Sir, - Peter Cook in his letter last week said he was congratulating Mrs June Imeson on her stance against traffic calming for Great Ayton and berating the defiling of the highway in Great Broughton.

Great Broughton is a completely different kettle of fish to Great Ayton. It is situated on a major road and has an accident record as long as his arm!

As a district councillor, I fought long and hard for these measures although I would have preferred not to see so much urbanisation with so many signs throughout the village, but this was decided by the county council.

Living near the crossroads, I attended many accidents which were not reported to the police as they did not include injury to passengers. Also the safety of children crossing this road from the east side of the village to attend school had to be taken into account.

The accident figures speak for themselves, these were obtained from Stokesley police and cover the area from Stokesley to Laskill in Bilsdale.

1999 2000

Fatal accidents 1 0

Seriously injured 9 0

Slightly injured 13 0

No one injured 6 0

Animals injured 2 1

Totals 31 1

(Figures cover Apr-Sept in each year)

This is the busiest time of year normally for accidents, but there were no human accidents and Great Broughton's traffic calming was completed in March 2000, so these show figures before and after calming was in place.

Maybe Mr Cook should live on a major road instead of in a quiet backwater and then he would realise that it has worked and that traffic is going much slower through the village.

CounMARGARET SKILBECK

Hambleton District member for Broughton & Greenhow ward.

In, not out

Sir, - On Wednesday, October 11, I was visited at home by Ian Galletley, the Conservative councillor who represents Middleton ward on Teesdale District Council, but I was out when he called, or at least that is what the slip of paper said that was pushed through my letter box. I was in fact at home, having my lunch and a read of the paper before going to work.

I wonder how many people around Middleton had these slips of paper pushed through their doors, telling them Coun Galletley had called but they were out at the time. If Coun Galletley is, as part of the message on this slip of paper pushed through my door went on to say, "determined to visit local people as often as he can", he, or his supporters, have to at least try and ascertain if the people he represents are actually at home or not, before saying they were out when he called.

Of course, there are a couple of options open to the Cleatlam-based councillor for Middleton if he is determined to meet local people as often as he can. He can call on people when there is more chance of them being at home, such as weekends or evenings, or he could hold a councillors' surgery, choosing a different venue within his ward each month, which would give the electorate the chance to met him face to face on a regular basis. Any of these options must be better than telling the electorate they were out when he called, which he did in my case, when in fact I was not.

PAUL KANE

The Hude,

Middleton in Teesdale.

A joint effort

Sir, - Can I be permitted a polite rebuttal to our former Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council colleague, Stan Wilson, who is now, I hope, enjoying both his retirement and his cricket in Thirsk?

He argues (D&S, Oct 13) that the regeneration efforts in Saltburn that have been the subject of debate in your columns recently were instituted ten years ago by the then Langbaurgh Borough Council.

I think he is referring to the extension of the Rural Development Area to include Saltburn which took place at about that time. That, welcome as it was, is not the issue that is the current subject of debate. What is, is the work that has, and will take place in Saltburn and which was instituted or enabled to come about by the local Saltburn partnership and Redcar and Cleveland Council.

This work includes the efforts to establish the new beach centre and associated works in the valley gardens which was done under the Rural Challenge scheme, and the work to fully restore the Victorian pier which was helped by cash from Europe, the Heritage Lottery Foundation and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council.

I've no doubt that Stan, on his future visits to meet old friends in East Cleveland, will appreciate these new facilities, and the part of the council of which he was a member in helping to secure them.

Coun DAVID WALSH

Leader, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council

Town Hall,

South Bank