Sir, – The recent assertion by Cllr Nick Wallis that the only way his party can afford £30,000/£60,000 to reopen the Darlington market toilets would be by reducing the budget for elderly care, beggars belief. Surely the provision of toilets should be part of the elderly care package.

Whilst enjoying the 'facilities' at the town hall with a suite of toilets on each of the four floors it must be difficult for our Labour leaders to comprehend the basic needs of residents.

We residents are kindly offered the use of facilities at the Dolphin Centre but is one toilet for ladies and one for gentlemen on the accessible ground floor adequate for 100,000 residents and visitors?

Before they cut elderly care our Labour councillors should maybe consider whether they can continue to pay themselves almost £700,000 each year in allowances - reducing the number of cabinet members by four (to nearer the basic legal requirement) would save nearly £50,000 each year - and BID receive a levy of £1.5m each year from traders they could easily contribute £50,000 before they pay for the next sandcastles on the square. Parking on the town square could also generate thousands for many projects.

Land owned by the town is being sold every week - the town hall car park now an office block and the £30m Feethams Leisure Complex on the bus station site. Of course the proceeds from these land sales are much needed to reduce the £200m debt incurred by the Labour group over the past 20 years but surely £30,000/£60,000 can be spared to cover the cost of toilets in the market to help restore much needed trade to the town centre.

JEAN JONES

Darlington