IN your story about residents seeking a poll over whether the job title of Ferryhill Town Council’s executive officer should be changed to town clerk (Echo, April 13) Labour councillor Bernie Lamb said it seemed that the Ferryhill Association for Independent Representation (Fair) had been conducting a witch-hunt against council staff for two years.

I would remind him that Fair came into being because he and his colleagues – not members of staff – had imposed a 36 per cent increase in council tax in a four-year period.

Additionally, he and his colleagues, over a period of ten years, increased the salary of the executive officer by 155 per cent and also increased the number of staff from 12 to 23.

These same Labour councillors have created a town hall administration which the people of Ferryhill can no longer afford.

The parish poll is, I understand, an attempt to let people decide if they wish to return to the pre-1998 position when a town clerk with clerical assistance managed the town council more than adequately.

The savings could be very substantial.

As always, Fair will seek to highlight what is being spent and why it is being spent.

That is called scrutiny, not witch-hunting.

Councillor Brian Gibson, Ferryhill Town Council, Co Durham.