Anyone reading the letters pages this week will have noticed the anger of some readers at last Saturday's Voice Of The Argus.

The column bemoaned the overwhelming No vote in the Brighton and Hove mayoral referendum and attacked the campaigners who helped make it happen.

We were happy to print those many views opposed to our own because we are a newspaper that upholds free speech.

However, can the same be said of some of those critics who objected to The Argus taking a stand?

They insisted it should be neutral. But why?

Unlike the news and letters columns, which were filled with views both for and against during the mayoral campaign, the opinion column's very reason to exist is to express a view.

No one objected when it argued that breast cancer care should remain in Brighton or that mobile telephone masts should be mapped to name just two other recent campaign issues.

Even the vocal anti-Falmer stadium campaigners accept The Argus has the right to argue against them.

Some other critics attacked the column for being arrogant and rude towards everyone who voted no. But it wasn't.

While it lamented the result, the choicer terms were clearly aimed at the Allies for Democracy campaigners, who had vilified individual members of their opposition.

The Voice Of The Argus deliberately used those same tactics but, crucially, not until the result had been declared.

To have done so during the campaign would have been unfair and unjust, the very point the column was trying to make.

I should say, however, to those people who voted No and thought the Voice Of The Argus was attacking them, that it wasn't and I am sorry if it appeared that way.

Now for something completely different and thanks to the "local resident" who asks why we sometimes write St Ann's Wells, instead of Well, Gardens.

"There is only one well," says the resident, who is quite right. I shall remind all The Argus staff.

In our story and accompanying list of the Sussex runners who took part in the Great South Run last Thursday, we quoted Drew Stiles saying it was "a pleasant surprise" to record the county's best performance.

But William Fraser, of Hailsham, tells me there were four faster Sussex men, including veteran J R Bristow, of Brighton and Hove, who finished half a mile clear of Drew at 56:16.

"Pass the trophy and shoes voucher to JR," adds Mr Fraser, who himself is a member of Hailsham Harriers.

The apparent discrepancy is easily explained. We were only able to publish the names of the Sussex runners who had supplied a postcode when entering the run.

This was explained at the end of the story about Drew.

Finally, our story on October 11 about a planning application for a restaurant on the site of the Cats Protection League's shop in Queen's Road, Worthing, might have caused confusion.

Honorary publicity officer E Bailey tells me that, despite the application, the charity has no intention of moving, adding: "We have not been approached by any party about this and, as far as we are concerned, we're staying put."