13/12/04

Here in Bishop Auckland, cars are parked anywhere now that parking is to pay for. Like many others, I do not condone pavement cycling, but the truth of the matter is that the motorist is as guilty of offence, both legally and morally, as the cyclist.

Perhaps, after the season of goodwill, the amnesty that seems to be running in Bishop Auckland will be lifted and the police and traffic wardens and Wear Valley District Council and Durham County Council will introduce and enforce some laws that will address both matters and give the pavements back to the pedestrians, who at the moment are being treated as the interlopers. - David T Colling, Bishop Auckland.

A YEAR ago, I spoke with a manager at Asda, Bishop Auckland, about the poor design of the building. Neither the front nor the rear entrances provide any protection to both customers and, more importantly, members of staff from cold winds. When both sets of doors at the Newgate Street entrance are open, the front of the shop at the tills becomes a wind tunnel.

A number of weeks passed before I contacted the management again and was informed that a planning application would be submitted.

In March, I contacted the customer care manager. I received a letter assuring me that "the store was addressing the issue" without delay.

As it is now December, I should be interested to know whether or not any formal plans for alterations/additions have been submitted to the appropriate local authority. - Jillian Gibson-Stephenson, Crook.

VICTIM SUPPORT

IS the Government not guilty of double standards when it says the victims of crime should become the priority, and not the criminal?

It would appear that, as a result of pressure from the public and senior police officers like Sir John Stevens, the emphasis may change and allow the victim to defend their property and themselves.

But what consideration is the Government giving to the victims of crime when Victim Support offices are forced to "restructure" or close as a result of cuts in Home Office funding. It's worth noting, of course, that Victim Support relies mainly on volunteers anyway so the Government is getting an essential service fairly cheaply.

I have in the past been involved with Victim Support, and it does an extremely vital service supporting those who need help after a crime, or assistance when required to give evidence in court. Maybe again it needs someone like Sir John Stevens to inform this Government what is happening in the real world where there are real victims of crime who need support when they are most vulnerable. - Ian Jamieson, Burnhope.

CABBIES

I MUST show my support for the Darlington taxi drivers.

I find it outrageous that the council is insisting that drivers have to sit a driving test again, and fund it from their own pockets.

Some of these drivers have been in the taxi trade for a number of years, and they are probably some of the best drivers on the road.

I eagerly await the next new ruling from the local Labour-run town hall - no doubt something along the lines of insisting that all the binmen have to learn to speak Arabic so they don't upset anyone when removing their rubbish. - Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

POLITICS

I USUALLY have a high tolerance of Liberal Democrat nonsense, but Jacqueline Bell's response to the Queen's Speech particularly caught my attention (HAS, Dec 6).

Perhaps we should forgive the unfunded babble of commitments as a sign of early Yuletide spirit? After all, what's a few billion pounds of policies at Christmas when your party will never be in power?

However, if the LibDems seriously want to become a credible party of opposition, then perhaps one of their New Year's resolutions should be to give this Labour Government credit where it is due.

It may be an uncomfortable fact for her, but under Labour we've had more investment in local schools and hospitals, better job prospects than ever before and more money to support hardworking families.

Just one question Jacqueline, how do the Liberal Democrats intend to tackle crime considering they voted AGAINST Labour's legislation to clamp down on anti-social behaviour? - Neil Foster, South Otterington, Northallerton.

SINCE Tony Blair was elected in 1997, we have had debacle after debacle. To name but a few: the Dome, foot-and-mouth horrors made worse by inept action, the passport bungling, the private pensions mess partly due to the Chancellor's fund raiding (£5bn a year), the MMR fiasco, the Inland Revenue/Social Security over-payments totalling £500m, the unrelenting changes in our schools and universities, the MRSA bug in hospitals killing over 5,000 people a year, the current crisis in Iraq costing billions and grief of the families whose relatives are killed and injured.

Finally, the constant use of Private Finance Initiatives, which so far total £38bn, on building hospitals, surgeries, Government buildings etc.

The buildings are erected by the private sector and rented by contract to the Government.

So the debt will climb and will be there for the length of the contracts. - L Tyson, Crook.

PARKING

I AGREE with the letter (HAS, Dec 3) criticising the extortionate charges that shoppers have to pay for parking in Darlington.

We have to pay one of the most excessive charges per hour in the area. Bishop Auckland, for example, charges 50p per hour in the Bondgate car park, Middlesbrough is cheaper again and the MetroCentre is free. What do we pay? Russell Street car park £2 for the first hour and Grange Road is just as bad.

If the town is trying to attract and keep shoppers, and to compete with out-of-town shopping areas, it is out of its mind if it thinks this is the way forward.

I fell foul of the charges when I inadvertently parked on Grange Road without realising that chargeable parking had been introduced.

I didn't see any large yellow signs, like there are on Duke Street, stating that new charges applied, and it makes me very angry that I got a £30 ticket.

I shall not be shopping in town again until the powers that be start charging competitive parking prices.

Come on Darlington Council, listen to the shopkeepers and the shoppers. We will vote with our feet and cars and money, which you seem too keen to grab. - Darran Weston, Darlington.