I HAVE received a bill for the rent of my garage site from Durham County Council. It has gone up by 100 per cent.

I don’t know of anyone getting a 100 per cent pay rise, so why should anyone even contemplate such a huge hike in rent?

It’s not as if the land is maintained by the council, as the garage it stands on is owned by the rent payer.

When I phoned to ask why there was such a steep hike, a young woman, who was very helpful, explained that it was to make things easier by making all the rents the same.

In these very difficult times, when people are losing jobs, would it not be more reasonable to drop the higher rent down and maybe put a ten per cent rise on all, which would have been much fairer. But, there again, we’re talking about local government which, like the national government, doesn’t seem to give a stuff about the people who elected them. So, come on, own up, whose idea was it?

Lawrence McGowan, Sherburn Village, Durham.