Letters

THE loss by fire of St Brandon's Church at Brancepeth, with its magnificent interior, was a huge tragedy. We lost one of the greatest treasures in County Durham, of which there are too few.

A recent visit to the stained glass exhibition in Darlington Arts Centre once again confirmed to me the wealth of artistic talent there is in County Durham.

I hope we will make use of this source when the church is rebuilt. St Brandon's would once again be visited not just for its fine 17th Century woodwork, but as a superb example of modern local craftsmanship worthy of a place on the tourist map. - DV Tindale, Staindrop.

COUNCILLORS DOUTHWAITE

IT CAME as quite a surprise to read (Echo, Jan 5) that we had been nominated for the Bouquet of the Week by Margaret Gibb and residents of Arnold Street, West Auckland, and also to be selected by Sharon Griffiths for the first Bouquet of the New Year.

May we say it was a kind gesture on the part of Margaret and the residents and we would like to thank them. Also, we would like to say thank you to Sharon for selecting us as the winners, the bouquet was beautiful and well and truly appreciated.

As councillors, we must say that what we do is all that should be expected of a councillor. We are there for anyone who needs advice, help in any shape or form, we never neglect our duties or responsibilities. Anyone who says they never see us, has never needed us.

Thanks to all concerned for the thought, it was very kind of you all. - Councillors H and M Douthwaite, Bishop Auckland.

EUROPE

PROOF that Ted Health "lied" to the British people in 1973 when he took us into the Common Market was revealed in documents released under the Thirty Year Rule.

The public were continuously told that we were entering a trading bloc which would not lead to any erosion of essential national sovereignty.

Now the truth is out. If the British people had known this they would never have voted yes.

The same lies as peddled by Heath are now being propounded by the Lib/Lab Alliance. The rot must be stopped at the General Election. We must reclaim our nation. - David Pascoe, Hartlepool.

BEFORE Hugh Pender churns out any more nauseating praise about that gang in Westminster he might like to consider the irreparable damage they have already done to Britain. What next? A headlong rush into Europe I suppose. - W Longstaff, Darlington.

BANK HOLIDAYS

SO, nearly three-quarters of Britons want to see January 2 declared a Bank Holiday - supporting the move to bring the rest of Britain into line with Scotland and have an extra day to recover from New Year celebrations.

What percentage of Britons realises that:

There is no general statutory right for a worker to have Bank or public holidays, with or without pay. Where a worker is paid for a public holiday, this will count towards his/her entitlement to annual leave.

As from November 3, 1999, the statutory amount of paid holiday an employee is entitled to is four weeks - inclusive of public holidays (unless the Contract of Employment states otherwise).

The giving of any extra public holiday, for example, the Government's announcement of an extra public holiday in June 2001, is totally meaningless. A distressing thought, isn't it? - Pam Phillips, Barnard Castle.

COUNCIL TAX

I WONDER how many other residents of Darlington were horrified and very angry to read that council taxes are to rise by more than 12 per cent this year.

The Government has been at great pains to keep reminding us that inflation has been kept low for the past few years. Therefore, to state that council tax is to rise by over five times the rate of inflation, with budget cuts of £1.2m, raises many questions.

Has central government dramatically reduced its central grant to councils, thereby raising taxes indirectly, by passing the burden of raising extra money to the local council.

Also, education has been at the forefront of spending by this Government - or so we are constantly told - yet still Darlington Council says it needs to raise more money for education. How much money does education need?

I think it is about time more honesty was used by central and local government.

With inflation so low, why this outlandish demand? Should any other service provider dare to make a 12.5 per cent rise in charges it would be vilified for excessive charging, and rightly so.

I appreciate that we must pay for our services, but excessive rises like this one are not acceptable.- CG Lamper, Darlington.

HUNTING

I HAVE followed the hunting debate on these pages and seen both sides trot out, so to speak, the same old argument, stretching points so they include the writers' own personal prejudices.

But I find the theft of 46 beagles disturbing. So many earmarked hounds in an urban setting would attract much attention, so one can only assume that the pack that has lived most of their lives together has been split up in strange surroundings, will be under-exercised and, further, they would most likely be fed on tinned food which, while less offensive to vegetarian sensitivities, would be far inferior to the fresh carcass fed to kennelled hounds.

But then it's probably all right to commit theft, cruelty to hounds and support cruelty to farm stock in the name of a hunting ban which is falsely claimed would improve animal welfare. - Name and address supplied.