BASICALLY, Durham County Council administers two categories of services on behalf of people of the county using funding from taxes paid by them.

Category one covers services vital and essential for the proper operation of the infrastructure of the county and meeting the real needs of the people.

Category two covers services which are nice to have if and when they can be afforded, but neither vital nor essential for the running of the county or meeting people’s real needs.

Is it too much to expect that the members responsible for controlling the right and proper operation of the council will fully and fairly address the merits and necessities of those services in category two before even contemplating cutting any services which would adversely affect the lives of the disabled, vulnerable and old?

John Routledge, Witton Gilbert, Durham.