Last Friday, an historic judgement was made in the High Court by Judge Chamberlain, following an application for a Judicial Review by the Good Law Project supported by a Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green MP.

The action was taken because the Government failed to advertise or follow the competitive tendering process, handing out £17 billion of public money to little-known companies to supply PPE.

Even more concerning were the delays in publishing details of the contracts being offered.

There should now be a public inquiry to establish exactly what went on behind the scenes.

Ironically, East Devon District Council is now being asked by the local MP not to raise car parking charges in an attempt to encourage shop and business customers to use the car parks (Journal, February 17).

Time, I believe, to remind Mr Jupp that due to repeated cuts of Government funding to local authorities since 2009, councils have to look for other sources of raising revenue, to provide the mandatory services that they have to provide such as waste collections, clean streets, housing, etc.

Are we to take financial advice from a member of this Government, which has recklessly squandered billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on the disastrous failure of the PPE scandal? I think not.

Mr Jupp would be better advised to focus his attempts to save public money for the office to which he was elected, and leave the running of local councils to those who were elected to do just that.

Pots calling kettles come to mind!