HAVING been presented with a copy of the Liberal Democrat Focus 'Election Special' I must express my disgust at its negativity.

The 'Old Tech' is a protected building and I am proud to have played an important role in the campaign in which 7,000 Darreners signed the petition for its retention. As involved.

The closure of the two elderly people's homes in Blackburn, was carried out with the consent of all the relevant outside bodies. Consultation took place between residents, social services and all political groups on the council. The Conservatives understood the reasons and supported the closures. As usual, the Lib Dems voted against.

Regarding the closure of local housing offices, in consultation with council tenants, officers of the council and local councillors, it was decided that the local housing office should be and that the money would be better off spent on the council properties rather than administration in the housing offices.

Council allowances - since unitary status was gained by Blackburn with Darwen Council, all allowances payable were increased by an independent body which included local business people. They followed the guidelines of other unitary authorities.

The allowances paid are considerably lower than other unitary authorities and the basic attendance allowance was actually reduced. Yes, the Liberal Democrats do claim their allowances, like all the other councillors.

Council meetings - occasionally, councillors from all political groups have to miss meetings due to work commitments. When this happens, a substitute is arranged. The Lib Dems are well aware of the procedure and make use of it themselves.

Finally, I would like to say, that, as usual, the Liberal Democrats in Darwen, have got their facts wrong. They should be promoting the town, the investment that has been brought into the borough and should also retreat from personal attacks and tell the truth.

Councillor DEREK BRINDLE, Sudell Ward, Darwen.

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