DAVID DRURY, of Ford Valley, Dartmouth, writes:

What’s happening to our town? All we seem to read are the negative things that are happening to Dartmouth. Where are all the positive things that keep our community strong?

The community spirit has been drained from us by the ­proposals that the town’s people are so frustrated and up in arms about. This town used to be ­content with its way of life.

What is so annoying are the proposals made by people who know nothing about our way of life or the situation we face, being Dartmothians.

The NHS is closing our community hospital, the parking proposals are completely mad and then there is the 64 per cent council tax rise.

How much would it cost to make the hospital fit for use? Possibly not as much as it would cost to rent 25 years worth of beds at Riverview.

How can making changes to parking help the residents of Dartmouth? The problem has not been solved, but it will cause more problems in other parts of town.

How can a 20-minute stay help the shops? It will drive local residents out of the town to shop at the supermarkets, where they can park, shop and use the supermarket cafes.

I have said many times, build a car park out of town, make visitors use it and give the town back to the people who live and work here.

The issue of parking and ­paying was discussed several years ago. We did not want it then and we don’t want it now. There has always been a ­problem of parking in Dartmouth. Solve it – don’t dump the problem on the local residents of Dartmouth who live here.

Why should the townspeople pay for a problem of parking that could have been sorted out years ago, as in other towns?

The 64 per cent council tax rise is total madness. The town council should be ashamed of itself. How does its councillors think we can afford to pay this when wages in the town are so low that some people need to use a food bank?

I believe the councillors who voted that in need to be sacked. We have elected you to help us, not cripple us.

Richard Rendle, who has done so much for our ­community, is so angry he has resigned, as has Les Barnes, Chronicle, January 27.

It is shame to lose people such as them because we don’t have a champion for the causes that need to be debated.

Dartmouth needs a voice that can stand up to the powers that be – and we have lost two.

All that seems to happen in this town is for some to dump a problem and not try to solve it.

Our community spirit has been broken. Unless people get together we will lose it for ever. A few have, but not enough.

I, like so many, love this town. To me there is no other that is so beautiful and such a friendly place to live. If we want to keep it that way we need to take a stand.