WE had a terrific response to last week's call for your views and comments about the Town Clerk's departure from the council. Here's what you had to say. Mrs Philips of Gringley Road, Morecambe said: "Well done the Citizen. Thank goodness there is one newspaper in the area that is prepared to find out why the Town Clerk is leaving after so short a stay and also why council taxpayers should be faced with the cost of facilitating this change of job. Surely democracy should play a part in the hiring and firing of top ranking local government officers. Please do not let anyone deter you from investigating further."

David Brewer of Morecambe said: "It's a blot on democracy. Everyone I've spoken to is concerned about what's gone on and what's not been said. We complain about the lack of democracy in Hong Kong yet we can't even get it in its full capacity from our local council. We should know the full facts."

Mr Coates of Morecambe said: "I think the money would be best spent on a redundancy package for Council Leader Stanley Henig. He is supposed to provide open and honest local government. The way this has been handled is secretive and dictatorial." One senior councillor contacted the Citizen and said: "The trouble with Lancaster City Council is that there is a divided opposition which is sub-divided amongst itself. This has resulted in the ruling Labour group having utter and total control and they think they can do as they please."

Mike Ellis of the Poulton Resident Campaign said: "I've tried to get information out of the council many times and it's hopeless. Sometimes it's taken five months to get a reply and even then it is usually a fudged response. They've told us time and time again that there's no money but there was no problem finding cash for the Town Clerk."

Morecambe's MP, Geraldine Smith said: "I am extremely surprised to hear there were restructuring exercises taking place at Lancaster Council. There was no indication to councillors that such a course of action was being pursued and I'm extremely concerned that tax payers' money was being used to fund what I understand to be another early retirement of a chief executive so soon after paying off the last incumbent of the post. I've written to the council leader for a full explanation."

Thank you for all your views and comments. Space dictates that we can't print all the responses that we received and we apologise if your views are not mentioned. See our letters' page for the Deputy Leader's reply to last week's front page story.

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