Sir – When walking down the pathway from Witney’s Market Square via Nortons to the car park, I noticed that two cafes were closed, Cafe Ortuga and the Sweet Shop.

I wonder if these are, like iZi, victims of the recession.

I know there is a lot of competition in the town for diners – Greggs, Costa, Caffe Nero, Huffkins and others.

Perhaps the competition proved too much.

Or was it, as in the case of iZi, that the Independent Valuation Agency decided that rates had to increase?

I am still angry that iZi closed down because of a steep hike in the rates.

I wrote to Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron about this and got a decent reply and explanation.

But what they and the IVA ignore are the social consequences of their financial decisions. Their only interest is money, not people.

If this is what happened to Cafe Ortuga and the Sweet Shop, it is unacceptable.

Surely councils should be consulted regarding the overall impact of financial decisions before some faceless quango forces businesses to close.

J Breen, Walkers Height, Finstock