I write to express gratitude to all who purchased my poetry book, Local and Global, and a cheque for £60 will be given to Harwich RNLI.

I will always support this cause because it is non-political, and enjoys the trust of the public, who know and value its worth to a port town like Harwich.

Speaking of politics, Joan Cooper (Letters, January 10) makes very valid points, though I’m far from certain that the Conservatives will make a good job of running the country, given that they have brutally kicked services into the ground over the last decade, leaving communities broken and devastated.

That aside, I am in accord with the lady’s plea for no more houses.

Tendring Council leader Neil Stock’s embrace of two garden city projects, involving thousands of new houses, given that infrastructure levels are already at breaking point, is just additional painting over the cracks.

Surely human legacy has to be more than reckless breeding, and unsustainable construction.

Given that man’s war against nature is taking a heavy toll world-wide, threatening our very existence, I would like to see Tendring follow the lead of the National Trust, which is planting 20 million trees on its land in the next decade.

The tawdriness and cynicism of those who manage our landscape is forcing many to think critically about the environment we live in - about what works and what doesn’t.

I despair that politicians seem unable to elevate their mind above tribal thinking to serve party ends, at public cost.

If I ever vote again it will be Green.

Anything else is futile.

Collin Rossini

Main Road

Dovercourt