WHAT kind of council 'tourism' department is it - whose political leader is also chairman of Lancashire County Council tourism committee - that has so little knowledge of its own area that it produces a map (LET, January 7) that has hundreds of street, road and avenue omissions - even a whole village - plus misspellings and roads actually located in the wrong town?

What kind of a council transport department is it which, in response to residents' calls for improvements in road safety, ignores the glaringly-obvious requirement of addressing driver attitudes - both good and bad - and, therefore, also its own government's priority for encouraging and promoting education?

What kind of legal department is it which, after its own council had graciously received the free offer of one man's continuing 25 years' research in providing an efficient and reliable map, later issues the same man with threatening legal letters after he expressed concern regarding the council making a "botch" of his previous endeavours and reputation?

What kind of a council economic development board is it that ignores local publishers and instead uses one from Macclesfield to produce the Hyndburn Map? Then, with the council approval, places a prominent advertisement upon the map encouraging the public to visit and trade with company in Haslingden?

What kind of a council is it which, in reply to people who dare to question some of its traffic-calming policies, can only come up with soundbites ("Speed kills"), generalisations ("Accidents have been reduced") and insults ("Shurmer and his friends want to indulge endlessly in teenage fantasies about getting into their little cars and speeding off through the streets; a planet full of boy racers tearing up the road without a thought for anyone else." - Council leader George Slynn, October 10, 1997).

All this from a council led by chief executive Mike Chambers and non-driver Coun Slynn, of Hyndburn.

Who can doubt that if any private business had ever showed such contemptuous customer relations and gross inefficiency it would quickly have gone out of business?

Hopefully, this coming May, certain members on this dreadful autocratic Hyndburn Council will be out of office forever.

ADRIAN SHURMER (Retired police driving instructor),

Lyndon Avenue,

Great Harwood.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.