REGIONAL GOVERNMENT: IN the 1930s when Ellen Wilkinson and the brave men of the Jarrow Crusade reached London, to bring to the attention of the government of the day the appalling levels of deprivation which existed in the North-East, they were not even seen but were told to "go home and work out your own salvation".

During the era of Tory rule in the 1980s and early to mid-1990s there was the wholesale destruction of traditional northern industry without a second's thought for the individuals and communities which suffered as a result of the job losses.

And while there are more people in work since Labour came to power, not so long ago the Governor of the Bank of England said that unemployment in the North was "a price worth paying to keep the economy of London and the South-East on an even keel".

The lesson to be learnt from all of this is that London-based government will never look after the interests of the North.

The time has come to have an elected assembly for the North-East. Vote yes for the North-East for a fairer deal and a better future. - Paul Rivers, Wallsend.

WHERE is the overriding evidence to suggest that the actual system of local governance is at fault, rather than the leaders (by title and not inspiration) and the spineless "yes men" who bow down at their every command?

That's right, not one shred of evidence has been offered as to why it is purely down to the system.

Has devolution and the wasting of millions of public money stopped manufacturing dwindling in the central band of Scotland? No. How about South Wales? Again no.

Joyce Quin argues that the region deserves better, quite right too, and that we didn't get a good deal from Westminster.

Yep, you're right, but sorry Joyce, I thought you were representing the region, and getting well paid to do so. Get on with it. - Jim Tague, Bishop Auckland Conservatives.

EUROPE

AN organisation had an 'away- day' where the workforce was split into mixed groups with anonymous chairs. The groups were asked to critically review the organisation.

A member of one of the groups dominated the situation, making negative comments about every issue raised. The chair invited him to find areas where he could make constructive comments. None came and he was silent for the rest of the meeting.

The others outlined problems and suggested ways in which they could be overcome. The chief executive said that he now knew his organisation. Out of all the groups no major problems were identified but it was clear that the organisation could benefit from the collective outcomes.

Some people feel detached from the European Union in much the same way as they do from the overall objectives of the organisations in which they work.Most follow a sensible way and ignore the input of those who are totally negative. If we look at the European Parliament as an extended 'away-day' the size and complexity of the task becomes daunting.

It is only then that we realise how patient and hard worked are our politicians in the European Parliament.

People who play on feelings of remoteness of the European Union fail to recognise that the proposed Constitution states that decisions should be taken as near to those affected as possible.

We have a chance to give a more positive signal that the work of our politicians is valued by voting on June 10 in the European Parliamentary elections. - Bill Morehead, Darlington.

LAW AND ORDER

I CONGRATULATE you on your editorial and front page story (Echo, Apr 19).

You linked the story about drug abuse by young people in Stockton with regeneration plans saying: "while we applaud the vision of the future, no-one should underestimate the importance of investment in the social fabric of the future."

At Connexions Tees Valley we have a commitment to these very young people. Our mainstream service supports all young people through advice, guidance and information to make effective transitions to adult life. Connexions Personal Advisors also work with young people in difficult circumstances and we have recently devised the Kick Start programme, a £9.7m project that will support young people into education, employment or training and develop a voluntary and community sector partnership network that delivers the support services.

In tota,l the new Kick Start project will co-ordinate the work of 30 organisations that will be networked, and share knowledge and resources.

There is so much potential among our young people and Kick Start will help us to raise aspirations and develop talent. It will go some way to addressing the points you made. - Fiona Blacke, Chief Executive, Connexions Tees Valley.

COUNCIL FINANCES

IN seeking to illustrate what he claims is Durham County Council's propensity for "shooting itself in the foot", J Atkinson (HAS, Apr 10) resurrects the issue of councillors being provided with IT facilities in their homes.

Rather than the council shooting itself in the foot, it is more a case of Mr Atkinson shooting from the hip, without first bothering to check the facts and figures or to looking beyond the headline to examine the reasons behind the initiative and the justification for it.

The provision of IT facilities to councillors is commonplace among the majority of councils throughout the UK, of all political persuasions. Here in County Durham it is part of an holistic approach toward creating better and easier access to our services , which includes working with our partners to ensure that 98 per cent of the county will have broadband connection by March 2005; developing a project (known as the Swift Project) that will allow elderly people access to services from their own homes, and improving the public's access to their local county councillor by what is fast becoming, for many people, the preferred means of communication.

We have to move with the times - indeed, the public expects it of us and the Government is demanding that we do. And it is imperative that we embrace new technology to continue to improve the way we deliver services. - County Councillor John Davies, Durham County Hall.