CLLR Gez Kirby, Pontllanfraith, has made it quite clear he doesn’t understand my letters over the living wage for council workers. I am not against the living wage. In fact, everybody should be on the living wage and not just Caerphilly council workers (what about the public sector workers living in Caerphilly who don’t have the living wage?) My biggest worry is wages being raised at the cost of public services. So if Cllr Kirby is happy to pay the living wage, then I take it he is happy to defend any closures and cuts in public services.

Then you have Labour’s leaders, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, drawing sharp rebukes this year from the three largest unions – Unison, Unite and the GMB – for backing a public sector pay freeze that will continue in 2013/14 and 2014/15 with a one per cent cap on rises. The shadow chancellor faced sustained heckling during a question-and-answer session after his speech when he refused to back down on his support for pay restraint. Balls blames George Osborne for failing to generate a sustained economic recovery, which he says has left Labour’s hands tied on pay. So it seems Labour councillors in Caerphilly are swimming against their own party tide on public sector pay.

Andrew Nutt, Heolddu Road, Bargoed