I FEEL the Echo was misinformed (Feb 14) in its article about the shortage of taxi drivers in Darlington.

It's purely due to the prehistoric attitudes of the current taxi firm owners that we have such a problem.

Most Darlington taxi drivers rent their cars from the operator. They have all the costs and responsibilities such as insurance, fuel and maintenance, and the fees to obtain a licence.

We find that prospective drivers are not prepared to undertake such responsibilities.

We at MSG Taxis have decided to drag taxi driving into the new century. We fund a prospective driver's entire application including the council test, police test, licence cost and doctors' and solicitors' fees, and we are finding more applicants coming forward.

Drivers can choose to be directly employed by us without the hassle of maintaining their vehicles and with the benefits enjoyed by every other employed person: holiday pay etc.

We strongly believe taxi drivers play a vital role in society, and as long as that role is viewed poorly then the apparent shortage of drivers will increase,

After studying the taxi services of our European neighbours, it is apparent ours is falling behind with sub-standard cars, non- uniformed drivers and poor time-keeping. - Bruce Hyde, Proprietor, MSG Taxis, Middleton St George.

COUNCIL CABINET

I READ Peter Cuthbertson's letter (HAS, Feb 10) concerning "the secret cabinet" with disbelief.

My understanding is that the council cabinet meets in public and that The Northern Echo often attends and reports on those meetings.

Mr Cuthbertson also suggests that the council tax is set by the cabinet alone. The cabinet makes a recommendation on council tax. The Scrutiny Committee considers and comments upon the cabinet's recommendation. The Scrutiny Committee is made up of councillors who are not on the cabinet, and the leader of the council is present so that scrutiny members can question him in person.

Finally, the recommendation, together with the comments of the Scrutiny Committee, goes before all councillors at a full council meeting.

All of these meetings are public meetings. I would suggest that this is an open and inclusive process of all elected members, with the opportunity for the public to be present. - J Maddison, Darlington.

DARLINGTON ARTS

THE Launch Pad event at the Arts Centre on the Wednesday (Feb 19) may have been a terrific success, but it left many of us disappointed.

With a capacity of only 300, many of us were left unable to get in, even though the hall was only half full - apparently for health and safety reasons. Parents, sponsors, and the faithful supporters of the Darlington music scene were left out in the cold while youngsters who should have been tucked up in bed were allowed entry.

This event was a first for Darlo and many had travelled to see their mates perform.

The farcical nature of the event raises question over cultural policy in Darlington, and the North-East in general, and depressingly brings home what we already knew about Darlington council's support of such events being non-existent.

Was the fixed capacity due to the council opting for a cheaper insurance policy?

The number left outside wishing to attend was about 50, which the hall could have adequately catered for. I shall be boycotting the so called "Arts Centre" in future, and suggest others do the same.

This leaves the Tap n' Spile as the only place in Darlington town centre to enjoy live music, so I hope whoever is in charge of culture in Darlington is proud of themselves. - Paul Wheeler, Middlesbrough.