WE are getting the bad news about next year's council tax (LET, September 11) even before most of us have finished paying the present year's. It is a bigger racket than the poll tax.

I feel sure that the Government is not to blame as much as the waste of money by Lancashire County Council, and the present Labour-run Blackburn Council.

The tax never goes down; always up and up.

Take services as well - I have never seen a street cleaner round here for years.

Darwen is filthy, apart from the Circus, where a gentleman does a marvellous job picking up the litter.

Travel around and you will see litter bins overflowing in both Blackburn and Darwen - not on the main roads perhaps, but elsewhere.

J WALKDEN (Mr), Park Road, Darwen.

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