BEFORE Mr & Mrs Hilton Dawson desert Lancaster and run away to the North East with their pensions, they might like to dwell on the possible consequences of joining Lancaster City Council with Barrow and South Lakes by looking into the future and at some 'anticipated' regional assembly news from Warrington.

It says: "Since losing the vote on funding for their link road to the M6 and their youth and community and social services last month, the bleating sheep of the northernmost reaches of our region are at it again.

"Lancaster and South Lakes are again whinging that yesterday's vote which took away their money for libraries, museums and the arts was not fair.

"Spokespersons for the big guns of the region, Manchester and Liverpool, asked when are they going to realise that they are no longer the county town of the late Lancashire but just a tiny part of a vast region which has to cater centrally for all our people?

"Manchester and Liverpool are the hub of culture and have an international reputation to preserve apart from all the jobs that we provide.

"Moaning about the continuing burden on the council tax payers for the re-organisation and the collapse of their canal system and bus services will not get them sympathy, they need to set a much higher tax to deal with the deprivation in Morecambe, Barrow and the rural areas.

"These people have only one vote, for heaven's sake, who do they think we are - Lancashire County Council?'

Food for thought?

County Cllr Niki Penney, Coolidge Avenue, Lancaster.