Mr J E Bartlett (Opinion, May 14) is factually incorrect. He stated I was "wide of the mark" (Opinion, May 10) when, in fact, I was responding to the councillors' own use of "best value" where it was claimed the term meant obtaining the highest price (if Mr Bartlett would like to look back at the relevant letters, they will confirm this).

As for Section 120-125 of the Local Government Act 1972, Mr Bartlett may rest assured I am more than familiar with it.

I draw his attention to the Local Government Act 1999, which implemented "best value" from April 1, 2000, and actually repealed requirements of previous Acts.

If you need any more evidence of the inaccuracy of quoting the 1972 Act, it would have been illegal for Adur District Council to have frozen the rents for Southwick traders in 1995 under the 1972 Act but it did so.

-John Stevens, Roman Crescent, Southwick