SIR - Your editorial today (May 28) which refers to the 4,000 people who have signed the petition for the retention of street wardens makes a lot of sense. Your opinion is that when a petition attracts 4,000 signatures, it is a fair bet that many more people who never got round to signing the petition, will agree with them.

You believe that petitions are a useful way of gauging public opinion for democracy is more than elections, it should also be about expressing a view about issues as they arise and persuading those responsible for making policies to look again at any which prove very unpopular You will be aware that to date more than 6,500 people have signed the petition for the retention of the Odeon. On the basis of your editorial may we now expect that these 6,500 and the many more supporters who never got round to signing the Odeon petition, will receive your full support for a rethink on the future of the Odeon building?

John Pashley, Westcliffe Avenue, Baildon

  • EDITOR'S COMMENT: The context of these two petitions is obviously completely different and the amount of council-taxpayers' money involved differs by tens of millions. As a newspaper we are free to weigh the facts and take an editorial stance based on what we believe is best for Bradford and its residents. Our readers, of course, are free to disagree - which is why we are able to publish letters like Mr Pashley's.
  • SIR - Your editorial of May 28 notes that 4,000 people signed the petition to retain the street wardens, and quite right too. "Petitions are a useful way of gauging public opinion" you said. Also correct.

Now how about the 6,500 people who signed the petition to retain the Odeon? Or don't their opinions count at the T&A?

John Tempest, PO Box 163, Bradford 3

  • EDITOR'S NOTE: See footnote above.