I WONDER if Councillor David Smith extends the same advice to his Blackburn with Darwen Council colleagues that he gave to readers (Letters, April 4) -- namely, to check their facts before putting pen to paper.

His colleague Coun Warren Lishman (Letters, April 2) claimed that Liberal Democrats called for a lower Council Tax, when, in fact, we asked that bands of Council Tax percentage rates and level of service for those rates be subject to public choice.

Other councils have done this. Labour-controlled Bristol complied when people there voted for no Council Tax increase.

Coun Lishman says we put forward no proposals on where we would cut spending. In fact, among other things, we asked for a cut in the number of Executive Directors, for cuts in responsibility payment to some councillors and for greater use of information technology to reduce the amount of paperwork sent to councillors.

He claims we are secretive about where we would spend people's money. But it is no secret that we want people to be able to decide themselves where they spend their money.

We have said in the Council Chamber and in our leaflets that we would establish Area Councils, with some spending powers.

We have said we would employ community wardens to help discourage crime and vandalism.

Both these policies have been adopted by Hyndburn Council, which seems to be more enlightened about caring for the people it represents.

Coun Lishman maintains we were disappointed when the council won the ward for best council. But if he had rung his local Liberal Democrat councillor, or his own leader, for that matter, he would have discovered that we are always pleased, and are prepared to put it in writing, when the hard work put in by the officers and staff employed by the council is recognised by others.

If Coun Lishman wants to compare differences in Labour and Liberal Democrat-controlled councils, I suggest he digest the following: Liberal Democrat-controlled Liverpool City council cut Council Tax this year by three per cent. This follows three years of no increases.

COUN KEVIN CONNOR (Liberal Democrat, Marsh House Ward), Elswick Street, Darwen.