13/03/06

Your report has completely missed the point of the debate.

I am quoted as saying that the Conservatives are bankrupt of ambition, which is true.

But my comment was made not, as the report suggests, because the Conservatives were attempting to ensure council tax rises of 2.5 per cent by 2009-10 but because they were suggesting a council tax rise of four per cent this year instead of our proposed increase of 4.38 per cent.

At the council meeting, the Conservatives approved our budget, our spending plans and our priorities, but then proposed a marginal reduction in council tax which would be compensated for by using the council's reserves.

Darlington Borough Council faces a challenging agenda over the next year to give residents greater value for money, improved efficiency and better quality services.

If the sum total of the Conservatives' input into that process is to suggest a marginal reduction of our budget, then not only are they bankrupt of ambition they are also without vision and financial common sense. - John Williams, Leader of Darlington Borough Council.

TAXI RIDES

RE the letter from Dr J Blades (HAS, Mar 9) regarding the little-used, or rather unused, buses which travel between Darlington railway station and Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Most people in the Darlington area know that by ringing one of the taxi companies in the town they can be taken from any point, be it home, office or even the railway station, to anywhere they wish to travel, even Durham Tees Valley Airport, for a fixed rate fare.

Arrangements can also be made to be met by a taxi for the return journey at the same fixed rate fare, so alleviating the need for a bus journey which will only take them to Darlington railway station and not to their eventual destination.

Unlike New York, these taxi fares are not subsidised, but if anyone was to offer... - TG Bolan, ABC Radio Taxis, Darlington.

POST OFFICES

IN 2005, through my work as a social worker and during my general election campaigning, many pensioners reported being bullied into opening bank and post office card accounts by Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) staff as pension books were withdrawn.

Now, in 2006, there is a further threat to the four million who opted for the post office card account. Shortly after the new year, the Government announced that the accounts would be abolished by 2010. Again the push is on to make people open bank accounts.

In a debate on the Royal Mail at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Harrogate, delegates unanimously supported an amendment submitted by myself calling for the retention of the post office system as a point of payment for state benefits and pensions.

The party decried the Government's plans as a further threat to the post office network.

Many post offices, particularly sub offices, depend on pensions and benefits for their income. The Royal Mail has said that as many as 10,000 branches could close. In many deprived urban and rural communities the sub post office is also the only shop for those without transport.

Thus the plans could leave some of the most vulnerable people without access to their money and unable to buy essential food or pay their bills which they are also able to do via their post office accounts.

An example is the sub post post office and shop used by my father-in-law in Swainby. When I first visited the village 30 years ago I remember a post office, a baker's and a village shop. Now there is only the shop with sub post office business.

Most income is from villagers. If the shop and post office should close the alternative is in Stokesley. An important community resource will be lost. - Jacquie Bell, Liberal Democrat, Dunbar.

PEDESTRIAN LANES

NOW that motorists have basically taken over the pavements and the police are not interested in arresting drivers for obstruction of the highway, when can we expect the Government to introduce 'pedestrian lanes' to run alongside the 'bus lanes' on our roads? - D Brearley, Middlesbrough.

PASSIVE SMOKING

IN reply to Tim Glanvill from Northallerton and his suggestion to make staff "fully aware" of the health risks from passive smoking (Echo, Mar 1), the people who work in these establishments are fully aware of the risks from passive smoking.

Who can forget those scenes in the recent public awareness campaigns of children and babies exhaling smoke?

A high percentage of these people are students trying to supplement their income whilst at university or college, myself included, and part time bar or restaurant work is one of the few areas that enable us to study during the day and work at night.

Some people seem to care more about a few clubs possibly losing business, some of which no doubt contributes to the increase in alcoholism, binge drinking and alcohol-fuelled violence, which adds further pressures on our NHS and police service, than the health of the thousands of staff working in these establishments.

I believe the Government has made the right decision on this and I also believe that not only will this help smokers to quit by removing the temptation (I found this particularly difficult when I quit two years ago), but I also hope many of the younger generation will be deterred from starting smoking in the first place, thereby protecting the health of our future generations. - Susan Morton, Darlington.

ELECTED MAYORS

AS the Lingfield Ward representative on Darlington Borough Council for 27 years, I have served under a variety of mayors (and was honoured myself in 1995) and all were elected on seniority grounds, not by political affiliation.

The system we have in Darlington is the envy of many local authorities, not only in the North-East but throughout the country.

It is perhaps predictable that there are small groups of vocal citizens who feel that it would be in their particular interests to have an elected mayor, but this has already been shown in neighbouring authorities not to work like that. Darlington has a democratically-elected council, rated by central government inspectors to be an excellent authority, with the lowest council tax in the North-East.

Those minority groups, and others with a score to settle with the council who are behind the proposed petition calling for a referendum for an elected mayor for Darlington, say that the council does not listen.

What they do not realise, or wish to admit, is that the council governs in the long-term interests of all the citizens of Darlington, and not just a voluble minority.

My advice to those who are asked to sign a petition calling for a referendum for an elected mayor, is to ask, "who do you represent and why?". - Frank Robson, Darlington.