While he is talking about rubbish collection "and the other problems that regularly fill these letters pages", perhaps Damon Davis (Letters, January 18) should come clean himself.

As he makes much of the state of the city under 18 years of Labour leadership, perhaps readers would like to know Mr Davis is, in fact, employed as a campaigner by the local Conservative Party.

He refers to the numerous letters of complaint on these pages, many of which are from people who seem keen enough to write in but who cannot actually be bothered to register to vote.

A quick check of the electoral register reveals at least eight anti-Labour or anti-council correspondents last week alone do not seem to exist.

-Could it be Mr Davis (or one of his colleagues) pens many of the anti-Blair, anti-Labour council letters himself and submits them under bogus names in order to whip up discontent and revive Tory fortunes?