SIR - In his letter "Who's on board?" (T&A, October 3), Stephen Cannar asked how many Bradfordians sat on the Bradford Centre Regeneration board.

An editor's note listed 11 members. More important than their Bradford citizenship is how and by whom they were appointed.

Two are representatives of a Government-funded quango, not responsible directly to the electorate.

There are others with what seem to be business interests - one of whom represents an organisation whose policy, I understand, brought about the closure of Bradford's remaining department store.

The chief executive has no previous connection with Bradford. Only two of the 11 are elected councillors.

Bradford had a city architect and a city engineer besides a legal officer and a city treasurer and a city medical officer, a director of education and a corporation transport manager. All were qualified, experienced servants of the city and answerable to the local electorate. All were familiar public figures. No-one needed to write, asking the Press to identify them.

Sad mistakes were made in the 1960s: fine old buildings were destroyed. But the above democratic way of governing the city, ensuring its welfare and planning its future development, was the right way.

When power is handed to the unelected whether at national or at local government level, public cynicism increased and confidence in the ballot box decreases.

Douglas Hartley, Irving Terrace, Clayton