P ROUTLEDGE (Echo Letters, Dec 20) "What does it cost?" talks about my "drubbing" in losing the appeals for 26 parking tickets and asks "when he is going to pay his fines?"
I think some illumination is required as the Echo has yet to clarify the position despite running with Sunderland Council's factually incorrect press release.
The situation is this: The adjudicator made a mistake in his decision in relation to the appeals in relation to my tickets, and, as a result, I requested a correction of that decision before I exercised my right under the adjudication process for a review of his decision where he made mistakes in fact and in law, as well as the administrative errors.
Sunderland Council was aware of this and aware of the appeal process yet to chose to leak the incorrect decision to the press giving the impression that they had won comprehensively.
I will refrain from further comment at present but I am sure that when Sunderland Council issues the apology for misrepresenting the position (I am still waiting despite receiving an apology from the National Parking Adjudication Service some weeks ago), it will be fully and correctly reported in the press, including the Sunderland Echo.
Oh, and in the location where I won my appeals ( Frederick Street) the adjudicator stated that "the traffic order was wrongly drafted" yet Sunderland City Council continues to issue at this location.
I will leave everyone to make their own minds up as to what this would be called should it get before a judge.
Neil Herron,
Sunderland

Caught in struggle
THE Competition Commission (formerly the Monopolies Commission) is preparing to release its initial thinking of an inquiry into the grocery sector.
Tesco has set up a website to counter accusations of abusing its vast market power claiming to "put the record straight"
The Competition Commission watchdog offices have apparently received a flood of letters accusing Tesco of running nothing more than a "spin" operation to counter the allegations of this market power abuse.
Tesco now has such a market hold it seemingly can afford to employ the best legal and planning brains.
Where does Sunderland figure in all this? Well, we are in the middle of a struggle to prevent our city centre from degenerating from a strong shopping centre, which is in the process of gradually being developed (The Bridges had record levels of shoppers again at Christmas), to one, which will resemble a ghost town as soon as Tesco implement their plans to stifle all competition.
In addition, if anybody is in any doubt as to how a superstore would look, take a trip on the Metro to Newcastle Airport and be confronted by the ghastly sight of black tarmac as far as the eye can see. At least that one is out of town and next to a railway line.
You Have Been Warned,
Sunderland

Sellers beware!
AS from June 2007 it will be a criminal offence for homeowners to sell their property without providing a Home Information Pack (HIP).
In addition to including legal documents such as guarantees, it will be compulsory for each property to have an Energy Performance Certificate, for which something like 2,500 to 4,500 energy inspectors will be required. Overall added cost is estimated to be around £400 or thereabouts, per sale.
The Government recently dropped the controversial Home Condition Report, (HCR) as a mandatory part of the pack.
The main driving force behind this debacle for many years was John Prescott, which perhaps says it all, while Sunderland South Labour MP Chris Mullin did have some earlier imput in a junior ministerial capacity around the turn of the century.
Through the Letters Page of the Sunderland Echo I have asked Mr Mullin to respond to the fact that about £225million had been spent, and largely wasted over many years, before the plug was pulled on the home conditon report being made compulsory.
This request for open discussion has been met with silence, which is disappointing.
I must say that I am not at all convinced that the June deadline will be met, taking into account the past record of policy failures and U-turns by this Government.
They had certainly better get a move on finding and then organising those who can provide the energy certificate, in addition to creating an army of enforcers.
Michael Dixon,
St Chad's Conservatives

I was misquoted
I DISLIKE being misquoted when writing to the Echo, so imagine how I feel when words that I have never actually written are laid at my feet.
The Gadfly (Echo, Jan 9), did precisely this. "I am not writing this letter in support of Steve Colborn, who claimed to have read Marx then declared that religion was all rubbish", he delared.
Well sir or madam, I have never made any such statement with regard to religion.
Furthermore, I am offended by your assertion.
Religion to my mind, is irrelevant. I would not waste time and energy on the subject unless, when trying to answer a response to my letters, where religion is used in the argument, I deem it necessary.
Finally, your summation of the letter from RM was succinct and to the point. A letter I agreed with and enjoyed. Pity you started off so badly.
Your New Year resolution should be: "Must take more notice".
Steve Colborn,
Seaham

They intended to close Nookside
FOR a long time now I have wanted to reply to the articles that have appeared in the Sunderland Echo regarding Nookside Centre.
It is obvious that the views of the adults who attend this centre do not matter, as they have repeated over and over again that they simply do not want it to close.
I have never read or heard of one person who has been in favour.
It has also been obvious for a long time that Sunderland Adult Services do intend it to close.
These people have fought a hard battle for a long time and when Nookside is demolished, there is one simple solution and that is to make available the same facilities in the same area. The money from the sale of the land should make this possible.
One reason for the closure of Nookside is for adults with disabilities to be socially integrated into the community. The facilities within the community have always been there if they had wanted them.
They have a centre they love and friends they have made over many years and as adults they are able to make their own decisions as to where and who they spend their time with.
SC

SPACE
SEE that silver bright moon, floating in space
Along with planets, meteors and stars.
It stirs my thoughts to think of men
One day proposing to go to Mars.
Intrepid man with his Earth-built rocket,
Awesome power, pouring out fire,
Climbing into the great unknown,
Climbing ever higher and higher.

