Maybe I’m a little cynical but could the reason Essex County Council couldn’t tell Micheal McGough (letters, April 10) how much was saved by switching off the lights at midnight in Epping Forest be because it is a cover for the real increase in council tax this year?

The council are boasting that this year’s council tax is only 100.2% of last year. But switching off the lights at midnight is not a cost saving, it is a services cut, and as that service is now running for only 80% of it’s former time, the allocation of funds for that service should be reduced by 20%. If that had been done the council tax for this year would be much lower.

I firmly believe that if the 20% energy cost saving was published, it would be clear to see that by not reducing the bill but leaving it in the council has effectively increased the council tax by that amount and I strongly suspect it would be over the government's capped level.

Raymond A McKerron, Chevely Close, Coopersale