Dear Editor,

I write following submissions by my GP and terminally ill mother in your letters section in recent weeks. I am a 33 year old man who has returned to the area following a mental breakdown, caused in part by my redundancy from a Blue Chip Plc and a marriage breakdown. I find that the cuts to the NHS and DWP are now getting to ridiculous levels. I attended the Jobcentre Plus office in Napier St today. This was to follow up a complaint made on the 18th of December last year to which I have had no response, and see a notice that Jobseekers and benefit recipients will from the beginning of March no longer be able to use the free phones there and 'will have to find other means'. These calls are often 0845 and mobile numbers! I have also been bounced from pillar to post by psychiatric services and effectively been denied assessment despite two separate GP referrals. I was treated by said psychiatric services in the late 90's when my condition was 25% as severe as it is now. I worked for the DWP in the early part of the century and took great pride in placing Jobseekers in positions but also was active in the union, and cant understand why DWP staff are not as active now as they were then. I also worked for RBS (NatWest Private Banking) before and during the financial meltdown. One might assume that staff were briefed at the time to tell clients to keep their investments in the bank and not withdraw them! My point is that all these cuts are barbaric and completely unnecessary. We do not need a massive Armed Services or Trident, we do not need 650 MP's receiving an 11% pay rise, we do not need City bankers receiving bonuses when banks are running deficits and are owned by the taxpayer and at the moment at least we don't need to be sending our money to either Brussels or overseas in aid. What we need is to use British residents to produce what we and our neighbours need and have a United Kingdom where it doesn't matter whether you live in Beulah or Belgravia you can be assured of the same education, healthcare and life opportunities.

Ben Martin

St.Dogmaels