COUNCIL WASTE: REGARDING the possible cut in funding to the Pioneering Care Centre, Newton Aycliffe (Echo, Nov 29 and Dec 2)

As a council tax payer in the Sedgefield Borough Council area I applaud the news that Durham County Council is looking at ways of saving money. However, before cutting really useful services, such as care centres, perhaps councils could look at some of the totally wasteful projects they support.

A prime example of waste is the borough council's Inform newspaper and similar publications which the various authorities print and distribute. The costs involved must be considerable. While I agree that the public needs to be informed of councils' activities this can be (and often is) done by the various free newspapers that drop through our letter boxes and more contentious issues are likely to be covered in greater depth by The Northern Echo.

Perhaps the reason authorities produce their own expensive news sheets is to control what is printed and to put their own biased spin on the positives and eliminate the negatives. Or maybe it is to ensure councillors' egos are well massaged by the numerous colour photographs of chain-bedecked members. - John Osborne, Newton Aycliffe.

SPENNYMOOR SHOPPING

I REFER to your recent Shopping for a Future campaign article (Echo, Nov 25) and Councillor Ben Ord's letter about the "wonders" of Spennymoor (HAS, Page 4, Nov 27).

The council has wasted money on beautifying the town with signposts spelling out the name, gilded fencing at the "gateways" and inane poems on the sides of buildings.

They expect people to come here to shop. Yes, there are a few decent shops in the town, but it has never been a major shopping centre and it never will be unless they attract some bigger stores to the area.

Coun Ord's comment that "out-of-town shopping should be controlled" smacks of Big Brother, and who is he to tell folk where they can shop?

There is supposed to be yet another supermarket being built not 100 yards from Asda and Aldi. Who needs it? The most recent attraction in the town is yet another cut-price food store in Cheapside. Wonderful.

There are too many charity shops, and not enough decent businesses (except estate agents) for this town to thrive. - Vivien Slack, Spennymoor, County Durham.