It has become very loud and clear that most of the present elected Wangaratta councillors have no sense of priorities towards the less fortunate in the Wangaratta community. There has been reckless spending on big ticket capital works like the proposed King George Gardens $1.4 million upgrade, and ripping up angle parking spaces of great convenience to shoppers and business people in Ovens Street.

I have yet to come across any Wangaratta resident that condones this willful waste.

Community wellbeing director  Jaime Caroll well and truly hit the nail on the head when she said council needs to be responsible in how it allocates its money. How can council justify spending  large sums of money on luxury often not wanted  projects when it cannot find a measly $2000 for a most worthwhile cause?

Council must respect Wangaratta CFA firefighters and find from general revenue the $2000 pronto for them to continue their Working Smoke Alarm Program. 

I would just like to thank you for the letter by Emily Shaw (‘Spare me the lecture’, The Border Mail, October 7) regarding America and gun control.

The second amendment was legislated to protect the very divided colonies of America from another British invasion centuries ago. Don't you think it's time for a rethink, or do Americans just love to see their friends and children killed by some deranged twit on a daily basis?

NRA supporters live in the past and the world doesn't need that, or America (in that mode), anymore.

Peter Walsh pushes the decentralisation plan very well but the talk is not enough.

We need clear, defining plans and ways to get it happening.

Incentives are lacking and promotion of the features of regional life to city people are not there. City people look down on regional towns and its people because they have no idea how good regional life can be and the benefits they can gain.

City homes should be part of the asset test for the aged pension now and there should be incentives for people to make regional shifts and downsize.

The Border Mail featured a great article of the need for incentives to move out of town recently, and it made very good sense. I hope Peter Walsh noted it, as well as other regional MPs. 

Regions need to plan better and develop homes /townhouses that city people would move to. Real estate copy needs to have more to entice and attract interest and promote regions.

The first home buyers assistance grant should be only for homes that are beyond 200 kilometres from capital cities to entice skills into regional Australia, and capture the home affordability and live and work close together.

Regions need passionate MPs that push regions far more for decentralisation. The current Victorian government fails regions badly.