I'M responding to your invitation at the foot of the Leader column to let you have my opinion on the BEN.

Clearly, it is not the local paper it used to be, or, more to the point, since Newsquest took over.

There is considerable trivia, especially in the 'Your View' column.

For instance -- the subject of pensions. This has been printed with dreary monotony and must, by now, be threadbare. Time used to be when one would see -- 'This correspondence is now closed - Ed'.

And why have you introduced a 'Down Your Way' supplement? It's bad enough Westhoughton being part of Bolton, without being lumped together with Atherton, which has the misfortune to be party to Wigan.

Why don't you just report through the week as before? Again, in the 'Your View' column, there would be more room for letters if you cut out the cartoon.

In conclusion, let me recall a conversation I had some years ago with the then editor of the BEN, Mr Frank Singleton.

I expressed concern at what I regarded as lack of coverage of meetings of Westhoughton UDC.

His response: "Do you own the paper, Mr Riley?"

Obviously, I didn't, and still don't, but I've been reading it for 60 or so years.

In any organisation, there is good and bad. In the BEN's case, there's room for improvement.

T T Riley

Dixon Street

Westhoughton

Editor's note: The BEN welcomes advice and constructive criticism from its readers. We value your contributions because it is your newspaper for your news.

I am disappointed you feel the newspaper is not local. We have worked hard to increase our local news in favour of less relevant regional and national news.

The Westhoughton & Atherton edition is another example of this policy. It is designed to offer readers in these communities even more information. It does not deflect in any way from the coverage given to Westhoughton and Atherton through the week.

I'M responding to your invitation at the foot of the Leader column to let you have my opinion on the BEN.

Clearly, it is not the local paper it used to be, or, more to the point, since Newsquest took over.

There is considerable trivia, especially in the 'Your View' column.

For instance -- the subject of pensions. This has been printed with dreary monotony and must, by now, be threadbare. Time used to be when one would see -- 'This correspondence is now closed - Ed'.

And why have you introduced a 'Down Your Way' supplement? It's bad enough Westhoughton being part of Bolton, without being lumped together with Atherton, which has the misfortune to be party to Wigan.

Why don't you just report through the week as before? Again, in the 'Your View' column, there would be more room for letters if you cut out the cartoon.

In conclusion, let me recall a conversation I had some years ago with the then editor of the BEN, Mr Frank Singleton.

I expressed concern at what I regarded as lack of coverage of meetings of Westhoughton UDC.

His response: "Do you own the paper, Mr Riley?"

Obviously, I didn't, and still don't, but I've been reading it for 60 or so years.

In any organisation, there is good and bad. In the BEN's case, there's room for improvement.

T T Riley

Dixon Street

Westhoughton

Editor's note: The BEN welcomes advice and constructive criticism from its readers. We value your contributions because it is your newspaper for your news.

I am disappointed you feel the newspaper is not local. We have worked hard to increase our local news in favour of less relevant regional and national news.

The Westhoughton & Atherton edition is another example of this policy. It is designed to offer readers in these communities even more information. It does not deflect in any way from the coverage given to Westhoughton and Atherton through the week.