WE are told that our local authorities are contemplating tough choices between raising council taxes well above the rate of inflation and cutting services; or both.

In these tough times, therefore, we can understand Durham County Council's and Darlington Council's desire to scrape together as much money as possible.

However, we can't understand their willingness to run up hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal costs to reach a settlement over assets disputed since Darlington became a unitary authority.

Not when both councils are warning of the dangers of cutting vital services.

And not at a time of industrial unrest on the railways, when ministers are preaching the virtues of negotiation and arbitration.

Surely the public sector should be leading by example.

We fail to see the wisdom of taking this squabble through a hugely expensive legal process.

We implore the leaders of both councils to return to the negotiating table and reach a settlement satisfactory to all parties.

Failure to do so will only line the pockets of lawyers at the expense of ordinary council tax payers.

We have yet to hear from anyone in Government a sound reason why there should not be a public inquiry into the Richard Neale scandal.

How it was possible for a surgeon struck off the medical register in Canada to practise in this country is a matter of overriding public interest.

This case should be examined in detail and the examination should be in the full scrutiny of the public.

It is vital that lessons are learned from this scandal, and the only way to ensure that is to hold an inquiry, and to hold it in public.

There must be no suspicion of a cover-up.

We welcome William Hague's support for a public inquiry and his intention to raise the issue in Parliament.

The former patients of Richard Neale have suffered enough already, without having to endure the added injustice of being denied a proper investigation.