Sir, - Richmondshire District Council places much emphasis on the importance of engaging with the public and, in particular, with consultation with the public about matters that concern them.

The district council debates this week whether or not to make one of the most massive changes to its political structure that it has taken to date.

The proposed changes are far-reaching, for they include changes to the council's "constitution, its scheme of delegation, and its financial regulations".

To prepare councillors and officers for the debate, a 252- page document has been provided, but the level of consultation with the public has been lamentable.

The only way the public can access the 252-page document is to read it in the council's community offices.

A "Viewfinder Panel" of 600 randomly-selected residents exists, and is surveyed at intervals about a variety of issues.

As a panel member, I received a small A5-size, four-page leaflet setting out some of the main points of the 252-page document. But appendix 19 (Consultation Activity') of the huge report states that viewfinder panel members were sent a copy of the consultation document and asked for their comments.

That is completely incorrect.

In the last few days, the district council's website has included a "political structures consultation" heading that gives exactly the same simplistic explanation mentioned above.

Readers are asked to "have their say" by sending comments by email to the council.

Do councillors and officers realise that not everyone has internet access, that few people have the time to sit in a community office to read a 252-page report, and if they did, that few would find it possible to respond in writing in a commentbox the size of an index card?

Surely, consultation is more than ticking boxes to say that consultation was done?

The consultation activity appendix shows that only 15 internet responses and an unspecified number of viewfinder panel responses had been received.

Could it be that the number of responses is too embarrassingly small to report?

A recent panel survey on a different issue also elicited a very low response - 78 (13per cent) of the 600 surveyed.

The inadequacy of consultation with the electorate beggars belief and makes a mockery of so-called engagement with the public.

SHEILA HARRISSON Gallowfields Road, Richmond.