SIR — What a wonderful place Winchester was at Christmas, with the lights, ice rink and crowds of people enjoying the High Street.

For me it provided a most memorable Christmas.

I then read the letters page in the Hampshire Chronicle; what a load of whingers!

Nothing seems right in what I am told, is the place where most people in England would like to live.

It was particularly surprising to see a Cllr Barry Lipscombe, whose letter is perhaps the most pompous I have ever read, using your columns to run down the city he represents.

He seems aided by his Liberal colleague Cllr Brian Colin, who spends his time videoing drains, upset at the state of the Tower Street car park.

I used this car park on my visit; it didn’t seem that bad, considering that a major rebuild was going on.

Don’t these people ever visit other cities?

Clearly, your correspondents just don’t know how lucky they are — perhaps a stay in Batley for a week would enable them to get a better perspective on life.

Helen Swinton, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.