WITH reference to the recent letters from all sorts of organisations about your story 'Jolly Unfair.'

I can only think the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's circulation manager is delighted that the newspaper has become such required reading for so many un-elected government bodies!

As Guardian reader I have been surprised to discover that so many public money-sucking bodies exist which haven't graced their pages, but it does concern me that those being funded by our taxes have the time to write to a newspaper.

It is good to see, though, that they all display the essential quality for working in the public sector, a blatant ability to ignore the facts.

As far as I can see, no-one has criticised the officer involved for winning the award, as they have implied in their letters.

But as a resident of the town, I would take exception to money given to the borough to help people in poor areas being spent on sending people on a jolly to London.

The reaction of many of those responding to your story leads me to remember a phrase my father often used, that one appears to be protesting too much.

Agencies such as those which have complained to the LET, and some council officers, are guilty of putting style over substance.

When Blackburn with Darwen Council insisted on putting the word 'excellent' on all its signs, did that mean the public felt it was excellent?

Mr Patel, his bosses, the council's 'communication director' and these people at these laughable organisations guzzling public money but accountable to no-one need to learn that it is us who pay their wages.

We want to see how that money is spent.

Congratulations to the council leader for not being swayed by their nonsense, which obviously was allowed to grow while Sir Bill Taylor, a council officer himself, was in charge.

ANNA JORDAN (Mrs), Witton, Blackburn.