The European Union may be the source of cash bonbons for some businesses (Apply for EU cash, businesses urged, Oxford Mail, August 12) but Britain's membership of the EU is bad value for taxpayers.

The Leader scheme’s £1.89m budget means that about £2.7m of British taxpayers’ money was paid to the EU.

That is, for every £1 of taxpayers’ money handed over, only 67p is returned, with strings attached as to its use.

The freedom to retain the whole £2.7m instead of losing £810,000 to the EU would be better value for taxpayers, especially during recessionary times.

Free from European Union centralised control, unfettered decisions whether to spend or save the money could be made by local councils, involving democratic accountability and real localism.

Jacqueline Jones, Oxford Road, Cumnor