Sir, - In your issue of June 23, 2000, you published an article written by Dr Malcolm Bell under the heading "Legal victory for landowners over footpath maps" with a sub-heading "Courts defend fair play in right of way disputes".

I am sure that Dr Bell did not mean to mislead but what he has written is far from an accurate and relevant summary of the case involving Mr Trevelyan, which is a case relating to a path in Sawley, Lancashire. This firm acted for Mr Trevelyan and the Ramblers Association in that case.

Dr Bell does not make it clear that the footpath had actually been accepted by the relevant landowners in 1970 and what happened was a subsequent landowner decided not to follow the actions of that landowner but take a different view.

The inspector holding the public inquiry agreed that they could take a different view and took the path off the map. It is fair to say that the judge in the High Court case confirmed that.

The view taken by the Ramblers Association is that if every landowner is able to hold an inquest and a complete review of what was decided years ago then because landowners are in possession of the land and have contact with local witnesses - those witnesses are supposed to be talking about what they knew 40 years ago - is unfair to the public who want to use paths.

It is for that reason that the Ramblers Association had lodged an appeal to the Court of Appeal about the case and I informed Dr Bell of this several weeks ago.

J J PEARLMAN

Brooke North Solicitors,

Leeds.

The true cost

Sir, - If the report about county councillors awarding themselves larger allowances (D&S, July 21) takes effect, the cost will be about £440,000 (not including expenses).

What will the council tax payers have to do without in order to find the extra cost? What extra value will they received? The hoary old joke about paying more to get better members is long past its sell-by date.

The more likely result is that existing members will cling to office in the hope of more largesse from the taxpayers.

The comparison with averages paid by other authorities is irrelevant. What objective evidence is there that those paying the highest allowances are the most cost effective? Can we have some facts? When library hours are being reduced, pensioners are expected to pay the full cost of non-vocational courses and there has just been a council tax increase many times the rate of inflation we may have thought that responsible councillors would have refused to consider any increase in their own 'allowances'.

Incidentally, why not be honest and call them salaries? How convenient that this report appears after the local government elections. So much for public service.

C CHRISTIE

Swanland Road,

Helmsley.

We are Yorkshire

Sir, - I am writing in reference to Coun Walsh's comments about not flying the Yorkshire flag over the town hall at Eston (D&S July 28) and that Cleveland predates Yorkshire. Well Coun Walsh, Deira predates both, but we're not all Deirans are we?

How can Coun Walsh wipe out a thousand years of Cleveland's history. Wake up, Coun Walsh, you run a borough full of Yorkshiremen.

J M CARR

Boosbeck,

North Riding