Criminals get a great deal more.

I live in the North Tyneside Council area (sadly). I am constantly appalled at its shockingly poor performance in relation to the people who pay taxes to keep them functioning.

My daughter recently moved from her job in a tied tenancy.

This council refused to accept her need for priority re-housing on the basis she had made herself homeless. On checking what would give her "priority status", I was informed that if she was an ex-offender, having just left prison, or a single mother, then a priority situation would exist.

Happily, my daughter is married with two children and has worked all her life, paying her taxes to this council who then fail to offer her equal service to the above two groups.

It is disgraceful that this council appears to lay more importance on criminals than it does on tax-paying good citizens.

So beware those in tied tenancies in North Tyneside. If you change your job or get the sack you will not be classed as a priority when it comes to housing. Perhaps if we all went out and committed crimes we will then get equal treatment from North Tyneside Housing Department.

Vote them out at the next by-elections. Can any housing pressure group pick this one up?

A BULL, Glenfield Road, Longbenton.

Keep kids off for one day

CLOSING middle schools is a madness but all the subtle campaigning will do little to halt it.

Look at how Ponteland First School has managed to get the go-ahead for its new school with no problems in the planning department, despite opposition because of road safety issues.

The only way to make Northumberland County council sit up and listen is to hit them where it hurts. Parents of Y6 pupils should have kept their children at home for one day this week. This would cause havoc with their precious SATs STATs.

A MORRISON, (parent), Edrich Close, Ponteland

Looking after our own area

RECENT correspondents have missed a fundamental point about why we should have a regional assembly rather than an English parliament.

England's population is predominantly in the South East, so any English parliament would not only be weighted towards the needs of the South, but would most likely be based there as well.

The North East would continue to lose out, as we do under the current system. In contrast, a regional assembly for the North East would give us the local voice that we need to develop our own economy. We should be seeking to stand on our own two feet as a region, rather than always have to be accountable to parliaments based hundreds of miles away.

NICK FORBES, Heaton, Newcastle.

Roads are an election issue

MANY people in Newcastle will be surprised that the Chronicle thinks the poor state of the city's roads and pavements shouldn't be an issue for `electioneering' (Chronicle, May 6).

It is right and proper that the city's Liberal Democrat councillors should seek to make the maintenance of roads and pavements an election issue. Across the city, residents are unhappy that roads and paths have been allowed to deteriorate so badly by the Labour-run council. A recent Audit Commission report found that, under Labour, Newcastle City Council's highways maintenance is "poor and with little prospect for improvement". It is worth noting that the council's own official estimate of the backlog of roads repairs stands at a staggering pounds 300m citywide, after Labour has cut the highways budget year after year, and consistently voted against Lib Dem budget plans to increase spending on this area. In this context, Labour's proposed extra spending is a drop in the ocean. The council has spent millions in recent years on insurance payouts to people injured by falling on badly maintained pavements. The Chronicle might like to consider why Labour have only promised extra spending on this weeks before crucial local elections.

Finally, with respect to claims by the Tories that they will improve every road in the city within two years if they are elected, the Chronicle should be asking them where they intend to find the pounds 300m plus it would take to do this.

COUN REG STONE, Lib Dem, Newcastle City Council