SIR - When my son informed me that he and his good lady were upping roots and leaving their very cool flat in London and moving to the North to live, I was very surprised.

When he told me that they had bought a house in Bierley, I was as we say in Bradford "gobsmacked".

My son has a dot-com outfit on the internet and my future daughter-in-law is a producer with one of the major TV studios, jobs that I thought were synonymous with living in the capital.

Wrong! They have moved up to Bradford for all sorts of reasons but the two main ones are - it's a much better quality of life up here and you get a heck of a lot more for your hard-earned brass.

Could this be a new trend?

Paul Moss, Piccadilly Corner, Bradford 1.

SIR - Prior to the General Election being called, various claims were made about the value of English culture and how it was being challenged through multiculturalism.

We can see from a historical perspective that the English nation had developed against a background of foreign influences, including Germany, Scandinavia and France.

Hence those qualities have arisen historically and must be so regarded rather than as intrinsic virtues.

The same also applies to the culture and traditions of the ethnic minorities.

If we claim intrinsic qualities to being English or Asian, a danger arises that we may isolate ourselves according to our own groupings, and disregard the value of others.

In Bradford a deterioration of race relations had occurred because of this, with the creation of ghetto areas and a reported increase of Asian gang attacks.

In the short term this state of lawlessness must be tackled by the authorities.

On a practical level we can see why people of a common culture and language tend to group together, as this enables easier communication.

However, peaceful co-existence will only occur when we value our common humanity above superficial differences of culture, tradition and religion.

Alec Suchi, Allerton Road, Allerton.

SIR - Looking at past letters from ardent opponents of Stock Transfer, it is apparent that they are all making political objections. The only "man on the street" who has so far raised objections is a home owner and, therefore, unaffected.

The truth is that nobody wants to leave the Council, but everyone wants more effective services and over half of Council tenants are seeking regeneration. The only way this can be achieved is through Stock Transfer.

While those supporting ST are putting together plans for improvement to better their lives and their neighbours' lives, it is interesting to note that not one opponent has offered an alternative way of raising the required money.

All we are asking is that tenants attend every meeting possible, both for and against Stock Transfer, examine ALL the true facts (not the political dogma) and make your own minds up in accordance to your own needs, and ignore political agendas.

Mike Stocks (chairman, CARE), The Coppies, Delph Hill, Wyke.

SIR - As Labour wants to control everything that moves - from cats to cars and all other aspects of our lives - I'm reminded of the modern God of Conservatism Edmund Burke's brilliant analysis of the consequences of what he called "a restless desire of governing too much".

He said: "As always happens in this kind of officious universal interference, what began in odious power, ended in contemptible imbecility".

The Lib-Dems always talk about decentralising, but only to bring things under their control. They wouldn't have any more truck with freedom on people's lives than Labour.

D I Kemp, Stockhill Street, Dewsbury.

Glib promises

SIR - The politicians are at it again, promising us more police. But what if the police have no real power?

As a result of the "we can't" policy laid down by the leaders of our society - who, incidently, don't have to live in a cesspool of depravity and are not in touch with reality and have their own police protection - the ordinary people's police are subjected to streams of abuse and missiles from all sides!

It is the law-abiding citizens who are harassed and put away by laws which are obviously designed to protect the criminal in every case.

If you are a consistent offender, the law in its infinite stupidity will reward you with trips abroad and courses on how to drive and maintain motor vehicles . The end result is a criminal society who can maintain their own getaway vehicles, and having pulled the big job, can fade in with other tourists in warmer climates.

Isn't there one politician with enough gumption to clear this mess up?

Trevor Williams-Berry, Bredon Avenue, Wrose

SIR - You have now published two letters on the Who's Counting? page claiming that VAT is to be levied on service charges in sheltered housing schemes and the like. This is simply not true and the Paymaster General Dawn Primarolo confirmed in Parliament last week that these charges are and will remain VAT free.

The T&A should check the facts before letting statements that are malicious and worrying for elderly people appear in such a respected column.

Terry Rooney, Kirkgate, Bradford

SIR - I refer to Sid Brown's letter of May 8. Why won't "Saint Helen" be every Tyke's "first choice for a special dedication"?

Obviously Mr Brown penned his missive after the result at Twickenham but before that at Headingley last Friday... unless of course he is solely concerned with results affecting Bradford teams and has no interest where teams just down the road are affected!

Martyn Stankler, Scott Hall Road, Moortown, Leeds.

SIR - I would like to thank doctors, nurses, ambulance crews and staff for the care and attention received when I spent a month in C3 at St Luke's following a stroke.

Mrs E Mills, Harrogate Street, Undercliffe.