DURHAM county councillors have voted themselves a new computer, chair and desk with all Internet bills taken care of.

No mention has been made of what happens to this equipment when these councillors are inevitably voted off the council. We all thought that the reason that councillors claimed expenses was to enable them to do their civic duty.

Is this the same council who, over the last four years, has, "because of cutbacks and financial restraints", closed so many old people's homes? Is this the same council, which for the same reasons, has withdrawn any care in the home to a mentally-handicapped couple? Is this the same council which has begun, for the first time ever, to make mentally-handicapped adults pay to attend their day centres?

Is this the council which cannot afford to grit the roads so that people can get out of their homes to go to work?

It can be clearly seen why Durham County Council recently received a "poor" rating from the Social Services Inspectorate and a request for a revision of this rating was refused.

It is surely time that the ratepayers of Durham organised a rate strike, until this council gets its priorities in order, and sees itself for what it is, a servant of the people and not the master. - A Elliott, Gilesgate, Durham City.

WHY should we complain about council staff wanting a six per cent wage rise? After all they very kindly gave the public a 15 per cent rise.

The local authorities were last year awarded poor marks by the Audit Commission and therefore improvements will have to be seen to be made, obviously at a cost (to the public and not the authority of course).

Simple arithmetic, if this rise is awarded then this erases the extra money we have presented them with to maintain services. Pure and utter greed, nothing else.

What is more worrying is civil disobedience is also being kept very quiet, as arrears for non-payment of council tax amount to £1.4bn. This has and will continue to be written off.

The Government should be made accountable and the "paying" public made aware.

The whole council tax saga stinks of underhand dealing and a downright complacent attitude to a "dwindling" paying public. - Jim Tague, Chairman, Bishop Auckland Branch, Conservative Party.

HOSPITAL SERVICES

T PATTINSON (HAS, Jun 5) assumes that the real cause of problems at the University Hospital North Durham is all to do with bad management. He ignores the real issue regarding the NHS as a whole. It is down to the fact that too many believe that the NHS is a panacea we use without the concern of who pays for it.

The NHS cannot succeed as long as it is run by government dogma and inexperienced ministers. It cannot succeed under the illusion of a free service while, at the same time, seeing the costs outstripping its funding. Every time another few billion is put into the NHS it seems it is not enough.

The Northern Echo gives us its version of how it would like the NHS to be run, which is tax the rich and the better paid, and leave the less well off believing we will be better off and have a health service best in the world, when in fact we are getting a second rate service at a high price. - John Young, Crook.

ROYAL FAMILY

THIS has been a somewhat depressing time for Republicans. The Palace PR people have done a good job promoting the Queen, if not her family, and I wonder what the whole jamboree cost the taxpayer when half the world is starving.

However, the Royalists should not be too jolly because there are countless millions of Republicans in our country whose day is still to come.

The Queen has done her duty, no doubt probably at the expense of her children who are not exactly role models.

If we must have Royalty, then I am glad the Queen will not abdicate in favour of Charles. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

TRANSPORT POLICIES

BUS operators will play a key role in delivering the Government's ten-year Transport Plan.

Green Transport Week (June 8-16) aims to raise awareness of transport issues to encourage people to think about their travel options.

Arriva is dedicated to delivering transport services that meet customers' needs and encourage social inclusion.

The Government recently announced four performance targets to improve services for bus passengers and which would underpin the Government's target to increase bus usage by ten per cent by 2010.

These targets, covering reliability, fleet age, accessibility and passengers information, are challenging. However, they have been welcomed by Arriva. - Steve Noble, Managing Director, Arriva North East and Northumbria.

JUSTICE FOR THE MINERS

DURING the Second World War, all coal mining in Britain was classed as a reserved occupation for the war effort.

Now this Government, like the last one, doesn't want to know about the ex-miners' compensation for the dreaded lung disease caused by inhaling coal and stone dust, also powder fumes from coal and stone blasting.

Of course they were only miners working underground in bad conditions, not like the farmers and asbestos workers with the fresh air and also the blue sky above. - A Pyle, Kelloe.