Letters

I THINK your mention of a Channel 5 spokesperson (Echo, June 8) being delighted with the viewing figures for the recent Keith Chegwin effort is worrying as it makes it seem that the main yardstick for a good programme depends on numbers watching.

Indications are that there is quite a market for the increasing number of adult-type programmes.

In future years, controlling content of TV will be much trickier than it is now if the decline in standards continues.

What efforts will people make to stop the rot? Indications so far are not good, and the support of a judge for hard core porn in sex shops is not encouraging. Are the floodgates on the verge of opening?- Cliff Holliday, West Auckland.

KEITH Chegwin's venture into nude TV shows just how far some fading so- called celebrities are prepared to go to keep their names in the limelight.

There was nothing attractive and not much of entertainment value in the sight of paunchy, middle-aged people prancing about.

Let's face it, flaunting parts of the body that are far better decently covered up is not "a bit of a laugh", it's just rude and embarrassing. What a pity Channel 5 stoops to this sort of rubbish.

Does it really want to attract an audience of nothing but voyeurs and perverts? Shame on whoever thought up the idea and more shame on those who took part. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

WHILE many people who voted for Tony Blair and New Labour in 1997 now feel let down with their broken promises on health, education and crime, it is often old Labour in local government which has for generations failed people in an even bigger way.

Labour-dominated councils have become filled with chosen "yes men", who resent opposition and are often unelected and unaccountable.

The results are clear - littered streets, vandalism and empty council houses. Perhaps it is time for a common sense approach in local government as well as in national government. - Michael Fishwick, Thornley, Co Durham.

I VOTED against the cabinet system which was introduced at the annual meeting at Sedgefield Borough Council on May 26.

The committee system that the cabinet system replaced could have been improved by reducing the number of committees and removing the Labour whip.

I see no point in replacing the committee system with a cabinet system, which has very little public support. It was imposed by central Government, was ill-thought out and, with the press and public barred from cabinet meetings, is undemocratic.

We received regular meeting agendas under the committee system, which kept us informed of the general running of Sedgefield Borough Council. Under the cabinet system, full council meetings will be held every three months instead of every month. This will limit the opposition's ability to challenge the council on areas such as the Community Force, unemployment, excessive council tax spending etc.

The scrapping of the committee system in favour of the cabinet with leader system will turn out to be a big mistake and will further encourage voter apathy. - Ben Ord, Liberal Democrat Councillor, Sedgefield Borough Council.

A RATIFICATION committee has to be set up to confirm the decisions of the new cabinet system of local government in Darlington in the first year.

The council is, of course, in uncharted waters here, but the composition of the ratification committee concerns me.

Five councillors on the cabinet are also on the committee. Is this contrary to a basic principle of administrative law and natural justice that people should not sit in judgement upon themselves?

I have written to the council asking it to publish any legal advice it has been given on this issue.

If all the actions of the cabinet in the first year are subsequently found to be unlawful, local government in Darlington may have a large problem. - Nigel Boddy, Darlington

ANIMAL CRUELTY

WE were horrified by the article (Echo, May 27) about the boy who poured boiling water on to a hedgehog. The first question we want to ask is why? It is hard to understand the reason for such cruelty.

We can only hope there are answers which will point the way to helping the boy change his behaviour. It makes no sense that he would begin to care for the animal only to kill it.

Clearly there is hope for this boy since he knows that what he did was wrong. We appeal to him to face whatever craziness made him do this dreadful thing.

If you are feeding hedgehogs please give them tinned, meat-based pet food and water rather than bread and milk which upsets their stomachs. - AH Coles, British Hedgehog Preservation Society, Shropshire.

BBC PROGRAMMES

THE BBC's loss of the rights to screen Premiership football highlights makes very sad reading.

According to the way the viewing public goes, if there is a choice between the BBC and ITV with the same sporting fixture, it is the BBC they watch.

The BBC can find money for a 24-hour news service. We are bombarded all the time about its existence. Who wants it? It's sport people want and are prepared to pay for. Sky proves that. - R Gibson, Evenwood, Bishop Auckland.