What a sad state of affairs it is when Green city councillor Claire Palmer became £1,000 in arrears with her council tax (Oxford Mail, March 2).

What is even sadder is Liberal Democrat leader John Goddard saying: "I have no idea why she's in this situation."

I shall give you a clue, Mr Goddard. Council tax is far too high for many people to afford. On choosing what is best to pay first, the mortgage or council tax, many would pay the mortgage.

Perhaps if I carved this clue on the wall of Oxford Town Hall, councillors might have an idea why people get into arrears.

Of course, even better would be thousands of people taking to the streets to protest about the extortionate amount of money these councillors steal from them every year.

I have a strange feeling protests will be happening soon. CHRIS BOSWELL, Williamson Way, Rose Hill, Oxford