Clearing up confusion over the assembly.

There has been some confusion expressed in your letters pages about the members and the staff of the North-East Assembly.

It is true that the assembly's members are unpaid. They are drawn from across the 25 local authorities in the region as well as from other sectors including business, trades union, faiths, rural, voluntary and many other interests. There are 73 members of the assembly and they give their time on a voluntary basis. The result is that members representing regional interests agree regional policy, within the area defined by statute.

The North-East Assembly, as any other organisation would, pays its staff. The assembly employs around 30 staff. In common with other English regions, the North-East Assembly is set up to deliver statutory duties in planning, housing, transport, sustainability and is the "regional watchdog" for the regional development agency, One NorthEast.

Had a regional body not been created, this work would doubtless be carried out from London at significantly greater cost.

ALEX WATSON, Chair, North-East Assembly, The Axis Building, Maingate, Kingsway North, Team Valley, Gateshead NE11 0NQ

Failed for going slow

THE Government and the Driving Standards Agency really should get their heads together and decide how fast motorists should travel on Britain's roads.

I recently bought a 125cc motorcycle and duly presented myself for a driving test and was failed for not going fast enough (between 35mph and 40mph on a 50mph road). So, come on all you motorists who complain about a pounds 60 fine for going too fast. Going too slow has just cost me pounds 58 and I don't have the chance to have my day in court.

FRED ALLEN, Washington

When did we lose our democratic system?

JOURNAL readers, I am sure, are fully aware that in the name of "progress, improvement and economics", decisions affecting the whole of Northumberland have been made by the executive committee of the county council.

The decisions to close fire stations and The Mount residential home in Morpeth illustrate the direction in which the executive is intent on taking their electorate against, we believe, the wishes of the majority within the community.

Now the local libraries are in the committee's sights and once again, there will be those who question what is happening.

Sadly, we believe the executive committee will have already decided the outcome and are aware they can ignore anyone campaigning against their decisions, because the system prevents the electorate's concerns having to be taken on board or acted upon.

When and how did we lose our precious democratic system that saw issues discussed in full council? Were we all so secure in our democratic process that we complacently allowed these changes to happen without question?

From now on, we must never wrongly assume we have the county's ear or that county councillors have a direct means of debating and voting for the rights of the elderly and frail in our society.

We must never wrongly assume an adequate counselling and care structure is in place for relatives of residents of The Mount facing the traumatic task of relocating their frail and elderly loved ones.

We must never wrongly assume that those placed in high office to represent us will have our best interests at heart.

It is up to us the electorate to be vigilant and never again let a tragedy of wrong assumptions deny the most vulnerable in our society one of their most basic democratic and human rights, which is that they be allowed to end their days contentedly in the place that to them was their home. We urge the electorate to ask the executive committee, through your county councillors, why there is this undignified and unseemly rush to evacuate The Mount's premises.

The tragic emotional and traumatic costs to the relatives, residents and staff has now gone beyond human reckoning or what we would decently expect within any caring society.

MAUREEN HOWES, Morpeth, ELAINE BLACK, Morpeth and MAUREEN LEASKE, Bedford

Political leaders must listen to the electorate

IWOULD like to respond to the outlandish comments from district leaders in Northumberland.

Tynedale District Council leader John Herron has stated, I believe without any evidence, that the county council cannot be trusted to deliver its current services, never mind take on board additional services. Yet he ignores the failings of district authorities themselves.

For instance the Government's comprehensive performance assessment showed Berwick and Morpeth were "weak" authorities, while Wansbeck was only "fair". Indeed, Tynedale itself only squeezed into the "good" category after being criticised for its poor housing performance.

District leaders then say the 2004 referendum gives them a mandate. Is that right? 2004 was a completely different context and voters were only given two options to change local government; there are now at least three on the table, one of which is the status quo.

In addition, these leaders ignore the fact that the Castle Morpeth public voted for a single unitary, not their option. In Wansbeck, the vote was virtually evenly split (50.5-49.5%). So how can district leaders claim they have a mandate from these two areas?

