17/01/04

This has to be the best advertisement yet for the creation of a single, all-purpose unitary council for County Durham.

If two councils estimate they can save £60,000 a year by merging just one element of one service they currently both provide separately, just imagine how much could be saved if all seven district councils operated a single, joint control centre between them.

Better still, it serves as a clear illustration of the potential savings that could be achieved if all district council functions were combined with all county council functions and provided by one single, new authority.

In an attempt to impress the council taxpayers of County Durham with their search for thrift and efficiency, all these two district councils have succeeded in doing is to strengthen the case for unitary local government.

Detailed cost comparisons carried out on behalf of the county council show a single unitary council serving the whole of County Durham, instead of the present two tier system of district councils and county council, would save £21m a year and cost between £7m and £14m a year less than the proposals for two or three unitaries.

Proposals for joint service arrangements like those being considered by Wear Valley District and Sedgefield Borough councils confirm the economics involved - the bigger the scale of the merger, the bigger the savings. - John Shuttleworth, County Councillor, Durham County Council.

CEMENT WORKS

CAN anyone tell the people of Weardale what is actually going to happen at Eastgate cement works?

It is now coming up to two years since the company closed, but for a handful of staff. John Hamilton and One NorthEast talk about a regeneration scheme for the Weardale plant, but the view of the people on the outside looking in, is it is just another Government body keeping themselves in a cosy little job. - K Lally, Wolsingham.

EARTHQUAKE APPEAL

I WOULD like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who sent donations to help Iran's children in the aftermath of the terrible earthquake that struck the city of Bam in the early hours of December 26.

These have already helped Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund, to provide medical supplies, tents and warm clothing for the thousands of children made homeless as, in just 12 seconds, more than 80 per cent of the city crumbled to rubble around them.

Now, search and rescue teams have gone home and the focus of the world's media has moved on. Stricken families remain huddled in tents, reluctant to leave the rubble that was once their homes. Children, in particular, have been traumatised and with each of the 100 aftershocks that have occurred in the last two weeks, their terror has increased.

Unicef has launched an appeal for £8m to help in the relief, recovery and immediate rehabilitation of the city over the next three months. Unicef is already supplying latrines and rehabilitating water systems to prevent the outbreak and spread of diseases, and urgently needs funds to enable this work to continue.

In addition, Unicef will provide psychosocial support and care for the 6,800 children who have lost one or both of their parents in the disaster.

All of the region's 131 schools have been destroyed or left useless by quake damage. Unicef is providing tents and materials to set up temporary classrooms in an effort to restore a sense of normality for children. A "school in a box" kit costs just £146 and will provide books, pencils, crayons and teaching materials for a teacher and 80 children.

The children of Bam are particularly vulnerable at this time and will need help in the weeks and months to come as they begin to rebuild their shattered lives.

Donations to the Unicef, Children of Iran appeal will be gratefully received by Unicef UK, PO Box 1800, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 56 4TE. Please make cheques payable to Unicef UK. - Louis Coles, Regional Fundraising Manager (North East).

TONY BLAIR

DURING past years, politicians who were deceitful and lied could expect to be removed from the political scene.

Tony Blair has been deceitful over weapons of mass destruction and he used them as an excuse to wage war on another country. Where are these so-called weapons? There are none.

He is responsible for the deaths of 51 British servicemen and goodness knows how many Iraqi civilians' deaths. For this he should not be allowed to escape war crimes charges.

As a nation we are now becoming immune to accepting without question lies and deceit. This would make us as unprincipled as these deceivers.

It is time Mr Blair was removed or forced to resign. - Fred Holdstock, Catterick Garrison.

SCARECROWS

WHAT a delightful photograph of the scarecrows singing round the piano (Echo, Jan 6).

Congratulations to farmer Peter Smith and his family for setting up the scene. No wonder people passing by were smiling.

It shows how a simple act of fun can bring pleasure to many in this world where there is far too much sadness. Long may the drunken scarecrows enjoy their celebrations. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

KEN LIVINGSTONE

HOW wise of the Prime Minister to say he was wrong about Ken Livingstone four years ago, despite having no reverse gear.

Because in the near future it is a certainty that Ken Livingstone and the Labour Party will again be at odds with one another, and then the PM can say he was right after all.

It is not a lose-lose, win-lose situation; but a clever win-win one. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

NOW that the man who can't reverse has done so in the case of Ken (he will be a disaster) Livingstone, I wonder if his agent John Burton will do the same with the old lady from Sedgefield who couldn't go to the ball, and offer his hand.

After all she has been a member of the Labour Party far longer than Ken or John and even Tony, so come on let's be friends again. - Peter Brown, Trimdon Village.