AS Gordon Brown faces media speculation over the timing of a General Election, the money market has the jitters.

He also faces new outbreaks of foot-and-mouth, blue tongue disease and the destabilising of Northern Rock. I hear, too, that we have record personal and government debt.

Bearing in mind that Mr Brown has been Prime Minister for just a couple of months, he should announce that there will not be a General Election this year or in the foreseeable future. The needs of our country should come first.

This would allow him time to discuss the North-East's problems with Nick Brown, his Minister for the North. They could then engage in giving the North "fair government grants", based on our needs in many areas of social deprivation.

They would have to either update or replace the Barnett Formula and give a major injection of industrial investment to enable our young to obtain local employment. At present, many have to move to the affluent South for work.

Councillor Ben Ord, Liberal Democrat, Sedgefield Borough Council.