I am so pleased that the council are going to take action concerning the A-boards. Last year I contacted the authorities to draw attention to this.

They are a menace and are sprouting up like mushrooms in the city.

At the last count I did there were over 100 boards from Stall Street up.

I think they are a safety issue – plus an eyesore.

At any time the city has many visitors and residents shopping. As a citizen of Bath for many years, I remember the council banning A- boards because of cluttering the pavements. It is a form of advertising and should be paid for. The street traders have to pay a rent so why not the A- boards? Perhaps traders should walk through the crowded streets to see for themselves.

BARBARA BRAIN Bloomfield Road, Bath

The council's A-board policy is "a sledgehammer to crack a nut" and an extra tax on the small businesses in the city, whilst creating totally unnecessary costs and bureaucracy.

These are desperate times for many people, with the council crying "cuts" and yet they are wasting money on an A-board policy.

The Tories seem happy to allow supermarkets and hotels to be developed across the city, while they turn the screw with this punitive tax on our small independent local businesses.

Of course they say they support local businesses, but actions speak louder than words. This shows just how far the coalition Government's "bureaucracy-busting" policy has to go – it certainly hasn't percolated down to local Tories.

COUNCILLOR ROGER SYMONDS Lib Dem, Combe Down