Read what Anne Marie Hamilton has to say this month

'Nothing in this country is working properly these days' - how often have we heard this frustrated view expressed in recent times?

And how inevitable is the response from those in authority that all our woes are down to climate change?

Is it really true, or are we actually witnessing many years of chronic underfunding in basic but essential services?

All too often we hear of sewage disposal into the rivers and seas, silted up waterways causing extensive flooding and misery for thousands of people.

We waste millions of pounds on schemes such as HS2 which become redundant before they have even been built, yet neglect to care for and maintain the infrastructure on which we all depend.

There is a certain arrogance by those in charge who would rather waste their time computer modelling outcomes, than using their common sense. If you get the basics right, everything else will follow.

As any farmer or gardener will tell you, the simplest and most cost-effective investment that you can make is to ensure that the national drainage system works.

It is not glamorous, and probably not a vote winner, but if rivers are kept clear and regularly dredged, humans and wildlife will benefit. With the silt removed, there would be room for the rivers to accept heavy rainfall, as they have done in the past.

We never had any flooding on our fields until the policy of deliberate neglect was adopted. Not only has this caused misery and flooding for humans, but also destroyed the very habitats that we all want to conserve.

Potholes are another cause of frustration. If water is left lying on the road, it damages the tarmac and potholes become inevitable.

Why do councils no longer ensure that roadside ditches are properly maintained so that road water can drain away easily into the ditches?

It is long past the time to stop this false economy under the guise of caring for the environment because what is being achieved in reality, is the exact opposite!