RESIDENTS in the Cockerton and Faverdale areas of Darlington have been consulted on the borough council's proposal to demolish a local school and move it to a new site nearer a great deal of new, and proposed, housing.

Many of those who received the 6,000 letters sent out will have been either parents of present pupils or former pupils themselves, but a mere 283 replies were received.

A council spokesman said 180 of the replies were from the parents of present pupils and, of those, 70pc were in favour of the proposed move. That's 126 out of 180.

There's nothing about how many of the 103 non-parental replies were in favour, which rather hints that they weren't. Hardly a ringing endorsement.

Nor do those 283 replies represent the strength of feeling in the gossip on the street. They may, however, represent a lack of faith in the consultative process.

Flattered

IMITATION, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery so Spectator is pleased to report that Northumbria Larder, the group which promotes local food producers north of the Tees, is holding a North-East Food Fortnight.

Restaurants and cafes around the region are to promote local food through special menues and promotional material is to be made available in all the participating outlets.

It may sound rather familiar for those of you who read about the D&S Times' Great North Country Fare Food Week back in June and who, better still, visited the many restaurants which took part in our promotion then.

We are pleased a good idea, if we say it ourselves, is being re-used and we hope readers will patronise the many establishments taking part in the Northumbrian fortnight.

Details can be found on the Northumbria Larder web-site www.northumbria-larder.co.uk.

Penny pinching?

A few months ago Spectator brought you the story about the bank manager who found himself with no cash when entertaining our Farming Editor to a cup of coffee. The D&S man had to help out the rather embarrassed senior bank official with some readies.

Now Spectator has come across another instance of the bank whose generosity seems to know no bounds.

This week's post contained a envelope from the bank in question, but unfortunately unstamped. The postage to pay was 99p.

We coughed up, but sadly for the bank the press release the envelope contained ended up in the bin.