Oh! What wonder when man walked on the Moon
Where none had ever been before,
Yet there he was, brave man from Earth,
Leading the way, looking for more
Secrets to unfold in that virgin world,
That world of infinite space.
Man with his enquiring mind,
Man of the human race.

I often wonder, will the day ever come
When humans live on the moon.
I am sure it won't be in my time
Nor will it be very soon
But then I am quite content
To be earth bound as I am,
Though it's wonderful living in this age
Of exploration into space by man.
J Dodds,
Sunderland

Did us a favour
AS a Labour supporter can I thank Robert Graves (Echo, January 10) for his impromptu attack on MP Bill Etherington, which must have helped to secure Mr Etherington's successor a safe Labour seat for many years to come.
But please, Mr Graves, at least spare a thought for Labour MPs of Bill's era who had to work within the parameters of the catastrophic Thatcher years when the introduction of Milton Freidman's madcap "monetarist" philosophy saw huge swathes of British industry go to the wall, unemployment reach a veritable three million and remain at that level for over a decade.
Wearside didn't escape this industrial slaughter, Mr Graves, indeed, our coal mines and shipbuilding facilities also fell foul of Thatcher/Freidman onslaught before the good lady got the order of the boot from her own party.
Sadly, not before the heinous poll tax cost the taxpayer £10billion and Black Wednesday added a further £4billion to the bill, which all eventually contributed to the £26.4billion borrowing requirement inherited by Mr Etherington's party.
F Brady,
Sunderland

Strength to survive
AS another year starts and I reflect on past years may I please take this
opportunity to thank once again my lovely family and fantastic friends, so
many and too numerous to mention, for giving me not only love but strengh to survive!
It is now just over four years since Peter's tragic accident, something I will never ever get over but learn to live with with this raw pain that will never go away.
Peter's trust fund was set up in Oct 2003 with the sum of £50. Just think. We needed to do something that was going to benefit others.
Our first few months of fund-raising were a great success, so much so that the work at Newcastle
General Hospital was complete a few months later.
We then decided to run a safety awareness campaign, to warn children of the dangers attached to rope swings. if the campaign raised awareness in just one child it has been a success.
We then turned our fund-raising efforts to the Grace House Appea. I thought it was a great idea to raise enough funds to equip one of the special rooms there. After agreeing to equip the computer and games room, the money started flooding in.
Every event over the years has been really special, as we all know why we are there. we set ourself a huge target of £30.000, but knowing that the equipment we have to buy is going to be expensive we plodded on.
In May last year we hit that target and carried on, holding more fund-raising events the last one of 2006 being the Boxing Day Dip.
We have been pledged more than £3,000 in sponsorship money from this event which will take Peter's Fund to £40,000.
So my heartfelt thanks go to everyone involved in our fund-raising. Many thanks to all sponsors, family, friends and of course my brave brave dippers, you really are fantastic.
Julie Reay,
Sunderland

Vision needed
HELLO Lib Dems! Any chance of seeing your plans for the city?
I know the Lib Dems are still excited about winning the nice new buildings of Newcastle but how about you try to expand in a real northern city?
There are lots of problems – half a Metro system, the begginnings of a bus war in Sunderland with both main companies not offering the bus-Metro continuity that we want, and we have the farce that is the Vaux site and the dreadful state of shopping in sunderland.
Now, by the looks of the Letters Page we have disenchantment by the towns that make up the city i.e. Houghton, Washington and Hetton who feel they lack a fair deal in the city over all. These are all problems waiting to be solved.
The Tories can't seem to break out of their central comfort zone, and the Labour council only appears in the Sunrise magazine. They can't speak in person. They may break their commercial confidentilaity, or accidentally give away the plans for world domination.
If you have only vague wispy promises and hand-clenching then leave us be. However if you are prepared to actually make us a city, as opposed too a Newcastle suburb and are able to lay real plans and measureable policies in front of us to choose from, then tell us.
At the moment the only alternative to the main two parties was some very active independents, who I believe do a good job, or the BNP.
If you are the true third party you would put your heart and soul into fighting them for the only place in the UK they contested every single seat. We need the choice. We need a third vision for the city. We have been moving forward but slowly. I hope to see hefty leaflet through my door come election time.
Shaun Cudworth
Sunderland