THE disinformation and twisted half-truths of Cllr Nic Hodges’ letter (Barry & District, August 4) do the people of Barry a disservice and probably say far more about him than me.

Far from failure, the Vale of Glamorgan has been independently recognised as the top performing council in Wales with specific praise received from Estyn, the auditor general and the chief inspector of social services.

People say the town not only looks different, it feels very different to the Barry of just five years ago. The Pumphouse, the Waterfront, Thompson Street, and a regenerated Barry Island with a vibrant events programme have all played a part in boosting tourism by five per cent last year and building confidence with would-be investors.

The development of an additional BSC business incubator to meet increased demand and the regeneration of Upper Holton Road and Main Street in Cadoxton will breathe new life into the town while new play areas across the town reflect our commitment to ‘whole town regeneration’ which includes housing and education as much as economic development and planning.

As an experienced councillor, he is aware of the original 2018/19 link-road completion date and that it is open two years early. He also knows funds for Welsh Government schemes such as Port Road cannot be used for potholes, that the council has allocated £1.44 million for road repairs this year and that my salary last year was not £35k but just £7k more than his.

Photos of Cllr Hodges with his family TV on King Square might be fun but I’m not aware of any proposal for a large screen being received by the Vale council.

Personal, politically-motivated attacks are part of my daily life but Cllr Hodges should reflect on his constant need to talk the town down. Damaging doom and gloom messages might boost his election chances but my focus remains firmly on delivering a bright future for Barry.

Lis Burnett

Cabinet member, regeneration and education