I AM pleased to hear that Hyndburn Council are not going down the same road as their Blackburn counterparts and making decisions behind closed doors (LET, March 29).

It is surprising what a difference a change of direction makes. Since the Conservatives took control of Hyndburn, there has been more informed debate on issues affecting the people of the borough, which is a far cry from the dark old days when decisions were made at Labour group meetings behind closed doors and then moved through the chair in committee, with no debate whatsoever.

It has to be said that even Labour councillors are now allowed more input at meetings than they were when their own party was in control.

The idea of cabinet-style government being held behind closed doors in Blackburn can only signal that the ruling town hall mandarins have something to hide, or it is the socialist mushroom syndome again -- "keep the electorate in the dark and feed them with bull."

However, the people of Blackburn have the answer in their own hands -- do exactly what Hyndburn did and get rid of the present rulers.

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.