PARENTS: IT IS appalling that not only can parents like the Holdens from Teesdale remove their children from school for five months, which is half the academic year (Echo, Feb 7), but also The Northern Echo gives publicity to such irresponsibility.

The paper is condoning it and, more seriously, could encourage more parents to act in a similarly feckless fashion. - Tony Craig, Startforth.

CHURCH

FOLLOWING Mike Amos' article on St Peter's Church (Echo, Feb 7), Bishop Auckland, as an ex-parishoner and on behalf of the many other friends of St Peter's, I say the Christingle candles went out many years ago and the church died.

We had a wonderful spiritual life and enjoyed working hard for the new church roof, restoration and new furniture etc.

Then everything changed. We tried to alter the hurt we all suffered at seeing these changes in the pastoral side.

The result was we had to find our spiritual solace at other places of worship in the town. - Ethel Hand, Bishop Auckland.

HOUSING OFFICER

I WAS appalled to read (Echo, Jan 26) that Chester-le-Street District Council had illegally appointed a housing officer.

What concerns me even more is the fact that it is going to cost council taxpayers £130,000 to employ this temporary officer until March.

The entire matter is shrouded in secrecy. Why weren't councillors told the facts until the district auditor insisted they should be?

Council leader Linda Ebbatson has a lot to answer for. Spending £130,000 and not telling councillors is unacceptable and she should resign. - Name and address supplied.

UNIVERSITIES

ASIDE from encouraging a frivolous and irresponsible attitude to life, university education produces experts in a host of subjects that, as far as I can see, are no earthly use to anyone. Thus Dr John Reid, a Government Minister, can call himself Dr, not because he studied medicine at university but the customs of a certain West African tribe.

Drastically cutting back on universities and returning to indentured apprenticeships, so that we have more competent craftsmen and engineers, would be of real value to society. - Tony Kelly, Crook.

REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

I AM pleased Martin Callanan MEP is now telling us what he thinks not just about the regional assembly but the principles of democracy and accountability (HAS, Feb 9).

Most people involved in mainstream politics think that it is only democratic that government agencies should be subject to democratic scrutiny and accountability. Such scrutiny, properly managed, improves their performance by keeping them on their toes and preventing abuse.

Not so Martin Callanan: "My preference would rather be to see a regional body such as One NorthEast set free from political interference and allowed to be a genuinely business led economic regeneration company."

So this is Tory policy. No democratic accountability for government agencies.

Martin should do the honourable thing and resign from the European Parliament, since under his new policy there is no need for democratic accountability for the European Commission either. I wonder what Conservative councillors think of his policy too since they would be abolished next. - David Taylor-Gooby, Peterlee.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

RM Young (HAS Feb.7) appears to be confusing two information sources in commenting on the cost savings which could be achieved through the local government review.

The reduction from £19.2m to £7.2m is the Boundary Committee for England's estimate of the difference in costs between the existing structure of eight councils in County Durham and the proposed single unitary council.

In its leaflet, the committee acknowledges that these costs are only a small proportion of the overall costs of running councils.

In contrast, the county council has estimated the 'total' costs of running councils, hence the different figure of a single unitary council costing £21m a year less to run than the current two-tier system, and between £7m and £14m less than the other proposals for two or three councils to serve the county.

It is impossible, at this stage, to be any more precise about the number of councillors who might serve on a new, single unitary council. Durham County Council would have no say in determining its actual size or composition.

However, in our submission to the Boundary Committee, we do suggest that membership of between 90 to 105 councillors would strike a satisfactory balance between representation of communities and effective political management. - County Councillor Dennis Coates, Durham County Hall.

GREEN POWER

AS ALL power generated by so called "green" methods, excepting small private developments, is fed into the National Grid, one wonders by what remarkable technology this is to be separated out again just for Darlington Council's benefit (Echo, Feb 4).

Even if this were achieved, there would still be the problem of feeding this power preferentially to council properties and utilities on a system that is also serving other power consumers.

Finally it is not who uses "green" power that helps the environment, but the total amount which is generated.

Of course, if the council intends installing a wind farm on top of its offices then good luck. - RB Lawrence, Winston.

Billingham

THANK goodness the vandalised eyesore of Billingham House is to be demolished (Echo, Feb 4). The site will hopefully be put to good use.

As the plans for the regeneration of Billingham town centre grind exceedingly slowly, the demolition will at least give hope.

One day something really will happen to rebuild what was once a fine centre and could be so again. - EA Moralee, Billingham

EUROPE

THE campaign now being run against the "threat" from Eastern Europe, when the EU expands to 25 members on May 1, is as vile as it is self-defeating.

The facts are that people who come here will have no right to benefits. Instead they can come here to work - to pay taxes and national insurance. There are notable areas of our economy that are desperately short of labour that could be provided from Eastern Europe. It is therefore in our interests to welcome enlargement.

I have seen, close hand, the rapidly increasing contribution of Poles and Czechs to agriculture in the North. Our farmers are more and more reliant on Eastern European workers doing jobs we simply cannot find people in Britain to do.

The future of our agricultural industries is therefore increasingly dependent on workers not born in this country.

Studies by the European Commission indicate that the British economy stands to benefit in growth as a result of enlargement (+0.7 per cent GDP). Europe is now the biggest trading block in the world and this is one occasion where everyone stands to win. It is the myths and bigotry shown by some towards Eastern Europeans, and not enlargement, that is harming our national interest. - Neil Foster, Newcastle.