Public opinion has changed since 2004. For instance, a recent BBC poll showed that a majority of the public now support regional government. Say no more. This is why Tynedale Labour group successfully proposed on Tuesday night, with all party support, that Tynedale council considers consulting with the public to get their views, not just on the one or two unitary options but also on an "enhanced two-tier" option.

Instead of ignoring public opinion, I challenge all of Northumberland's political leaders to consult the public first before making their minds up. I think that's called democracy.

GLENN SIMPSON, Leader, Tynedale Labour Group, Prudhoe, Northumberland

Thousands may be missing out on grant

THOUSANDS of adult education returners in the region could be missing out on the Government's adult learning grant because of a lack of awareness.

The new grant, worth pounds 30 a week, is aimed at adults aged 19 to 31 who are studying post-GCSE courses, such as access to higher education, and vocational programmes which last more than 12 hours a week.

To qualify, students have to turn up to classes regularly and do homework. They're also allowed to keep or take up part-time jobs without affecting the grant.

COUN STEPHEN LAMBERT, Labour, Kenton Ward, Newcastle City Council

Editor's Note: Coun Lambert's name appeared without his letter in yesterday's Voice of the North, thus creating the false impression that he had co-authored a letter which, in fact, had been written solely by Mr Tom Mountain. Our apologies go to both men and our readers.

Heat engine not CO2 is real global warmer

IAGREE with the theme of R Lewis of Birtley about the supposed impact that CO2 has on the world ("Here's one argument that's a load of manure", Voice of the North, November 29).

Carbon dioxide has become the "enemy of the people" while the real culprit is the lack of elementary training of the politicians who like to hide their considerable errors by inventing a bogey man. He keeps the mind focused away from the truth.

Carbon dioxide has become the focus, while the real culprit of global warming is the "heat engine": the internal combustion engine, your car, planes, power stations.

The main function of heat engines is to provide rotary motion, a function at which they are not a success, most of the fuel (60%) being wasted in heat.

If politicians want a practical test, they should run their car engine for five minutes then put their hand on the exhaust manifold. If they know what that is and are daft enough to do it, then they will know the truth.

Chasing carbon dioxide underground with a big stick while the largest component in the combustion chamber is nitrogen, which results in nitrous oxide, is so obviously a fool's errand.

Politicians should stop passing the parcel and enter the world of reality

TOM SHAUGHNESSY, Gateshead

Savings research findings are worrying

THE Association of British Insurers (ABI) has just published its latest State of the Nation's Savings research. The research is worrying.

Fewer than half of all working people are not saving enough in a pension to ensure a comfortable retirement. Nearly eight million working people save nothing at all for their retirement. And over four million more people are not saving enough.

In the last year, the Government has begun to put in place plans for the future: it has proposed a more generous and simpler state pension system and the introduction of automatic enrolment into new employer-based pensions known as personal accounts.

But the reforms are not due to take effect until 2012 at the earliest. There is a risk that people will put off saving for their retirement until then.

We must avoid this. The ABI has launched a campaign to get people to "Save More Now". By putting off saving today, people will potentially lose out on thousands of pounds which could otherwise be invested in a range of savings products and give them a better income tomorrow.

The Save More Now campaign wants to encourage people to seek information about the whole range of long-term savings products available and then to take action to ensure they have enough saved to be comfortable in retirement.

I urge people to Save More Now.

STEPHEN HADDRILL, Director General, Association of British Insurers, 51 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HQ

We can but dream of Thatcherite policies

IJUST had to write to congratulate you for printing one of the most amusing letters I have read for some while. The letter from Gary Haley ("Labour's record is one to be proud of", Voice of the North, November 29) was surely written with tongue firmly in cheek.

It would be quite acceptable (to me at any rate) to accuse the Lib Dem administration in Newcastle of being incompetent or inept. I could also go along with "holier than thou" or interfering busy-bodies, but to say that their policies are Thatcherite yes Thatcherite; we can but dream.

I have to say though that Mr Haley is quite right to refuse to take lessons in hypocrisy from the Liberal Democrats. The Labour Party need no lessons in hypocrisy from anyone.

It is one of the few things they do very well.

MICHAEL JEANS (Yes, you've guessed, a Tory), Tranwell, Morpeth, Northumberland