STOCKTON COUNCIL

RE your letter from councillors Lee Narroway and David Harrington about Stockton Borough Council (HAS, Page 10, May 17).

I am puzzled by the reasoning in their objection to joining an executive on Stockton council made up of members from all parties elected to the council. They seem to be saying that:

a) the party with the most members should be excluded, which isn't very democratic and;

b) their group of "Independents" would keep their "principles" intact by allying themselves to the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and a separate group of "Independents". What "independence"? What "principles"?

And surely the Liberal Democrats should leap at the chance of a place on the executive based on their proportion of seats. Or is their constant cry for proportional representation for minority parties just a sham?

Well done to Councillor Ken Lupton for bringing the two largest parties together to work for the best interests of everyone. Shame on the others for refusing to do the same. - Kathleen Hansen, Redcar.

REDCAR 'INDEPENDENTS'

WHEN some of us put ourselves forward as candidates at the Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council elections, we did so in all honesty and accepted the voters' verdict and remain committed to the principles on which we stood.

Not so two of the Independents, who, immediately on being elected, accepted 30 pieces of silver, in one case a cabinet position, and in the other, the deputy mayorship, by doing a deal to prop up a Labour administration.

The two have given up their independence, as they will have to vote with Labour every time - that is the price for these positions.

They, along with the Labour group, now call themselves The Ruling Group. What arrogance. They are no longer Independent. All the excuses in the world will not alter the fact that their voters trusted them to be Independent, and they are now part of Labour. - Valerie Halton, Conservative Councillor, Hutton Ward, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.