Hear All Sides

RAY MALLON

WHILE the idea of Ray Mallon becoming a mayor seems to have merit, it could also cause problems and a clash of interests when one considers the amount of toes he would have to tread on.

It would be nice to think that people could have more say in running the place they live in and that individuals can be heard.

Does having a mayor mean that there will be less bureaucracy and less waste of taxpayers' money? If the answer is yes, then the idea is sound, but if it is simply another job, then the answer is no.

Cleveland and other areas of the North have more than their share of problems and more expense and bureaucratic interference is in my opinion a non-starter.

As for Ray Mallon as mayor, it is as good a prospect as Middlesbrough could expect and under the circumstances, he should be given the chance. - John Young, Crook.

FOOT-AND-MOUTH

CAN I put some perspective on the Government's continuous attempts to vilify farmers over foot-and-mouth disease.

No doubt some have erred, many through dire necessity, but could this compare to the sleaze and deceits of our leaders. While most of the attempts to pin blame are unproven, it is a fact that meat potentially infected with BSE and FMD is still entering the country.

As if trying to incite a protest from farmers, we now have Lords Whitty and Haskins making inflammatory statements.

In recent years, we received an average of £5.5bn a year from the EU, covering all farm payments and the other little privileges. Yet we pay £7.5bn a year.

Would this little surplus be better spent contributing to the production of our own regulated food supply, rather than importing cheap food from doubtful sources and helping to fill the EU coffers? - J Heslop, Gainford.

CLEVELAND POLICE

CLEVELAND used to have one of the most respected police forces in the country. However, respect, once earned, has to be maintained and, unfortunately, no one has apparently conveyed this to the hierarchy at police headquarters with the result that many residents no longer have confidence in the force.

How can we trust a Chief Constable who insists that his officers under disciplinary investigation should continue to be suspended whereas the same ruling should not apply to himself ? And where do our politicians stand in this affair ?

When Ray Mallon reduced the crime figures and it became national news, they rushed up from London to be seen to be associated with the success.

Now that things have become embarrassingly sour, they are conspicuous by their absence and silence with the exception of Ashok Kumar.

When Government organisations are at fault, their leaders are quickly removed but, during the Lancet debacle, scapegoats are still being sought. - M Heslop, Billingham.

NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE

THE North-South Divide is now at crisis point. We need help now from central Government before we pass the point of no return.

Where are the voices of our North-East MPs who represent the region in Westminster? They can bury their heads in the sand no longer.

In my opinion, the only support our region is receiving is from The Northern Echo with the headline on August 7, Help North-East Now Appeal. At least some high-powered organisation is on our side. - Coun Stephen Smailes, Conservative Group Leader Stockton Council.

HIGHER EDUCATION

DESPITE the Government's commitment to widening participation, working-class young people in the region are still under-represented in higher education.

Two-thirds of university students come from professional middle class backgrounds, even though only 50 per cent of the population is middle class. Young people from the highest socio-economic groups have a 73 per cent chance of getting to university, compared to only a seven per cent chance for those from the lowest socio-economic groups.

Government attempts to recruit more learners from lower socio-economic groups via its £1.7m scheme to widen access to higher education is to be welcomed. Yet both survey and anecdotal evidence suggests that the present system of student support and the fear of debt is deterring large numbers of qualified working class students from applying to university.

If we are serious about widening access and promoting opportunity for all, the Government must bring in means-tested educational maintenance grants for disadvantaged groups based on its successful EMA scheme for 16 to 19-year-olds in further education. - Stephen Lambert (Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Berwick 1987 and Roxburgh 1992).