RESIDENTS of a tiny rural community have been left hopping mad after a planned visit by Countryside Minister Mr Alun Michael was cancelled at the last minute.

Mr Michael was due to attend Newbiggin village hall in upper Teesdale on Monday to launch the new £32.5m Leader Plus programme, and is listed on a government press release as actually having done so.

The hall's management committee had been asked at short notice to play host to the launch, and in just three working days arranged catering, cancelled hall bookings, contacted police for traffic management cones and found time to liaise with Mr Paul Mitchell, the North Pennines Leader II programme co-ordinator, regarding the visit.

But at the weekend, when all arrangements were in place, they were told that the launch had been moved to the West Midlands. When asked the reason why, the hall's activities co-ordinator, Miss Madeleine Sutcliffe, was told that Newbiggin was too far away.

"I found this remarkable," she said, "as their initial criteria was a remote, rural village hall, which had benefited in the past from the Leader II programme.

"We had already received their itinerary detailing the arrangements and naturally we feel annoyed and very let down. This event would have been a great boost for the area. It's a poor beginning for Defra."

Miss Sutcliffe has written to Mr Michael expressing the committee's anger. Part of her letter reads: "Is it any wonder that the country appears to be sinking into a malaise of indifference and cynicism towards the political process generally and politicians specifically when government ministers treat voluntary community efforts like ours with such contempt?"

Copies have also gone to Mrs Margaret Beckett, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, and local MPs.

Although invited to comment on the cancellation, there was no response from Defra HQ in London.