SIR – Following on from your piece in last week’s WHT (‘Right decision for borough’, January 20), I would like to take this opportunity to clarify a misunderstanding regarding redundancies at Welwyn Hatfield Council.

The council has a robust policy of redeployment within the organisation, which it follows meticulously and will use to avoid redundancy wherever possible.

If this is not possible, then voluntary redundancy is offered as part of an open dialogue between the council and its employees.

Compulsory redundancy is considered the last option and one we look to avoid, however in some cases it is unavoidable.

In this financial year, any redundancies will be the result of a thorough process that has already explored and exhausted all other opportunities and options within the council.

I apologise for any misunderstanding my statement may have caused.

Councillor John Dean,

Leader of Welwyn Hatfield Council