Aditya Chakrabortty’s article on Category D villages in Durham (To understand Britain’s malaise, visit Shildon – the town that refused to die, 11 April) reminded me of the day, around 20 years ago, when the librarian of Trevelyan College, of which I was then principal, came to see me clutching a copy of the 1951 county development plan for Durham. He had found it in the college library and wanted to know whether we should keep it or let it go. He knew I would be interested as I was also a county councillor.
I came across the chapter that categorised villages and established the pernicious Category D policy. My response to the librarian was that we must keep it, as future generations needed to see what the effect of utilitarian policies that take no account of people’s lives could be – and this from a Labour-run council.
