SIR - With so much in the news recently it may have escaped your readers notice that The Sustainable Communities Bill recently became law. We will be hearing a lot about this in the future, but if I explain that this is the first major reversal in the i

SIR - With so much in the news recently it may have escaped your readers'

notice that The Sustainable Communities Bill recently became law.

We will be hearing a lot about this in the future, but if I explain that this is the first major reversal in the inexorable slide of power towards Whitehall that has ever been enshrined in law, your readers may realise how important a development this is!

The Act, which was motivated by a desire to support the individual and small businesses, instructs Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, by October of this year, to set up citizen panels and act on their recommendations!

The bill has been fought over for five years in the belief that a new 'bottom-up' approach will shake up politics in this country, put an end to cynicism, and allow us to build truly sustainable communities.

Adrian Toole, via email.