WITH the new century now born it is germane to consider what investment, financial and ethical, has been made in Marlow as a consequence of local taxes paid since it was arbitrarily attached to Wycombe district in 1974.

Maybe Marlow councillors - particularly the long-term, multi, councillors - would itemise the improvements and publish them in the Bucks Free Press - which is the only means of civic information available since the concept of "open public meetings" has, like listening to voters, just atrophied into disappearance!

We Marlow citizens would like to know, for example, the basis of logic, or psychology, or civic response, or theoretical economic sophistry, produced the conclusion that Wycombe voters would enjoy a "pedestrianised" main street - and an open market in it twice weekly - whilst Marlovians, for some as yet undisclosed reason would not!

We need to know why the expensively researched and produced town plans never materialise and the town centre allowed increasingly to transmogrify into mere offices, building societies, estate agents, banks and boutiques plus a spreading epidemic of restaurants by night!

"People" have been excluded! If district councillors ever looked at the town in relation to what they so frequently refer, vacuously, as "the development of the town centre" they would see that there isn't one single family resident in Spittal Street any more - and only two left at the very bottom of the High Street!

In fact property developers have dictated the evolution - or more factually the desecration - of Marlow town centre and the invisible council have genuflected to the dehumanising of it and ignored the voters!

I don't recall this being specified in any councillor's or party's election address but the fact remains that is what has been allowed to happen and it is relevant to query whether the council - and its officials - have been seduced by "invisible sweeteners" offered by developers. Or does the Wycombe Council just not really care what happens to Marlow?

This may be regarded as a somewhat cynical evaluation of the facts but, if so, perhaps one - or all - of the councillors would offer a comprehensive value judgement of the investment of 26 years of council taxes by some 18,000 Marlow citizens - if, that is, they can!

Bill Purdie

West Street

Marlow