COUNCIL TAX

CAN any Durham County councillor or Derwentside District councillor explain why my council tax has been increased by over 14 per cent?

I have a letter from the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. This says: "The settlement for 2002-03 provides for increases in grant for all local authorities, and Durham receives a grant increase of £15.887m or 5.60 per cent which is above the rate of inflation."

I also found out that manual workers' wage increases for the current year were 3.5 per cent or £380, whichever was the greater.

With inflation at 2.1 per cent, where is all the extra income that is raised to go?

Surely with the above-inflation government grant and low inflation, an increase of this proportion is not necessary to cover anticipated increase in expenditure for the coming year?

This 14 per cent increase means that exactly £10 of our joint pensions increases of £22 per month will be eaten away on just one item. Whilst I am obviously concerned for my own sake, the men who empty our dustbins, or those who carry out repairs to council houses, or look after the public gardens, also have a justified grievance. - DC Elsom, Catchgate, Stanley.

HOUSING PROPOSAL

I WOULD like to join your other correspondents in objecting to the massive housing development proposed for Whitworth.

This is out of all proportion to the size and importance of a small town like Spennymoor, and a more unsuitable location could hardly have been chosen.

The present Greenways estate is already far too large and unwieldy, lacking all amenities, apart from a single public house. The new development would merely be an extension to this, making it, possibly, the largest unbroken stretch of bricks and concrete in the county and destroying yet more of our precious countryside.

In trying to ensure a future for this town, the council is putting the cart before the horse. First, it should try to attract some worthwhile industry, then improve the town and its infrastructure, only then may people from other areas be tempted to come and live here.

New housing should be the last of the council's priorities and, even then, not on our rapidly shrinking green belt land. - Alan Scott, Spennymoor.

I'VE heard many complaints about the proposed housing development at Whitwoth Park, Spennymoor, and the impact it will have on the surrounding woodland and greenbelt area. Not to mention the congestion it will cause for access to and from the existing Carr Lane estate and the impact on already overcrowded local schools.

What most people don't realise is that this is only part of the potential plan and the worst is yet to come. The original 1995 plan for 600 homes and a golf course was scrapped due to new government guidelines, which called for applications to be made for smaller area, higher density housing using land closer to the town first and working outward to the countryside.

In short, the plans had to be re-submitted in phases. This is only the first phase, and, in the process, the golf course has been dropped and much higher density housing added.

The fields beyond the bridle path dividing the Rosa Shafto nature reserve are still in the County Plan for development, but cannot be touched until this phase is authorised.

Sedgefield Borough Council, and not the developers, was the instigator of this project, having earmarked this land as suitable for development and invited applications.

It is energetically pursuing this with a huge council tax bonanza as the prize, so don't hold your breath expecting the application to be refused. Kiss goodbye to the fields and woodlands. The inhabitants of nature reserves don't pay rates. - P Casson, Spennymoor.

PETER LEE

WHAT a lovely letter from Vera Jackson (HAS, Mar 11) about my Peter Lee walk.

Maureen and I have organised the walk for two reasons. One is to raise money for the St John's Ambulance Blue Light Appeal, but also to draw attention to Peter Lee and what he did. We have met people who did not realise Peterlee was named after him!

Obviously we would like sponsorship, and can be contacted on 0191-587 0008, but we would also like to hear more stories about Peter Lee like Vera's, and if people could lend us actual memorabilia, we shall organise an exhibition. - David Taylor-Gooby, Peterlee.

WAR ON TERRORISM

AS I watched on television America remembering those killed on September 11, I wondered if any American spared a moment's thought for those innocent men, women and children who have been murdered by terrorist groups and brutal dictatorships, whose training, funding and weaponry was provided either by contributions from American citizens or by direct funding from that supporter of terrorist groups and brutal regimes, the Central Intelligence Agency? - C Riley, Spennymoor.

EUROPE

IT is interesting to note the contributions of different groups to the calls for reasoned open debate on joining the euro. Letters to HAS and comments from leading economic experts who see problems in joining, all seem to go into detail, giving sound reasons why the euro is not suitable in its present format.

I have noticed nearly all pro-euro letters are made up of soporific vague rhetoric. The latest being talk of King Canute, and time and tide wait for no man. Another talks about heads in the sand, changing world, xenophobia

What is xenophobic about keeping Britain independent from a regressive, corrupt, undemocratic regime?

Letters giving credit to a federal Europe for preventing war are very premature. Its self interests and disunity are already becoming apparent. - J Heslop, Gainford.