I THINK Coun Tim O'Kane (Letters, September 9) must have nightmares about the Tories on Hyndburn Council not setting a budget each year. Well, I think it's time to put the record straight.

When Labour took control of Hyndburn Council ten years ago, the Tory group carried on putting an alternative budget, but it was always dumped in the bin without getting a look-in.

The only problem was that, a few months later, ideas put forward in the Tory budget miraculously turned up as Labour policy. This went on for a number of years until the Tory group said: "Blow this for a game of soldiers" and stopped putting forward an alternative budget, letting Labour come up with their own ideas.

Since then what ideas have they come up with? Your readers might like to know:

They sold the lease on the Arndale Centre, sold Hyndburn Transport, sold their interests on Eastgate, sold land at Bullough Park, sold land at Milnshaw Park. They spent thousands refurbishing the 'Cardboard Castle' council offices in Cannon Street then demolished them, moved to the former Skill Centre as an ideal move. Now, they are moving again - at what cost? They put up Texas-style signs on every main road into the borough, lit up public buildings, lit up the railway bridge in Accrington, painted murals on walls, put humps, bumps and lumps all over the borough, disguised as traffic-calming measures.

They put down brick pavements at five times the cost of ordinary concrete flags and made flower displays out of supermarket trolleys, only for them to be vandalised within days.

They postponed installing a lift for the disabled in the Civic Hall and spent the money on dog kennels instead. They installed the 'Mad Hatter's Tea Party' tableau near the Co-op store in Oswaldtwistle, stopped meals on wheels for the elderly, did away with bus tokens and are proposing the sale of 800 council houses to a housing association. The list is endless. And one might say: "What a way to run a council!"

JOHN FARRER, Mallard Place, Oswaldtwistle.

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