RATHER than splashing out on a fancy new HQ, shouldn’t Durham County Council (Echo, Aug 31) be doing something about potholes, gross under-funding of schools, hospitals and libraries, non-existent public toilets and the disgustingly punitive charges imposed on small businesses? (How about some subsidies and rebates for the latter?)

These are what matter to ordinary people, not plush accommodation for officials.

Tony Kelly, Crook