HEDLEY PIPER of Weeke Hill, Dartmouth, writes:

Further to your correspondent, Mr Lucas, whose letter very correctly points out that, by its demands for large increases in the rents of its ­commercial properties, the Dartmouth Trust is doing the community a great disservice, Chronicle, December 11, many if not all of these small businesses are closing.

I note the reason for rises put forward by the trust’s chairman, who said, in effect, that the Charities Commission told the trust to do it and to adhere to the terms of the scheme of 1988, which governs the actions of the trustees (para 22 states ‘the best obtainable rent’).

I believe that there are a number of issues here that should be addressed.

The most fundamental, and one that the Charities Commission does highlight,

is the original spirit and ­intentions of the founders of a trust and of the donors to a trust.

The Charities Commission offers the potential to alter the terms of a scheme under which a trust is administered.

This was done in 1988 here in Dartmouth. The rents charged today bear no relationship to those of 1988, nor to those of 1889.

Under the terms of section 22 of the scheme of 1988, it is the land that should be rented at its commercial value.

Interestingly, there is no mention of the rental of buildings or premises as such, except in relation to the trust’s own offices.

The Charities Commission advises the trustees of a trust that they do have a degree of discretion to consider the advice received, as evidenced by the Charities Commission’s provisions for changes and the changes arrived at over the years here in Dartmouth.

It must also be remembered that all the commercial values used by the trust, the Land Registry and the Charities Commission in setting rents are set by people who have vested interests in the figures that they create for advising owners of commercial properties – the size of their fees.

There is another, wider consideration I feel the Dartmouth Trust shares with, for example, the harbour board.

Both were set up when ­conditions in the town and on the river were very different.

The river and the town are our unique selling point, upon which our local economy relies. It is a much bigger economic region than simply the areas covered by water or the buildings that constitute the town.

I would argue that members of the harbour board and the Dartmouth Trust should be more cognisant of the spirit of their wider responsibilities to the community.

One commercial draw of our town is the character of our ‘high street’.

The loss of small, independent shops will be a loss both as an attraction to tourists and the services that are provided to the community, but also the loss of employment opportunities.

I fear that the recent actions of the trustees of the Dartmouth Trust in the unreasoned raising of rents runs risks very similar to the slaughter of the wrong goose for their Christmas ­festivity.