IT'S good news that Bolton Council is to review its photocopying prices for planning documents. The idea of charging £30 for one A4 sheet is plaingly ludicrous.

Away from the knee-jerk reaction, however, is a serious worry about hampering democracy. Simply, people will be discouraged from more detailed study of plans, and possibly even objection, if they have to pay such a large amount to do it.

It should not need the European Commission to decide whether or not Bolton Council is stifling freedom of information with this pricing policy, although we applaud Friends of the Earth's action in involving them.

As the town's head of planning control Howard Barritt already states, feedback from the public is always considered by his department. Now, it is up to planning councillors to have the final say on charges.

Here, certainly, we trust that commonsense prevails.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.