SIR - What a coincidence that you published a letter from K J Trocki questioning the decision to pay more money to Serco on the same day that you publish details of the Council's decision (May 15). It would appear that the original contract (which Serco presumably read, agreed to and signed) required them to meet 80 per cent of their targets in their first year. In reality, they met only one per cent of their targets and this means that the contract was flawed!

The "flaw" would seem to lie squarely with Serco - firstly for agreeing to and signing a contract with conditions that Serco had clearly not thoroughly considered, and then for failing so dismally to come anywhere near the 80 per cent that they had agreed to.

If Serco signed a contract that they cannot meet and require the conditions to be changed - perhaps to one that requires them to meet 0 per cent of their targets in order to receive even more money - then they should be paying us, the long-suffering Bradford council taxpayers, a fee for renegotiation and compensation for the monies already paid.

I cannot see why we should pay them a further £1.49 million for their failures.

J Turner, Temperance Field, Wyke

SIR - Building a cross-Bradford heavy-rail link would not divide the city as stated by G Hutton (T&A, May 9) if built on a viaduct.

This option would require rail lines to emerge from the Interchange, between the Law Courts and Vicar Lane, and then cross Hall Ings and the bottom of Leeds Road on a viaduct.

This would continue through Petergate and Forster Square, and descend on a gradient to the site of the old Forster Square station.

These lines would then join the Shipley-Bradford lines east of the present Forster Square station.

It can be seen from this that traffic flows will not be disrupted by a viaduct, nor will the city be divided.

Mr Hutton had suggested tunnelling through Bradford, but this would prove too costly, especially as Bradford Beck would have to be diverted.

Mr Hutton had also suggested building a two-level station at Forster Square, but building a viaduct to enable a cross-Bradford through service would prove the most cost-effective method.

Cross-Bradford has received the support of several enlightened organisations, and it is to be hoped that Bradford Council and Metro will also give their respective support.

Alec Suchi (secretary Bradford Rail Users' group), Allerton Road, Allerton.

SIR - It was very disappointing to read the T&A dismissal of the idea of a regional assembly for Yorkshire (Comment column, May 13) and it is worth pointing out the inaccuracy of the report in your newspaper.

Firstly, it should be stressed that this does not take powers away from local authorities but adds a regional dimension, taking powers away instead from central government and devolving them nearer to us in Yorkshire.

It should also be said that there is already a regional tier of government, such as regional development agencies etc.

The difference between these structures and the proposed assembly is that the assembly would be elected while these agencies are not.

Most importantly, it is misleading to state there were only 600 responses in Yorkshire, when each of these were not necessarily individual responses. Many were from organisations such as Chambers of Commerce and the Institute of Chartered Accountants representing between them thousands of members.

Approximately 40-50 of the responses were from organisations. We need a robust debate on this issue, and we also need accurate reporting so that the people of this city can decide for themselves whether or not to support it.

Councillor David Ford, Green Party Group, Bradford Council, City Hall.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We stand by our leading article. There has been a great deal of robust debate already in our columns. The consultation exercise is now coming to an end and we believe our opinion is in line with that of the majority of local people and businesses in that a Yorkshire Assembly is not in the best interests of the district. We believe that another tier of government is expensive and unnecessary and that contrary to Coun Ford's view it would take some powers away from local authorities.

SIR - Regarding J Gallagher's letter and the Editor's comment on local elections, although I agree with their sentiments and concerns, they both reach ridiculous conclusions.

Bradford is truly dogged by controversy, and in the public mind much of it is caused by the councillors up for election. You only have to read the T&A every day after all.

The Editor is correct - if you don't vote, you can't complain or realistically "you get what you deserve."

However, it is not correct to say that if a racist party gets in, it is the fault of non-voters, and that they had won by default.

The public will vote by their experiences in their own district, and the Editor should not tell them who not to vote for.

If all were to vote, perhaps they would vote for the BNP, and Mr Editor, by not voting, they have in fact registered their choice of candidate. They may be wiser than you give them credit for, but that's democracy!

Gary Lorriman, Long Lane, Harden.

Editor's note: The point we were making was simply that if the main parties were addressing the concerns of ordinary voters, more of them might choose to exercise their democratic right and extremism wouldn't get a look in.

SIR - Your correspondent, Malcolm Muhammed (Letters, May 9) congratulates Bradford citizens for not electing any BNP candidate. I'm afraid he must thank a higher authority for that.

A BNP candidate could so easily be elected under our backward and unfair first-past-the-post electoral system.

There were five candidates - including the BNP - where I stood in Shipley East. It would have been quite possible for us all to have got 20 per cent of votes cast but with one extra vote giving the seat to the BNP. With a turnout of 30 per cent or so, any candidate could have been elected by only six per cent of those eligible to vote.

I don't have other figures to hand but I doubt that many candidates actually won more than half of the vote.

It is possible that extremists could be elected under a sensible system of Fair Votes or proportional representation. But he/she would have to persuade a majority of people to vote extremist, if only in their second or third choice, not a mere 20 per cent plus one.

I would suggest that this is a better guarantee against extremists getting power.

John Hall (secretary, Shipley Lib-Dems), Pennithorne Avenue, Baildon.

SIR - I feel the need to write to you to express my utter disgust at your recent volley of abuse aimed at the British National Party.

Once again you resorted to childish name-calling and petty slurs to try to demonise the party. You even tried to influence voters against them.

"Racist, vile, poisonous, bigoted". Honestly, did you expect anyone to take that lot seriously? We live in a democracy and will vote for whoever we choose. You are never going to deter voters while we have eyes in our head and newspapers (decent ones) to read each day.

The state of Britain today is a disgrace. Surely you're not that narrow-minded to not have noticed?

The people who vote for the BNP are not the monsters you'd have us believe, nor are we aliens shipped in specially for election months.

We are the everyday men and women you see in the street - you'd do well to remember that, the next time you wish to throw your insults at us.

Steve Barkham, Mount Avenue, Eccleshill.

Editor's note: We stand by the comment in our leading article that the BNP is not the way ahead for decent right-thinking people, whatever their grievance.

SIR - In the opinion of B A Houseman ("No shame in our Bradford roots", T&A, May 8), I am one of the witless, spineless and feeble members of the silent majority he refers to.

If he would care to visit me, I shall be happy to disabuse him of his opinion.

He can find me in Bingley, which is midway between Leeds and Skipton.

A R Coates, Beckfoot Lane, Bingley.

SIR - I was under the mistaken impression that we were living in a democracy. I was wrong. We are living under a dictator called Blair, right.

He is determined to take us into the Euro and Europe whether we want it or not. That is not democracy when many thousands in this country don't want it.

Actually, after a year or so it won't be "Europe", it will be the "Fourth Reich", which the Germans have been wanting since the Third Reich was defeated.

Why don't the people in the Labour Party and Government get rid of Tony Blair and appoint a new leader who is ready to listen to the British people instead of only bothering about foreign affairs?

N Brown, Peterborough Place, Undercliffe.