REGARDING the statement by Hyndburn Council leader Ian Ormerod about the amount of money needed to take legal action over the closures of County Council old folk's homes (LET, October 3) if he and any other Hyndburn councillors had taken up the invitation to attend an important meeting held at Towneley Hall in Burnley they would have known that the amount mentioned by the solicitor was £35,000.

But that would be the total amount divided between all the councils which want to take legal action. That would mean that if all the 12 district councils fought together it would cost less than £3,000 each.

As it is, there were originally six of them wanting to fight to keep the homes open but because of pressure from the Lancashire County Council, one has bottled out leaving five -- at a cost of £7,000 each.

So Coun Ormerod should say it as I suspect it really is -- that they fear the wrath of County Coun Chris Cheetham and the LCC and value their political careers more than protecting our old folk and doing what the electorate want.

Instead, he is using the safeguarding of taxpayers' money as an excuse. How does he know that we, the taxpayers are not prepared to allow our money to be used to fund legal action? Has he asked us? No!

He still has time, now that he knows it won't cost nearly as much as he thought.

He and the other councillors could still help to stop the homes from closing -- for £6,000 or less, that's all.

More will probably be spent on fireworks, when the Christmas lights are switched on. I, for one, would not mind doing without for one year. After all, it would be for a good cause.

The homes and the lives of our old folk or fireworks? We will see.

I suggest that Hyndburn Council contacts the five councils which have got the guts to fight in court. They would tell you that my figures are correct. So now what is the excuse?

LYNNE ATKINSON, Whitaker Street, Accrington.