Darlington

THERE is just one thing wrong with Darlington's Community Wardens: there are not enough of them.

After two years of complaining to the council and police, the wardens sorted out the kids making my life a misery.

It's about time the council started getting its priorities right and using our money to buy things we want and tackling the real problems in this town. The wardens look like they mean business and seem to be there when you cannot get the police to take any notice. They are the first council officials I've seen in the street at ten o'clock at night. So let's see more of the wardens. - Des MacHale, Darlington.

RICHMONDSHIRE

I ENJOYED the story on how Bernard Borman has cost Richmondshire council £125,000 through his complaining (Echo, July 18).

I think that figure has been plucked from the air. It is alright for the council to waste money on over-staffed offices and adventure courses while cutting manual jobs.

All we get for our vast amount of council tax is ever-increasing office staff. We need people like Mr Borman to keep the council on its toes because, until now, it has seemed unaccountable.

We may have to pay £1 a bag to have our rubbish removed, so why are we paying council tax? They could raise more money in the form of something like spot the ball, only call it spot the police officer. - T Amos, Colburn.

STAINDROP

I WAS evacuated to Staindrop for five years during the Second World War. Two of the friends I made invited me to come to the village carnival again.

I was so pleased to see that the community spirit is still as strong as I remember; friendly villagers and police all working together to create a great day for all.

Well done, Staindrop. May this community keep working together, something which is lacking as a rule in towns and cities. - Marjorie Perry, Newcastle.

Barnard Castle

FOLLOWING last Wednesday's meeting when a petition signed by 1,500 people was presented, Teesdale District Council now knows of the vigorous opposition which exists to the proposed development of Commercial Yard in Barnard Castle (Echo, July 15).

The 50 people bringing the petition to the council feel, as does the vast majority of the people of Barnard Castle, that the proposed development of old peoples' flats to replace a thriving group of small businesses is planning madness.

Planning authorities surely exist to protect and build on the heritage we have. Barnard Castle's charm rests on the quaint yards and byways which are a product of centuries of unplanned but sensible development.

Residences, factories, shops and craftsmen have operated cheek by jowl for many years.

Council chairman Phil Hughes claimed that the planning committee was not obliged to take any notice of this heritage in reaching planning decisions in a conservation area. Can this possibly be true?

No wonder people are losing faith in local government and particularly that of Teesdale when such silly decisions are made. Few would oppose a sensible development which fits in with the character of the town, but 41 old people's flats? The public will like to know that Save Commercial Yard (SCY) is an association being formed with just that in mind. We expect the SCY to fall on the council's heads. - Peter and Ann Wilson, Barnard Castle.

WEAR VALLEY

THE Wear Valley council newsletter states that the task force, set up to look at ideas for creating employment following the announcement of the cement works closure, has met four times.

Wouldn't it be nice if these people from outside Weardale involved local people instead of coming up with stupid ideas such as a ski slope and remarking on species of daffodils.

It is real jobs we need, not nonsense talk. - Allan Ellwood, Stanhope.

WORKING shifts allows me to take in the full splendour of West Durham, be it fishing on the Wear or walking its banks and adjacent fells.

Talk of tourism should not be scorned, but constant spouting about little projects is not beneficial.

If a large group of people from Dorset wished to visit England's last wilderness, what would accommodate them? We don't have a single hotel to cater for a bus-full in Wear Valley.

And who would build a hotel which would probably be under-used in winter? Holiday cottages and more caravan sites might help, but what will offset the loss of the largest business rates by the impending closure of the cement works?

Don't think small, think big! Copy Center Parcs and build one in the Dale. Link the site to the re-opened Weardale "steam railway".

I've recently been through redundancy, it hurts badly, but despite the loss of the cement works we must believe. - Jim Tague, Chairman, Conservative Party, Bishop Auckland Branch.

Spennymoor

I READ with disgust that Spennymoor Town Council wishes to evict Spennymoor United from their home ground (Echo, July 2).

We have a chairman, new owners and a first-rate manager who are all committed to the club, plus players and supporters to whom the team is an important part of life.

To me, this is an abuse of the town council powers. Has nobody told the councillors that they are there to represent the people of Spennymoor?

Since everybody I have spoken to wishes the football club to survive and prosper, it strikes me that the council is running contrary to the wishes of the people of our town. - P Griffiths, Spennymoor.