COUNCILLOR John Williams, leader of Darlington Borough Council, said election day was our opportunity to have our say. While that may be true, the people of Darlington have shown they want to be involved in the town's affairs all through the year. It is no longer a case of voting and then going home to let the council do as it pleases.

During the election campaign, if there was one, all I received were two leaflets pushed through the door. There was no knock on the door to be asked if I would vote for a particular party; no loudspeaker vans out urging people to vote for a particular candidate; no meeting in the Market Square with speakers at the top of the steps as in days of yore. Why are the political parties so timorous?

No manifesto was delivered unless one counts the Town Crier, the council's magazine distributed to all homes in the borough, which, whether by design or otherwise, arrived on our doormat a few days before the election.

If one were suspicious one would think that the Town Crier was an election address on behalf of the New Labour Party at the expense of the council tax payer.

John W Antill, Darlington.

THE May edition of the Town Crier, which arrived shortly before election day, was yet another shameless advert for Darlington's New Labour council.

If it thinks that the people of Darlington are fooled by them removing the plethora of pictures featuring New Labour councillors that usually adorn the pages of the magazine, it is seriously mistaken.

Most of the subjects of the articles in the April and May Town Criers were used as headlines on New Labour's pre-election generic leaflet in Darlington.

However, the most distressing of these was the echoing of the achievements of Joseph Pease, Darlington's favourite son, in both the Town Crier and the New Labour leaflet. It beggars belief. Comparing the visionary Joseph Pease to this New Labour council is like comparing giants to pigmies.

Joyce Coates, Darlington.

WHILE there is no doubting Labour winning the Darlington Borough Council elections, there are other ways of looking at the results.

If the number of votes for Labour candidates is counted, the total is approximately 23,075.

If the number of votes cast for non-Labour candidates were counted, the approximate number is 38,791.

The council leader, Councillor John Williams, is quoted as saying "But, overwhelmingly, it is a verdict by the electorate that they have confidence in us to take the borough forward" (Echo, May 5).

From the figures I have noted, there does not seem to be anything overwhelming about Labour's victory.

Keith Whitehall, Darlington.

I ARRIVED at the polling station for the parish council election at Burnhope (in the Derwentside District Council area) last Thursday to be confronted with a list of 13 candidates, from whom I could have chosen up to 11.

My problem was that, apart from a handful of names that bore Labour Party affiliation, I knew absolutely nothing about the personalities or politics of any of these people.

Having no basis upon which to make a choice, I chose none. Is this democracy at its best?

If we are to vote on the real issues that confront us at a local level, we ought to know where the candidates stand on these issues.

We need competent and compassionate people who are committed to the good of the community, regardless of which party, if any, they belong to. So next time, please can we have at least a few leaflets through the door.

Paul Spence, Burnhope, Durham.

I WOULD like to thank everyone who supported the Liberal Democrats in the Middlestone, Spennymoor and Low Spennymoor/Tudhoe Grange wards of Sedgefield Borough Council at last Thursday's local elections. A total of 11,251 votes were cast for the Spennymoor Liberal Democrat candidates.

Spennymoor now has ten elected Liberal Democrat councillors, six on the town council and four on the borough council. At last we are moving away from one-party politics in Spennymoor.

Councillor Ben Ord, Chairman, Spennymoor Liberal Democrats.

I WOULD like to thank the 192 people who voted for me in the Carrville and Gilesgate ward of the Durham City Council elections, and the 162 people who voted for me in the parish elections.

Obviously not enough to be elected, but it was heart-warming to know so many people had faith in me. I would like to offer my congratulations to the Liberal Democrats in the city council elections, my commiserations to Labour, and my heartfelt sympathy to the Conservative (whom I did beat).

Bob West, Durham Taxpayers Alliance.