07/02/04

This follows increases of 12.2 per cent in 2002-3 and 7.3 per cent in 2003-4. These increases must be reviewed against a background of inflation levels below three per cent.

The question must be asked: How can these increases be justified?

In the private sector an enterprise would have to justify any increase in prices to customers or risk losing business to a competitor. Increased costs could not simply be passed on to the consumer. More cost effective ways of delivering services would need to be introduced. Any increase in prices could only be contemplated if there was a corresponding improvement or upgrading in service. This criterion obviously does not apply to the public sector. Why?

Pensioners have received a raw deal under this Government. Increases in the state pension, which is not a benefit but a return on contributions made to central government via tax and National Insurance during a lifetime of hard work, have been carefully pegged to inflation.

Many pensioners are on fixed incomes and the council tax is by far their heaviest monthly financial commitment. Those who now own their homes find that council tax exceeds the amount they were previously paying by way of mortgage. They are asset rich but income poor.

Council tax is in fact a property tax. Elderly people who have invested wisely in property and not relied on state benefits during their working lives are now being penalised. They have budgeted to provide for their old age only to be rewarded by unjustified and excessive increases in council tax.

It is time for all pensioners to express their anger and concern at this disgraceful situation and I urge them to lobby our Member of Parliament and local councillors to hold a referendum on this issue. - John Daley, Darlington.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

IN recent Durham County Council handouts, it is quoted that the numbers of councillors will be reduced from 370 to a more reasonable and manageable level and the cost of running the single unitary council will save £21m

Elsewhere in another handout the 'being in business costs' drops from £19.2m to £7.2m. Which is correct; is this a sign of how efficient a single unitary council will be?

These are precise sums, so why is the reduction in the number of councillors not also precise? Is it because if the numbers were known we would be able to see what the salary expectations would be for those wielding the power?

Have the, no doubt inflated salaries due to 'extra responsibilities' for those selected councillors, been built into the running costs?

Let no one believe that this reduction will be passed on in lower council taxes because in the same information pack it is carefully worded that the running costs are only a small part of the overall cost of services.

Will the Government support for the regional services remain as before, or is this just a first step for regional funding being controlled by Europe? - RM Young, Peterlee.

DARLINGTON FC

THESE are stirring times for Darlington Football Club as both team and fans are experiencing new-found passion and determination to sort out the mire of recent seasons.

The trust has been a major player in the short-term funding efforts, along with the Echo and our friends in the supporters club.

It's now time to concentrate on getting the club sorted out once and for all, by backing the fans' led consortium who want to work with the firms through the trust.

The fans know what they want, because they are flocking to join the trust. Membership has jumped from 200 to approximately 1,200 in two weeks and there is no slowing down of the recruiting.

The trust now has a clear level playing field to fund-raise to its own target of raising £250,000 in the next two months.

There are loads of fans' ideas which are being processed and will be announced in the next few weeks, which should step up the pace of fund-raising.

With a big growth in volunteers we are now able to roll out new fund-raising initiatives.

I appeal to the people of the North-East to help our fund-raising in some way, as all money will be used for the good of the fans and club. - N Johnson, Darlington.

EUROPE

ONCE again the myth of European funding is given an outing. The article '£1m European payout puts railway re-opening on track' (Echo, Feb 5) seeks yet again to portray the EU as Lady Bountiful, and exhort us to sing the praises of 'those nice people in Brussels'.

The 'largesse' alluded to is merely a minute proportion of our own money being returned to us. Furthermore, it is only forthcoming to projects of which the EU approves, and has to be matched with an equal amount by the project concerned.

A proven statistic is that every pound of 'funding' actually costs us £3 - some gift.

This deception of generosity is furthered by the 'adornment' of the project in question with the EU blue and gold circle of stars. This symbolises not EU benevolence, but EU 'mastery'.

In short, public taxation given to the EU (currently £12.8bn per annum) is added to further taxation, having been recycled to 'drone organisations' such as the above, the sole purpose of the exercise being to convey to the public the propaganda that somehow the EU is benevolent. In fact the process is no more than a 'con trick' of massive proportion. - Dave Pascoe, Press Secretary, Hartlepool Branch, UK Independence Party.

FLUORIDE

I WAS horrified to read (Echo, Feb 3) that Darlington Council is thinking of poisoning schoolchildren's milk with fluoride.

Make no mistake, fluoride is a listed poison. Fluoride is still used as a rat poison. It is in pesticides and insecticides and is an essential component of the nerve gas Sarin.

The official toxicity rating of fluoride is between that of lead and arsenic.

Despite the fact that there has never been any medical evidence that fluoride prevents tooth decay, this fallacy is still being pushed by a Government that refuses even to look at 50 years of evidence of the damage fluoride does to teeth (fluorosis) and to health as this poison accumulates in the body over years.

So-called 'health' officials employed continue to repeat parrot fashion what they have been told to say.

If only they would open their eyes and their minds and examine the evidence that is there, they would not be so keen on poisoning our children.

My grandson attends a junior school in Darlington. I would be furious if he was cajoled into drinking this poisoned milk. - A Hall, Darlington.