ISEE from your report "Threat to register offices" (LET, January 12) that poor old Darwen councillor Paul Browne, an ex-county councillor, has forgotten just how good the Labour Group at County Hall is at organising the finances of the county council so that Tory Government-imposed cuts in expenditure have minimum effect on the services of the county council.

As Paul knows, officers of the County Council are instructed to produce proposals for reductions in expenditure to meet Government-imposed limits. It is for councillors to decide which options should be taken to have minimum effect on services.

For Coun Browne to say that proposals to close Darwen's register office would not be considered if Blackburn Council had unitary status is flying in the face of facts.

Every council in Lancashire is faced with Government-imposed restrictions on expenditure and each council has to decide its priorities. A council the size of Lancashire has more options to look at than a council the size of Blackburn, which has much less room to manoeuvre.

BOB CLARK, Chairman, Fire Service and Public Protection Committee, Lancashire County Council.

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