I offer my support to Jane Ingham, the long-serving former clerk to Stillington Parish Council.

Her humiliating downfall can be laid entirely at the proletarian feet of the local firebrand who questioned why the council was not aware that the county council intended to fell a 250 year-old sycamore tree in the heart of his village (Evening Press, March 26).

It turned out that Mrs Ingham had been informed of the plans for the tree's summary demise and quite sensibly decided to impose a blackout on the details until its destruction was a fait accompli.

The last thing Stillington needed was an invasion of tree-hugging oiks frightening the horses.

There's no room for sentiment or democracy when it comes to dealing with misinformed peasants.

Instead of censure, Mrs Ingham should be commended on her restraint in dealing so patiently with one of her subjects.

The man quite patently did not understand the futile logic of arguing for a tree which no longer existed.

Steve Davenport,

Abbot's Road,

Selby.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.