16/08/04

It also conclusively destroys the repeated claim by district councils, campaigning for a three unitary council solution to any local government shake-up here in County Durham, that a countywide authority would be incapable of "delivering the goods" to a population of almost 500,000.

The most satisfying aspect of this inspection for me is that it has rated us highly for the quality of local services we provide and for our focus on what needs to be done to make County Durham a better place.

I am absolutely delighted with this news and what it means for the county.

The county council provides 86 per cent of council services by value in County Durham and when people pay their council tax, they can be confident that the money that comes our way is being spent by one of the best councils in the country.

This is tremendous news for County Durham and the people who work for the county council.

Each and every one of our employees has had a hand in this success and I am delighted that their dedication to serving local people has been acknowledged in this way.

There are further improvements to come and there's definitely no going back. - Councillor Ken Manton, Leader, Durham County Council.

LAW AND ORDER

MICHAEL Howard's speech on crime in Middlesborough was not only relevant for the people of Darlington because of where it was delivered.

It resonated locally because, despite New Labour's repeated claims to the contrary, crime and anti-social behaviour are growing causes of major concern in Darlington.

Even the Government's own figures show in Darlington that, for example, thefts from vehicles and sexual offences increased by 31 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively, last year over the year before. Here, the facts do support people's own perceptions.

People also know that the police force is hamstrung by political correctness and handcuffed by paperwork and they also know that answers such as more prison places, do work. They also know that when New Labour claims to be tough on crime it should be tougher instead on its own spin.

Only the Conservatives have the answers on crime that people want to hear. We are not interested in early release schemes that lead to early re-offending, as Labour does.

We are even less interested in giving the votes to prison inmates, as the Lib Dems favour.

No; a new Conservative government will scrap New Labour's police paperwork and bureaucracy and reinvest the savings in hiring new police and expanding prisons.

Under our plans, for example, 511 new police will be added to the Durham Constabulary. - Anthony Frieze, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Darlington.

I WRITE to support your editorial comment (Echo, Aug 11) in which you oppose Michael Howard's assertion that only imprisonment will deter people from committing offences.

Since he was Home Secretary back in the 1980s, there have been many more prisons opened and unprecedented numbers of people incarcerated.

There has been additional spending on raising the prison population (at an average of £36k/annum per offender) but there has not been the same level of investment in preventing re-offending.

I support your comment that increasing the fear of being caught will go some way to reducing crime. But experience of working with offenders suggests that the majority act without too much thought for the consequences and so increased chances of detection will not in itself provide the solution.

If only a small proportion of the investment in locking people up were directed toward tackling the causes of crime, i.e. poor accommodation, lack of appropriate education and community youth resources, support for parents, provision of drug rehabilitation schemes, etc. then we might achieve the crime reduction we all seek.

Locking people up serves as the means by which we can be protected from those very few offenders who will always pose a danger to our communities. It will never provide a sufficient answer to rehabilitating those who are released back into situations that contributed to their lawbreaking. - Prof Robert Williams, Chair, Probation Board, National Probation Service, County Durham.

REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

NOW we have greater clarity over the powers of a regional assembly since the Draft Bill was published.

The assembly will have powers to create jobs, safeguard jobs, support our home grown businesses and improve public transport.

It will control and influence of a budget of over £1bn per year. That doesn't sound like a talking shop. - S White, Bishop Auckland.

CYCLING

I AM writing in reply to Hugh Jackson's letter (HAS, Aug 8). If the town centre is given over to cyclists to ride on the pavements it will mean that the cycling louts that are doing so now quite illegally have won the day.

My wife has been pushed off the pavement by one cyclist who had no intention of slowing down or getting off his cycle for anyone.

I am afraid the town centre will become a no go area for pedestrians within days. Once this happens we will be shopping in safety in Asda or Morrisons free from the risk of being knocked down by the new rulers of the pavements. - AC Scott, Darlington.

THERE are elements of our society that I find totally unacceptable eg youths and young boys riding small stunt bicycles at speed anywhere in our town centre areas.

I am equally appalled by the mad motorcyclists who are described correctly by Mr Gendle (HAS, Aug 9).

The question is what can we do to stop this dangerous practice and anti-social behaviour? It seems to me that Hugh Jackson (HAS, Aug 9) of the Darlington Cycling Forum has innocently missed the point again regarding his comments on irresponsible cycling.

The safety of pedestrians in our town centre is far more important than considering the inconvenience that might be caused if we were to ban cycling in the town centre.

I am confident that the commuter cyclist, who relies on his bicycle, will accept the minor inconvenience of not being able to ride through the town centre and specifically in the pedestrianised shopping areas of the town.

As for mad motorcyclists, I believe that the new special schemes and procedures that the police are now putting into place in Durham and North Yorkshire will significantly reduce the menace of dangerous riding. These irresponsible riders will ultimately be identified and targeted. - Councillor Jim Ruck, Vice-chair, Environment Scrutiny Committee, Darlington.