Sir – Why did Witney town councillors as a matter of routine not consult West Oxfordshire’s legal department before taking legal action against the Madley Park Hall contractors instead of asking the district council to bail them out with £143,000 after they lost the case?

Why did they not follow accepted procedures in their management of Witney Corn Exchange? When you or I apply for a new tax disc, we are asked to produce current insurance and MoT certificates before we are licensed to take our cars on the public roads.

Did Witney town councillors not have to produce similar certificates when they last renewed their licence for the Corn Exchange? Was it not a prerequisite of licensing the building for public use that the heating, ventilation, gas, electrics and safety provision were inspected and serviced annually, as the law requires any landlord to do who lets property to a tenant?

Don Chapman, Eynsham