HAS anyone ever written to Bury Town Hall and had a reply within six months? I heard at a recent area board meeting that even councillors can not get written answers to their questions for months on end, if at all.

It doesn't have to be like this. Other local authorities in Greater Manchester do not live in the Dark Ages; they employ methods suited to the 21st century. Letters and responses are usually effected in a matter of a few days. Councillors' correspondence is "logged in" and any outstanding letters are minuted at management services meetings so that they can be monitored for any delay.

It seems a bit crazy to me that the only way to get a response from Bury Council is to spend hundreds of pounds on expensive computer equipment so that you can log-on to the chief executive's e-mail website. What's wrong with a simple reply posted with a 19p stamp on it?

COMPUTERLESS CORRESPONDENT