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Kevan Jones MP is disingenuous in the extreme in complaining that Derwentside's consultation was biased and undemocratic, and that 'both sides should have been allowed to put something out.'

As he is well aware, the pro town council steering group did put their view out in a particularly offensive little work, which may be part of the reason that so many of his constituents rejected the proposal. A petition supporting only one point of view, and by definition ignoring all those who do not support it, could not possibly represent the wishes of the townspeople.

Mr Jones seems unhappy to have assistance in gathering the true opinions of the town. Well, maybe every loser feels sore when democracy bites back! Perhaps this process will demonstrate to him that the people of Stanley are not so foolish and easily led as to be persuaded to his cause by the mean-spirited and divisive tract produced by the Town Council Steering Group.

This shadowy group has proved singularly unwilling to identify themselves. Several requests for details of their organisation have been ignored, perhaps in an attempt to avoid taking responsibility for the aforementioned tract. Mr Jones seems keen to be portrayed as a dispassionate, neutral observer, but does he have some involvement in the group? How can one place any trust in so secretive a bunch?

Maura Radford

Stanley

Spin tactics: Derwentside District Council certainly gets top marks for political 'spin' in their efforts to stop a town council for Stanley. Having read the letter and numbered ballot papers issued by them to the people of Stanley area, they were always going to get the result they wanted.

The letter gave no information about the benefits of a town council but made sure that the increase in council tax was the main theme of the letter.

As Derwentside council tax is already one of the highest in the country, it was inevitable that a lot of people would vote against any further increase. Volunteers from the Stanley Town Council Steering Group collected the required 2,500 signatures on the petition for a town council. This exercise cost nothing.

Derwentside District Council sent out letters and pre-paid reply envelopes to everyone on the electoral roll. This must have cost thousands of pounds. Who paid? This money was wasted, the petition will still go to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Derwentside District Council has used tax-payers money, their media contacts and unwarranted attacks on Kevan Jones MP to try to stop the Stanley town council proposal but we will continue to fight for our town.

Six years ago Stanley Action Group Enterprise was set up to try to persuade the local authorities to regenerate the town. It was only after newly elected Kevan Jones MP agreed to help, that Derwentside District Council began to take the residents of Stanley seriously. Finally, after 25 years of neglect, they agreed to consider the regeneration of Stanley.

The district council can take no credit for initiating the present regeneration projects as they have been forced by public opinion to take the action needed to bring Stanley into the 21st century.

Margaret Watson,

Stanley

In support: I strongly supported the proposal of a town council for Stanley.

For far too long since the abolition of Stanley UDC and Consett UDC in 1974, Stanley township has sadly lacked economic investment in both business and public services while Consett (the home of Derwentside District Council) has been given priority in public investment by the district council.

People in Stanley may recall with sadness the loss of Burns Leisure Centre which was closed in 1997 and subsequently demolished.

Built by Stanley UDC in 1965 (pool) and 1973 (sauna suite), it boasted the latest innovations and was heavily used by both local inhabitants and others from far afield.

I led a strong protest backed by petitions to Derwentside DC who decided to demolish the centre on the excuse of a crumbling ceiling above the swimming pool, closed in 1996 for public safety.

Now we have demolition groups affecting the heart of Stanley town once more, relieving us of our modern (but vandalised) bus station/bus park and an adjoining car park.

The death knell of local shops continues along Front Street

Our thanks go to our local MP Kevan Jones who strongly backed our request for our own town council

Kenneth G. Osborne-Grant (retired parish councillor)

Annfield Plain