You write

My inquiries have led me to believe the following:

* MP Gerry Steinberg believes the issue falls within the remit of the locally elected councillors for Newton Hall. Nevertheless he wrote to Arriva, raising a constituent's concerns. In a reply to him, Arriva stresses its thorough and lengthy discussions with Durham County Council prior to the changes, claiming the decision was made jointly so that negative impacts were felt by as few people as possible. So we of Newton Hall are the few, but certainly not the happy few.

* Councillors have worked hard to achieve success. They distributed leaflets in Newton Hall, requesting responses. How many responses were there? Fifty! A classic case of I'm all right, Jack! How much leverage does this give the councillors in their forthcoming discussions at county hall?

* The then city council leader has said it is difficult to have the route reinstated because it is the responsibility of the county council, as highways authority, and bus companies are not the most socially concerned organisations, despite taking large public subsidy.

* The draft for consultation about the Local Transport Plan emphasises the need to deliver social inclusion and says responsive bus services must be demanded. Are the residents of Newton Hall included? Have responsive services been demanded for us?

The MP, county council, city council and local councillors all wish to help. Why don't they get together and achieve something?

B M McFarlane Newton Hall, Durham

What an insult

As founder of Browney Miners' Lodge Banner Group, I read with outrage comments by Prime Minister Tony Blair, reported in last week's Advertiser, regarding our locally elected councillors and comparing them to the former Soviet Politburo.

How insulting this is to the councillors who fought to retain miners' jobs in this county during the Eighties. One can only wonder whose side Mr Blair was on during the miners' dispute in 1984-85.

This compounds the continuing suffering of former mineworkers in this county from industrial disease associated with the mining industry and the production of coal.

Mr Blair would do well to remember it is the very same pit communities that have returned the Labour vote over many decades in County Durham. We do not deserve our councillors to be spoken of in this manner.

There is a groundswell of support by local communities for all local councillors who did their best for our miners during those hard times and this can be seen by the attendances at the Durham Miners' Gala in July each year, a high point in the County Durham calendar and attended by many North-East council leaders and councillors.

New Labour must remember we are proud of our miners and what they achieved for this nation in the Durham coalfield and the vast mining heritage they have given us. I am proud to belong to a former mining community at Brandon and to smear the integrity of our councillors does not go down too well.

I expect these remarks that have now come to light, will only turn off traditional Labour voters in May next year.

J Kitching, Brandon

Meter's ticking

Bill Pollard (You write, December 11) is right to be unhappy with the level of traffic passing his street after the council opened the two new car parks on The Sands and the Old Post Office Sorting Office on Friday, December 3.

The Sands car park is meant as a replacement for the Walkergate car park, which Amec has yet to start work on. Permission was unfortunately granted by the Secretary of State for the Environment for the temporary Sands car park while Walkergate was being developed.

It was stated that the car park was to have a two-year life from the date it was opened. It has now opened and the clock is ticking.

On December 3, 2006, I expect the council to close this car park and begin work to restore it to the green open space it was.

Whether Walkergate has been completed by then cannot be a concern for the people of my ward who campaigned so hard against the tarmacking over of this part of The Sands.

Coun David Freeman St Nicholas Ward, Durham City Council

Identity issue

Durham Labour Party has been delivering a leaflet claiming that Tony Blair's identity card plan will help to fight crime.

The Government has failed to show how making people carry ID cards will stop crime or terrorism, as a visit to many parts of the world will show.

What's more, they are opposed by many GPs and hospitals who want to get on with treating people, rather than the bureaucracy of checking people have the right cards.

When ID cards were first announced, we were told they would cost less than £3 billion. Now the Government says they will cost £5 billion. How many more police officers on our streets could that pay for? I know which one would make most difference in keeping us safe.

Paul Leake, city councillor for Pelaw and Gilesgate Ward.