There has been a lot of talk recently, mostly from Spelthorne council, about the political edge to the Day Centre debate.

However, if anyone is being political about the Day Centres it is the City Fathers themselves. When you take away their smoke screen about "rationalisation" it is clear what the real agenda is - cutting council tax.

Facing the test of local elections in May the council (or at least its Tory majority) was obviously keen to keep charges as low as possible.

Given their financial mismanagement in recent years that was, to put it mildly, going to be difficult.

They then hit on the old Thatcher wheeze - sell the family silver. While pretending to be prudent house keepers, the voters could be given what was , in effect , a bribe.

Of course this underestimated the humanitarian instincts of the people of Stanwell and Sunbury Common.

After all, we weren't going to let our old folk be made into sacrificial lambs to buy the Tories more votes.

The upshot of all this is that, instead of the thumping majority the controlling group were hoping for, they almost certainly now face melt-down.

ANDREW MCLUSKEY Diamedes Avenue Stanwell