IT is plain wrong of the WMN to suggest that Westcountry viewers will receive a "second rate" service as a result of proposed changes to our regional news services ("Here's the TV news... that we made earlier", November 6).

Our focus has always been on providing audiences with an accurate, up to date and relevant news service – that commitment remains unchanged.

The newly combined programme, The West Country Tonight, will lead with 15 minutes of dedicated news to the present Westcountry region and follow with 15 minutes of the day's breaking stories within the broader region.

One of the opt-out segments will be pre-recorded each evening, but it is important to stress that this will be filmed immediately before transmission. In a busy television environment with a large area to cover this is not a new development – it is not unusual for certain elements of any live bulletins to be pre-recorded.

Viewers can rest assured that if an important live story breaks we will have the ability to cover it because we are focusing our resources on ensuring that our newsgathering operation is, and will continue to be, first class, with live capability from a dedicated satellite truck and up to 16 reporters and cameras on the road each day.

Our plans for regional news will allow ITV to continue providing a high-quality, well resourced and sustainable regional service, while enabling the company to make the necessary £40 million savings in public service broadcasting costs identified as part of the ITV Turnaround Strategy.

Jane McCloskey

Regional Director ITV West and Westcountry

Too demanding

I HAVE just received a demand for future payments from my energy supplier. The year before last suppliers denied customers millions of pounds by overcharging. When this was found out, instead of giving this money back to the payers, they said they were giving it to charities.

I have yet to speak to anyone or see any charities that have acknowledged these donations. So where did this money go?

Now the fresh demands have arrived. As a pensioner I am unable to meet them – does this mean I will be cut off or do I wait for the bailiffs to call? The gas bill shows I am in credit by £85.83 but the supplier still demands £68 a month.

To this I would like to add a complaint about South West Water. When it sent its bill, charges had risen by 30 per cent; when I queried this I was told my water rate had risen by only 4 per cent.

It used to be £20.40 and the new demand is £27.96; how can this be only 4 per cent?

What I want to know is: who looks after the taxpayer? When I told SWW I was going to ask for the names of its board members, their salaries and expenses, and how much their mismanagement had cost the taxpayer in court costs and fines, I was told this could not be done because the Freedom of Information Act did not apply to private companies and it would be illegal to do so.

So again: Who looks after the taxpayer?

John While

Bude

Cenotaph thoughts

AS we see our MPs and leaders stand at the Cenotaph, watching brave ex-soldiers march past in honour of all the millions who died in two world wars, let's hope they gave a little thought to those trying to get by on such a low pension for all they went through for this country.

Those conquered countries have bypassed Britain and pay their pensioners up to £300 a week, so let's hope it will rub off a bit and give them food for thought – it's not too late to lift pensioners' income in line with the rest of Europe.

You will notice how MPs cut back so hard on public spending, yet never on their own fabulous salaries or expenses.

F J Farleigh

Kingsbridge

Devious answers

WHY do politicians never answer an easy question with a straight yes or no?

When I hear the Prime Minister or Chancellor talk about the credit crunch, if they are so clever why didn't they see this problem of everyone borrowing much more than they could hope to repay coming? Surely they must take the blame.

I don't see why taxpayers should shoulder this problem, especially with only a slight chance that we will not be in recession. What happens then?

I am afraid MPs of all persuasions have got to a real low.

Roy Davey

Launceston

Old Labour cared

PENSIONERS like myself have either to heat or eat while the energy fat cats get huge bonuses and a Labour Government lets them get away with it.

If this is New Labour – stuff it. Bring back Old Labour, which at least had a caring face.

This crowd are useless and closing post offices will be their Achilles heel – we won't forget at the next election.

Tommy Bray

Four Lanes, Redruth

Enough on hunting

I HAVE just seen Simon Hart's article on hunting (November 1) and it prompts me, a loyal reader for 30 years, to respectfully request that you don't reopen the hunting debate in your pages.

All the arguments have been heard so often that there can't be anything new to be said. The Countryside Alliance, by banging on about it, merely demonstrates that it is a bad loser and has an alarming contempt for parliamentary democracy.

Justin Robbins

Yealmpton