REGARDING the correspondence from D E Margrett (Letters, Tuesday, April 5) on the subject of the Countryside Alliance, by suggesting the Countryside Alliance is a front for the Tory Party he is obviously unaware of the purpose and structure of the organisation.

The Alliance is politically non-aligned and is certainly not connected to the Conservative Party. Legally, the Alliance is also prohibited from supporting individual candidates.

If D E Margrett had checked the credentials of the Alliance President, Chairman and previous Chief Executive he/she would have found them to be members or supporters of the Labour Party.

During the Parliamentary debate, which led to the passing of the Hunting Act (2004), Tory members of the House of Lords were blamed for holding up the Bill. Analysis of the actual voting shows that it was in fact Labour Peers who voted, in the majority, for hunting to continue in its present form under licence.

The hundreds of hours frittered away in Westminster over hunting should have been put to far better use. MPs like Mike Foster could have been armed with scrubbing brushes and disinfectant and sent to help our overworked NHS staff clean up a few hospitals.

MRS A STEEL,

County Chairman, Worcestershire Countryside Alliance.