AS the fiery debate continues to rage over where the permanent traveller site is to be built in Newport, may I suggest the council utilise the fear and loathing that are developing to their advantage and for the good of everyone in Newport.

It’s clear from the large attendances at the consultation meetings and the anger being vented that nobody in Newport wants the new permanent site for travellers built anywhere near their homes. The council should therefore run an inter-ward competition over the next year whereby the ward which finishes bottom of the league has to have the new traveller site. Each ward starts off with 1,000 points and they will be penalised, thereby losing points, for a whole host of misdemeanours, ranging from the amount of litter and dog mess noted on a Friday morning to the number of arrests and new ASBOs served to its members after each weekend. The range of penalties could be set from the start and advertised for all to see, while bonus points could be offered to wards that recycle more or for keeping their gardens tidy. The council could even sell the rights of the competition as a reality TV show as a means of funding the whole project. I’m pretty confident that such a competition would see most of the estates of Newport change for the better overnight and be competing for awards within the year. Matthew Pimm, Milton Road, Newport