Surprise surprise: the white elephant, Bridge Street, is now going to cost Ballarat ratepayers close to 24 million dollars to repair the bridge that runs under the street. Nobody at the Town Hall thought of that.

The bridge actually runs from Mair Street through to Dana Street.

We ratepayers are slugged $2000 a year and we get incompetent people who don't know anything about this city.

The roads that are pushed aside because they are more interested in beating their chests to gloat about what they did while on the council.

If any of these councillors are fair dinkum about the betterment of Ballarat they would all resign at the next election and let new people in to fix all their stuff ups - people who will spend ratepayers' money where it's meant to be spent.

David Braybrook, Winter Valley.

READ MORE: 'Disingenuous', 'disrespectful' and a 'lack of empathy': council calls out Powercor

Some readers will have watched the screening on TV of Mr Bates vs the Post Office, an account of the devastation knowingly caused to the lives of many postmasters in the UK by the Board of the Post Office.

I cite this in drawing attention to the proposed erection by Powercor of a substation in York Street.

Whilst I'm certainly not alleging that the UK Post Office situation is mirrored by Powercor administration, I do assert there are similarities in the basic premise that a powerful corporation can treat the community with disdain and token gestures of consultation whilst at the same time completely ignoring genuine concerns about the problems of having a substation in the CBD.

Powercor claims to have engaged in public consultation by organising community drop-in sessions at a near-by motel.

This circumvents any opportunity for large-scale community meetings with Powercor.

Concerned residents from the immediate area have attempted to raise serious questions with Powercor representatives with no appreciative result.

Powercor correspondence delivered to Ballarat East residents over the last few months maintains the position that the substation will go ahead regardless of any fears or objections.

Diversionary matters like the erection of an artistic fence line to which the public is invited to have input have been given top priority.

This proposed substation matter is a further example of the erosion of our rights by powerful organisations that is happening with alarming frequency. We are fast becoming voiceless.

Margaret Lavery, Canadian.