CONCERNING the debate over equality of spending between Darwen and Blackburn, I should like to make the following point.

For an average to be meaningful it has to include all the elements and none can be legitimately excluded. By excluding the more affluent areas of Darwen, the council is denying any meaning to the word 'average.'

Take an example: We all think that giraffes are a lot taller than men. However, if we exclude all the taller giraffes and by that I suggest we exclude all those over three months of age (we can be as arbitrary as we like so long as it suits our purpose), we find that there is surprisingly little difference between the average height of men and that of giraffes.

Nonsense, isn't it? But it just shows how far this council will go to prove that they're always right and everybody else is always wrong.

DAVID AINSWORTH, Earnsdale Road, Darwen.