IT is clear to everyone that the company operating the Gala Theatre failed to deliver on its contract. The city council will take all available steps to pursue money owed to it.

The council is examining every aspect of the business it has inherited, from finance to marketing, and will make a decision about future management arrangements within three months.

There is already interest from national operators in running the theatre.

Without doubt, the Gala Theatre is a superb venue and has proved a popular attraction during the opening months. This is highlighted by the recent performance of children from the Belmont cluster group with their jubilee concert.

The benefits of the Gala, as a community venue, were expressed on the night and one headteacher later wrote to say that "all pupils and adults alike had a very positive experience which we hope to repeat again in the future".

The council will take a long-term view of the Gala's future to make sure that people in Durham continue to enjoy quality live entertainment for many years to come. - Mick Bennett, Durham City Labour Group.

COULD I please add to your list of questions (Echo, June 21) about the Gala Theatre in Durham?

Who gave the council the right to give £75,000 interest-free to a company from out of the area? Remember these are the people who go on about the North-South divide. Would they have given a local firm the same deal? - J D Brown, Bowburn.

Billingham FORUM

AS a patron of the Forum Theatre, Billingham, I am angry that Stockton Council intends to demolish the unique traditional theatre where the famous ask to appear.

With Arc and Gala in such a mess, we cannot afford to lose such places of culture. - Mary Armstrong, Crook.

NOW that the plans for the regeneration of Billingham Forum and town centre have been put on hold (Echo, June 22), it is a good opportunity to go back to square one and really consult the people of Billingham and the surrounding area as to what they want and what they don't want for the town.

The scheme which was proposed was not what was originally envisaged by most people. This time the plans should be strong on identifying and fulfilling the wishes of the people who will use the Forum.

In other words, everything that is available now, including the theatre, should be in the regeneration plan, plus as many more "extras" as money allows. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

USHAW COLLEGE

READING of the uncertain future of the college at Ushaw and the proposed £2.5m scheme to house university students in Durham City, could this fine building on a unique site not return to its former glory by accommodating students?

Just under half of Durham students live outside Durham, many in the Deerness Valley. Travelling tutors are a possibility. Let us not lose nor waste a valuable inheritance. - A Hall, Durham.

Afghanistan

WHAT now for Afghanistan? The huge anti-terrorist campaign has collapsed and President Bush only uses it now to try and deviate minds from his country's disastrous economic situation.

Only in and around Kabul is there any semblance of law and order and 90 per cent of the country is controlled by warlords.

When the US troops follow the British home, Turkey is to be left holding the baby, and a very rebellious baby at that.

The Taliban leaders are all over the border in Pakistan, among their Pashtoon allies in an area the Pakistan authorities dare not enter.

If Afghanistan becomes destabilised, which is distinctly possible, who knows what will happen.

Another disastrous intervention by the West into an area it knows nothing about.

As Bush continues to flag wave, which Americans just love, he is emerging as a real threat to the stability of the Middle East, and who knows how that will end up.

The quicker the European nations get together and tell Bush to mind his own business, the better it will be for all of us. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

CHILDLINE

CHILDLINE, the UK's free-24-hour helpline for children and young people, is sadly only able to answer around a quarter of the 15,000 attempted calls to its 0800 1111 helpline every day.

Children calling from your area may have to dial several times before they get through - tragically some give up altogether.

There is a very simple and easy way for your readers to help raise funds for ChildLine. It won't cost a penny - just a few minutes of their time. BT is sending customer surveys to each of their 19 million residential customers over the course of this year and have promised to donate £1 to ChildLine for every one that is filled out and returned.

Already BT customers have helped to raise over £500,000 for ChildLine and more surveys will be dropping through letterboxes this month. It costs ChildLine an average of £32 to counsel each child, so £500,000 could help us provide comfort, advice and protection to more than 15,500 children and young people.

Each of your readers who takes the time to return their BT Consumer survey will be helping ChildLine reach more children in your area; young people who desperately need our support, comfort and protection. - Esther Rantzen, Chair, ChildLine.