I WOULD like to answer a few points mooted by Mr. MacGregor's excellent letter in your paper of June 15.

Firstly, we the members of the Leys Farm Action Group, have for three years spent three weeks at the Audit at the Town Hall "looking through the books".

We were inexperienced doing the job in the first year but by last September there were 12 people waiting on the first morning to take advantage of our rights and scrutinise as many papers as we were able to see in the three weeks allotted to us.

I say three weeks but in the previous year, 1998, we were given an extra week because initially we were refused access to a large number of documents we wished to see and it took well over a week before the officers conceded defeat and produced them.

This last year (1999) we were fortunate to have help and advice from an experienced couple from Wales who have been investigating their own council for at least seven years, for "Rotton Boroughs" are no longer an unusual occurrence.

Not only were we advised what to look for but we were also told how to complain to the District Auditor, for there is a particular procedure which has to be followed before you can even expect a reply. The complaint for the 1999 year resulted in a reply and after another exchange of letters the District Auditor condescended to investigate. The result was that the Auditor found that some councillors had committed offences but that after a discussion with the Heads of Department and the Chief Executive the offenders were given a metaphorical slap on the wrist and the Head of Department promised to take more care in future!

All this happened before the "£9m debt" headline in the Gazette and the recent events with our ex-leader.

Secondly, with regard to the Ombudsman, we have written so many times to him with complaints that we could paper a wall with the replies!

The procedure here is that a letter of complaint is sent to the Ombudsman and then a copy of that complaint is sent to the Chief Executive who then investigates his own departments. Having received a reply from his relevant Head of Department, he will then write back to the Ombudsman and assure him that nothing untoward has occurred and then that letter is forwarded to us with a covering letter saying that the matter is now closed because the Ombudsman has been reassured that all is well!

So many times has this happened to us that we now wonder what the Ombudsman's actual job is.

We now have the ludicrous situation, again, of our Chief Executive this time investigating our ex-leader's alleged "oversight". We are not curious about the outcome.

Thirdly, the register of members' interests is supposed to be accessible at all reasonable times at the Town Hall along with members' expenses but unfortunately the Town Hall staff seem to be unaware of this.

Perhaps Mr. MacGregor, you will be able to accompany us on this year's Audit. We will be glad to see you and we can promise you that you will have your eyes opened!

Beverley Moy,

Secretary, Leys Farm Action Group,

Warbreck Hill Road,

Blackpool.