Sir, - Mr Rainforth's sneering attack last week on Ripon City councillors is as ignorant as it is ill-mannered. The thought of a Ripon councillor being a Harrogate yes-man is, to most Riponians, laughable. Seriously, though, Mr Rainforth has no idea of how the efforts of County Hall, Harrogate and Ripon people are mutually complementary, not in conflict.

The bypass ("in the wrong place - doing the least good") illustrates the point. Long before it was built, there were extensive consultations at all levels to produce a road acceptable to everyone, including the county council's financial resources, which are not limitless: does Mr Rainforth read the North Yorkshire Reporter which is delivered to all households?

Harrogate's planning officers assess all planning applications affecting Ripon in the light of current planning laws and of the written observations of all statutory consultative bodies (which include Ripon City Council) and any other bodies or residents who have expressed an interest. The final decision rests with a planning sub-committee of elected parish and district councillors, who elect a chairman from among their number.

As to the traffic lights proposed for the clocktower, Mr Stainforth's intuition tells him, "gridlock". The county council's recommendation is based upon analysis of detailed traffic flows. Only time will tell which view is correct.

Dr W A FORSTER

Wellington Mews,

Ripon.

Post Office pay

Sir, - I would like to comment on the article about £2.90 an hour Post Office pay (D&S, Jan 12).

I cannot believe that there are two supposed serious candidates so ignorant about a postmaster's remuneration. It is, or should be, widely known that the hourly rate payable to such people shall be not less then the national minimum rate. My wife and I are partners in the operation of a rural village shop and post office (she being the postmaster) and we can do without the rank hypocrisy of Anne McIntosh, Conservative MP for the Vale of York.

Regarding her "vigorous campaign" on our behalf, it was her government that introduced the uniform business rate that is so destructive to small businesses. It was her government that started the direction of pension and benefit payments towards the banks to our detriment. It was her government who vigorously resisted the national minimum wage and it is her party in opposition which is already threatening to reduce the number of recipients thereof.

It was the New Labour government that introduced the national minimum hourly rate and it was the New Labour government that compelled all rating authorities to remit at least 50pc of the uniform business rate to businesses such as ours.

As for Coun Neville Huxtable, his hypocrisy matches that of Anne McIntosh. Hambleton District Council had all the authority needed, under section 49 of the 1988 Local Government Finance Bill, to remit in whole or in part, uniform business rate payments due from businesses such as ours.

ALAN BENN

Burneston Village Stores,

Bedale.

Not-so-free vote

Sir, - I do so agree with Geoffrey Bulmer (D&S letters, Jan 5)that MP's should have a free vote on hunting after reading the Burns report.

Sadly, most of them won't bother reading it in the first place. Why should they? Why risk discovering reality and giving up long-felt prejudice? Why bother standing up for minorities when they can content themselves with comfortable ignorance and not be troubled with issues of personal liberty and the family livelihoods of some of their constituents?

All of the region's hunts, and the many many that support them have, over the last few years, consistently asked our regional MPs to visit them and discuss the facts and details of hunting. The Hon Michael Meacher MP even said at a conference on the countryside, that it was their parliamentary duty to do so. None have felt able to bother with the feelings, opinions and rights of this section of their respective constituencies. To do so might risk politically correct and contrived eco-credentials, merely for a minority of voters.

Why should they not go the whole hog then and, without even bothering to properly inform themselves by reading the results of the year-long enquiry, dismiss and destroy a whole way of life of entire regional and national communities (both from the town as well as the countryside) of which they have little inclination to know and even less of attempting to understand.

And with regard to the will of the majority, in the latest NOP opinion poll, Mr Bulmer will be interested and perhaps surprised to learn, that 52pc of the people do not wish to see hunting banned.

R W BURTON

Chairman, Cleveland People's Countryside Action Group

Crathorne.

Yarm