I WONDER if Ian Simpson (director of Bron Afon Community Housing) could state exactly how much more per week tenants will have to pay because they live in the south of the borough of Torfaen.

I have checked the minutes of the relevant meeting and I am not sure whether tenants will have to pay an extra £4 per week or £7.50. (£16 or £30 per month!) Of course, this is on top of the yearly rent rise we received via WAG of 4.2 per cent! The criteria used to penalise those of us living below Pontypool are nonsensical. According to the board of Bron Afon, we are better off in the south because we have better transport, although the bus fares are the same and, for example, you can’t get a direct bus to either Newport or Cardiff from Croesyceiliog. There is also no evening service to Pontypool/Blaenavon! Petrol costs are used as another factor and yet cars can be driven to obtain access to petrol stations anywhere in the borough! Or maybe car owners restrict themselves to Pontypool or Blaenavon?

As for higher food costs, cheap food can be obtained from Pontypool outdoor market and Tesco, etc, situated in the north of the borough! Also, we receive the same wages living in the south as the north. The north, dear board members, isn’t some distant Third World country! Terry Banfield Cardigan Crescent Cwmbran