MEALS ON WHEELS: J ATKINSON ( HAS, Apr 10 ) singles out Durham County Council for criticism for withdrawing its funding from the meals on wheels service - even though every district council which was party to the scheme has already done the same thing.

In doing so, he accuses us of taking the food out of the mouths of people who cannot afford "a good hot meal".

In fact, the very opposite is the case.

Through a variety of state benefits, the Government makes available to all vulnerable people the basic requirements for food, shelter and warmth.

Our more equitable task is to help the most vulnerable people in our community access their rightful entitlement to sufficient income, through advice and support, to provide meals for themselves.

No meal delivery is withdrawn from anyone without that person first receiving a full needs assessment by our social care and health staff, who offer advice and information on how to purchase a meal from a local supplier, or make the necessary arrangements on their behalf.

People who need assistance with feeding or accessing daily food can still obtain this support through the county council's social care and health service.

The county council remains committed to providing services to the most vulnerable people in our communities and currently provides a wide range of care services to 10,667 County Durham residents. - County Councillor Christine Smith, Cabinet Member for Strong, Healthy & Safe Communities.

GLOBALISATION

I KEEP hearing about globalisation and wonder what people are really talking about.

It seems to me that globalisation means we don't have a coal industry, don't build any ships and our orchards are being uprooted. Meanwhile, in poorer countries, workers get paid a pittance and all sorts of goods end up travelling half way round the world.

Surely, real progress is where countries produce as much as they can locally while ensuring the producers of their imports receive a decent wage. - Pam Woolner, Green Party European Election Candidate, Chopwell.

REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

WITH the problems of crime, asylum seekers, an undeclared war, health, transport and pensions, the rush to regional assemblies is both gross and irrelevant.

We vote in 625 MPs to look after our needs and aspirations. They should feel insulted that another layer of government is being set up between them and voters. Why are they in Westminster?

Regional assemblies will close down local councils, deny local issues or privatise services on a regional basis.

Let's give a resounding no to the regional assembly and return to a proud United Kingdom. - R Harbron, Norton.

EUROPE

AS a founding father of the European Union and the European Parliament, Winston Churchill was clear in his view that "Britain is an integral part of Europe" and that "Britain cannot be thought of as a single state in isolation".

Indeed, Churchill was so keen to join in with our European partners that he stated that the "Durham miners wouldn't like it" when Britain did not become a co-signatory in the 1950 European Coal and Steel pact.

Today we still see the lack of foresight in the anti-European and British isolationist rhetoric of the UK Independence Party.

Churchill, a man of vision, knew that Britain's place was at the heart of Europe, so that we may lead it. - Tom Blenkinsop, Marton, Middlesbrough.

WHEN the EU expands to 25 member states, the language problem will become even more horrendous than it already is.

Because most EU citizens speak only their mother tongue, and because the EU is determined to maintain access to its documents and decisions for everyone, everything has to be translated into all the EU languages.

The EU of 15 states had 11 languages: English, German, French, Danish, Finnish, French, Greek, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and Swedish. The EU of 25 will have nine more: Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian and Czech. If Cyprus is reunified, Turkish will also become an official EU language.

Even this leaves out regional languages like Catalan, Irish and Welsh. To interpret into 20 languages requires 60 interpreters, each interpreter costing 660 euros per day. This will bring the language budget to over one billion euros a year.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you are now governed. Laws made by the EU have primacy over those made by our own Parliament. A Parliament which rubber stamps laws by people who are unelected and unaccountable.

And don't forget, you have never given the European Union a mandate to exist. You were simply given a referendum to remain in a Common Market in 1975.

Once everyone starts to wake up to this complete and utter deceit and betrayal of our democracy, there may be another language required to be translated, but not in a family newspaper. - Neil Herron, Independent Candidate, European Elections, Sunderland.

PLANNING

WHEN is 15 feet intrusive and 80 feet not intrusive? Answer: when you're a Hurworth Parish Councillor.

The decision to object to Middlesbrough Football Club's plans to erect floodlights at their state of the art training ground, but not object to a phone mast, makes them a laughing stock once again.

The people of Hurworth are always complaining that the youngsters of our village have nowhere to go and are always hanging around the streets, the shops and the Grange grounds causing a nuisance.

This would have been a perfect opportunity to ask the football club to work with them to allow the youngsters to use these facilities under supervision to play football, hockey, basketball and the like in areas that would be safe for the kids, keep them fit, and away from old people's houses. - Andy Thompson, Hurworth Place.

DARK SIDE

THANK you Betty Hopson for speaking out in a way that no doubt many felt they would like to about The Dark Side supplement (HAS, Apr 6).

My copy went straight into the recycling bag without a word being read or a page turned. It is high time we Christians spoke out as you have done.

What inheritance indeed are we leaving to our children and the next generation when things of evil and the occult are promoted as normal? As you say, where is the truth being shown or taught?

In his column on the same page, Peter Mullen laments the lack of decent religious broadcasting. As he points out, there is a desperate need for religious broadcasting to include learned Christian theologians to be seen and heard offering an intelligent introduction to the faith.

The mainly insipid, uninspiring stuff and near blasphemous rubbish that is often screened does nothing to promote Christianity or to instruct anyone in what faith in Jesus Christ is all about.

Maybe it is time more Christians let their light shine more strongly and made their voices heard for the truth, rather than allowing darkness to fall due to their inactivity. - EA Moralee, Billingham.