MOST people treat Friday the 13th with great trepidation, but Friday August 13 will long stick in my mind, for more positive reasons - on two counts.

First was your report setting out the new structuring of Hyndburn Council, announced by council leader Peter Britcliffe.

The idea of creating five area councils, with input from members of their own communities, is certainly a step in the right direction and shows the new Conservative administration is determined to fulfil their election promises.

Not only that, but these area councils, if successful, will even eventually control their own budgets, which would have been unheard of only a few short months ago.

There has been a breath of fresh air blowing through Hyndburn since May this year, after 13 years of dictatorial stagnation caused by the Slynn regime. The people of the borough will now be allowed to have input into the needs of their own communities, not continually be told what is good for them by councillors only out to fuel their own egos.

The second thing was your editorial, which is something I thought I would never see - praise for any Conservative administration.

I have always thought that the Lancashire Evening Telegraph had a slight leaning to the left, although I have often been told that was not so. Friday's editorial was another breath of fresh air, which was most welcome.

The Tories in Hyndburn are certainly hitting the right notes. What is more if you can carry on in this vein, it may just persuade people in other boroughs to have a rethink and see just what can be achieved in such a short time if they give the Tories a chance. Blackburn with Darwen readily springs to mind.

JOHN FARRER, Mallard Place, Oswaldtwistle.

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