NATURALLY I won't say who but I was assisting an elderly couple the other day with a council tax claim and, when the result was returned - after everything was assessed - entered on the return form was, in this particular case, the amount of £197 which was, I quote, "The amount the law says you need to live on."

Now, in my opinion, if the law states that a couple only needs £197-a-week to live on why on earth don't the MPs stick to this figure themselves instead of each one screwing the taxpayer out of an annual salary of nigh on £70,000 plus between £100,000 and £150,000 expenses? Can they answer this one? I thought not.

Barry Thomas, Redruth