SIR - It seems that, once again, tax payers of this city are going to have to foot the bill to ensure that Bradford Bulls can continue to play at Odsal. Around £500,000 is needed to maintain and upgrade the stadium to meet Super League requirements. This money is coming from our council tax even though the Council is unable to meet its education budget or maintain its housing stock.

There should not be one further penny thrown down the black hole of Odsal, which we taxpayers have funded since 1986.

Bradford Bulls should purchase Odsal from the Council for a sum that is acceptable to us taxpayers, and also pay the full cost involved in upgrading and maintaining the site without any kind of financial help from tax payers.

If the club are unwilling to proceed on this basis then Odsal should be closed down, all buildings on site demolished and the site returned to being a council landfill site. At least then some revenue would be received by the Council.

Bradford Bulls would, of course, have to relocate at their own cost. Surely the money received from Sky Television would go a long way to finance that ?

Barry Wood, Knights Fold, Bradford 7.

SIR - What an unbelievable speech Tony Blair gave at the New Labour Party conference. He promised us the earth - not now, but if he is re-elected for a further term of office. Nice try, Tony, but we are no longer fooled by this hype.

Then to top this, his deputy promised - arrogantly and single-handedly - to ban fox hunting! Well, this won't work either as a ban of this kind only appeals to a minority of subsidised voters whose only wish is to create countryside mayhem.

When a politician sorts out our problems as his first priority on gaining office, then we will have the right man for the job! In the meantime, it is time to give New Labour the old heave-ho!

T Williams-Berry, Bredon Avenue, Wrose.

SIR - With regard to the closure of the workshop for disabled students in Shipley, I find it difficult to balance the comment from Philip Baldwin, the community regeneration manager, that DIAL could apply for funding next year, and DIAL's statement that they could no longer fund the project from the proceeds of the Council grant.

Have they actually put in a bid for funding to find out if they would be successful or not? The answer would seem to be no.

I hope we as a community can pull together to find a suitable alternative and I will be writing to the leader of Bradford Council to ask her to consider asking DIAL to reconsider their strategy, and to consider taking steps which could prevent the closure of such a beneficial project to this minority group.

If this proves to be unsuccessful, then I would urge any members of the business community who read this letter to consider any help they can offer to DIAL, and urge the public to show their support by contacting their local councillors.

Zahid Iqbal, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bradford North, Wilton Street, Bradford.

SIR - May I congratulate all concerned with the recent First Bradford Food and Drink Festival. I really enjoyed coming down to the celebrations and tasting the food afterwards. It was expertly put together by Mr Simon Dunn and Associates and wonderfully presented. I hope this is the first of many food and drink festivals to come.

Well done all round! I'm looking forward to next year's events.

Andrew Tuppen, Woodside Crescent, Cottingley, Bingley.

SIR - Can anyone tell me what has happened to the bus shelter in Heights Lane? It was taken down the same day as all the buses changed. It had only just been repainted.

Can we have it back please. It was widely used by myself and a lot of other people. It was just outside the Co-op.

Mrs Knox, Bronte Close, Daisy Hill, Bradford 6.

SIR - Mr Hallsworth (T&A, September 16) is not alone in his harassment by the TV Licensing Authority. Anyone who chooses not to own a TV is subject to three-monthly questioning of their integrity and threatened with a personal inspection.

What has happened to the detector vans that were supposed to be able to tell which programme we are watching?

R J Mawson, Park Hill Drive, Bradford

SIR - It would appear that the Bradford Department of Social Services now think it is quite enough to attempt to take two pensioners and one person with learning difficulties to court for payment of debt in regard to the charges for non-domiciliary services.

Our organisation, along with Mencap, local MPs and councillors, has asked for the names of these people so that we can offer our support, and ensure that they receive all the facilities due to them.

This department seems to consider itself above the elected representatives of our city, and refused to provide the names of the persons concerned. Their reason for this being that the people have apparently informed them that they are perfectly willing to go to court, and require no further help or assistance.

Forgive us for sounding cynical, but following many dealings with this department, we find this hard to believe. May we, through your newspaper, invite them, or their carers, to get in touch with us directly if they so wish.

Pip Wilcox, chairman, Friends of Highfield/Lynley, c/o 43 Roundwood Glen, Greengates, Bradford.

SIR - With regard to the figures quoted on Ian Stewart's pay, I think this is obscene. I myself am a pensioner and because I have a son living with me I have to pay full Council Tax.

I'm sure we could get some one to do the job of Council Chief Executive a lot cheaper or are we going to go like football and see how much people can be paid?

If Mr Stewart and myself go to Morrisons shopping I pay the same as he does. I get £80 a week. He gets £2,000 a week. Is this fair? I think not. Brain surgeons don't get that sort of money.

Michael Breen, Bolton Hall Road, Wrose.