page about large and substantial properties in the city being renovated and refurbished at the taxpayers’ expense.

I have always thought that local authorities had legal powers to make property-owners keep some in a decent start of repair; so why aren’t (or haven’t) these powers been exercised in the past, thus avoiding yet another example of wasting public money?

Mr A Greenhalgh Ross Street Newport