It's the Government's council housing financial policy which is seriously flawed because the Government "siphons off" the rental surplus by negative subsidy from Northampton Borough Council's housing revenue account and claws back 75 per cent of capital receipts from right-to-buy sales of council homes.

If a property management company or housing association was subject to the same Government interference, they would go bust. Negative subsidy is a tax on tenants, who subsidise council tax.

The current Lib Dem administration is now reinvesting the 25 per cent of capital receipts from sales of council homes it is allowed to retain in a council housing improvement programme, whereas previous Labour and Conservative administrations subsidised council tax payers of other tenures by financing general fund capital expenditure to buy middle class votes.

To refer to N-TACT (Northampton-Tenants and Council Together) as a pressure group is incorrect. The pressure groups of substance are Defend Council Housing and NT-ACT (Northampton Tenants – Against Council Trickery).

Blairite and Brownite acolyte Sally Keeble MP's criticism of borough council housing policy is disingenuous when she fully supports the biased Government policy, which favours housing associations.

The real culprit is her Government's seriously flawed, politically dogmatic, housing policy.

There is no reason why the council can't manage and run social and affordable housing as effectively and efficiently as the best run housing association.

It's only a matter of desire, willingness and a level playing field, with the Government treating councils in the same way as housing associations.
Chris Swinn,
Council Tenant and N-TACT Committee member (in a personal capacity), Little Cross Street, Spring Boroughs, Northampton.

Maze? Give us back our roses!
I see from the Chronicle & Echo that Trini Crake now wishes to change the rose garden in Abington Park, Northampton, and create a maze for the children.

I walked my dogs through the rose garden last Saturday morning and was dismayed to discover that the council had neglected this once beautiful garden so much.

Why move the garden at all? Would it not be cheaper for us, the council tax payers, if the council just maintained it as it is supposed to do and kept its natural beauty intact for all to enjoy?

I am so fed up with reading about these hare-brained ideas from this council which usually cost us thousands of pounds, for no reason or purpose other than just proving to us all that they don't know what to do next!
Liz Cox,
High Street, Great Billing, Northampton.

Soldiers won't be doing knitting
I write in response to the letter in the Chronicle & Echo of August 20, from Caoimhin O'Mathuna.

I fail to see what the problem is with the Army displaying weapons on a stall at a public entertainment site, eg, the balloon festival.

This has been happening in this country since time began, or as long as I can remember and that is a long time.

What this person fails to understand is that the children who saw and touched these weapons will never use one with anger, or in a situation that is described as a climate of knife and gun crime.

The soldiers that he challenged do what they are ordered to do.

They are trained to handle weapons responsibly.

On active service they can only use the weapons after considering their rules of engagement, even at times of great danger.

Everyone has rights, including the Army and the organisers of the festival.

My advice is to stay away from Army displays. You won't see soldiers knitting.
V Graham-Hole,
Elgin Street, St James End, Northampton.

Lots missing from balloon festival
Forgive me if I'm mistaken but didn't the Northampton Town Show and the balloon festival merge to become one big show?

If that is the case and the council says it's bigger and better every year, then tell me, where was the flower tent, where was the fuchsia show and the vegetable competition?

Where were the rabbit and guinea pig shows and the reptiles?

There was a craft tent but so tiny, with so many people, you couldn't even get a look in.

For £4 entrance fee, the council can do much better and really put Northampton on the map.

Let's make it a date in the diary to really look forward to.

Look back at things we had at the town show at Abington Park and bring it all to The Racecourse.

The balloon festival is a great show if you want to buy a new car!
Richard Durham,
Queenswood Avenue, Northampton.

Attendance only third of heydays
I read the article about attendance levels at this year's balloon festival (August 21) and was surprised that your reporter did not mention attendance levels at festivals prior to the Liberal Democrats taking control of the council, given the use of the word "success" on several occasions.

I note that no opposition councillor was quoted in the article.

The Liberal Democrats inherited a situation where festival attendances were 200,000 or more.

So the attendance given for this year of 80,000 is less than half of what it was and a third of our best years of 250,000. And they cannot blame the weather this year.

When Councillor Glynane says people had voted with their feet, how right he was.

The combined attendance of 2007 and this year is less than the attendance for just one festival previously.

People stayed away in their droves because of the charge of £4, which his party introduced.

The Chron has printed many letters and texts from Northampton residents saying they would not attend because of the charge.

I hope that the Lib Dems avoid such "successes" in the future.
Geoff Howes,
Alliston Gardens, Northampton.

GB's archers fail in Beijing games
I read with great interest Anna Brosnan's article in Thursday's Chronicle & Echo, regarding the Olympic Games and minority sports, and I congratulate her for making the case for hard working local clubs and societies.

However, I was very disappointed to read the comments regarding the funding of the British archery team.

The facts are that, in the four-year cycle since their medal success in Athens, the GB archery team has received significant funding support from UK Sport, the Government's sport-funding agency, which has allocated £2,834,000.

This has enabled the sport to employ one of the world's top coaches, Peter Suk, from Korea.

In line with most of the UK's professional sports people, our Olympic archers receive full individual funding, which allows them to train on a full time basis.

The fact that the team did not perform to potential in Beijing was a great disappointment to the archers and coaches alike.

No doubt when they get back to the UK every aspect of their performance will be evaluated so that the lessons can be learned.
David Clarke,
British Olympic Archery Coach and Team Manager 1988-1992.