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Small businesses need bills to be paid on time
From: Gerald Hodgson, Spennithorne, Leyburn. THERE is much talk at present about the need for the banks to support small businesses with credit. Their need for credit would be very much less if their customers paid them on time.
A disgraceful practice has grown up over many years in this country whereby businesses of all kinds tend to delay payments to improve their own cash flow. This, in fact, is breaking the contract with the supplier as goods are always supplied subject to stated payment terms, usually 30 days or payment by the last day of the month following month of invoice.
If these terms were universally adhered to, the benefits to the economy would be enormous. At present, a vast amount of non-productive time has to be spent by businesses of all sizes chasing payments. This all too often results in the sinned against becoming sinners.
A young relative of mine is the owner-manager of a small manufacturing business with a very healthy order book. He is, however, at his wits
end trying to get payment from his customers.
But the really disgraceful part of the story is that nearly all of his customers are publicly funded bodies.
The Government could make a huge contribution to the liquidity of the wealth-creating sector of the economy by insisting that all recipients of public funds – government departments, local authorities, quangos, NHS, schools, etc – are required, as a condition of their funding, to pay their suppliers on the due date.
And if anyone says I am being unrealistic, I was the owner-manager of a manufacturing business for 25 years and we always paid all our suppliers on time.
Wartime weekend brings happy memories
From: J Langley, Rosewood Close, Bridlington.
YOUR article by Mark Branagan (Yorkshire Post, October 11) on this year's re-enactment Wartime Weekend in Pickering on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway highlighted the plight of evacuees at the outbreak of the Second World War.
I found the story most interesting as a five-year-old evacuee from Hull, to the Wolds village of Thixendale. Yes, we were packed off with our labels and gas masks and we were chosen by "strangers" in my case, not at a village hall, but an old barn. While a lot is still talked about the Second World War – this year it has been the Land Army girls – very little has been voiced about the thousands of evacuees.
In July, the Wolds village of Thixendale and surrounding villages held a High Wolds Heritage Exhibition covering the past 100 or so years and I was delighted to be involved in the project – it brought back many happy memories.
Airport's failure to warn of connection delay
From: Glenn Robertson, Calgary, Canada.
I AM a frequent traveller to your part of the world, having visited there at least once or twice a year for the past 20 years. I was very disappointed by the level of service I received while flying through Leeds Bradford Airport on BMI last week.
I had travelled to Yorkshire to fish for salmon with a close friend in Harrogate. During
my return departing for London on October 10, I was informed that my flight BD 413 was delayed slightly, but not to be concerned. The flight time came and went with no communication from ground staff on the status or time of
the departure.
I sought out a ground agent and was told only that the flight was temporarily delayed and would still allow me to make my connecting flight at Heathrow to Canada. Another hour came and went with still no word on our departure or connection alternatives.
The flight finally arrived and the captain informed that some confusion regarding the flight going to Teesside had occurred, and was the reason for our late departure. Clearly ground personnel must have known this for some time. I suggest even when I had checked in some three hours earlier. This delay caused an eight-hour delay in my arrival home to Calgary, having missed the direct flight.
As bad as this was, I was initially told in London that the only remaining flight to Canada was oversold and I would need to stay in London for the night and sort out my hotel with BMI.
Only due to a further mechanical issue and delay on a flight to Montreal did I make it home. My point is that I was in a position when I checked in at Leeds to make other arrangements to make my direct flight in London. By treating me and other passengers with total disrespect, the airline was completely negligent with no reasonable excuse.
Further, I had carried my fly rod case the entire journey to Leeds as carry on baggage. At LBA I was charged 38 to check a 13oz fly rod that easily fitted into the overhead compartment. To make matters worse, it went missing in London. The policy of what determines carry-on luggage should be universal and not left to the arbitrary decision of a gate agent. Why is this acceptable in Calgary, Denver, Chicago, London and not Leeds Bradford International?Putting his money in property
From: Andrew G Beadnall, Beadnall Copley, Market Place, Wetherby.
WELL, we live to fight another day but the banking industry is on its knees, the stock market decimated and despite 18 months of scaremongering about "collapsing and plummeting" house prices, where exactly are we?
The reality is that while over the last 12 months house prices in Yorkshire and the Humber have fallen by 10.1 per cent, the FTSE 100 has fallen by 37 per cent at the time of writing.
House prices are now back to the level they were in the third quarter of 2006: ie, if you bought your house before September 2006 you are still ahead of the game; as we move on average every seven years, the figure becomes even more inconsequential.
Compare that with shares of some major, blue-chip corporations which dropped by 90 per cent in two days last week and we estate agents,
who have battled against irresponsible reporting, rest our case.
Property has been, is, and always will be, one of the soundest investments anyone can make. The slight reduction we have seen is negligible when put against the huge increases in recent years, which has seen property prices doubling.
Of course, we can look to the Government, global issues and the banking community to apportion blame but the national media, too, has a lot of answer for.
Tuesday's television news didn't lead on the revival of the stock market in the UK and all over the world but on a RICS story saying property transactions had fallen – they didn't report the second part of the story which said that sales expectations had turned positive for the first time
since February and are looking at their most buoyant since June 2007.
Another report about August's first-time buyers being the lowest ever, didn't clarify it by saying most people were waiting to see if the Government statement on the possibility of a stamp duty holiday would come to pass.
There's lots of good news and it's high time it was acknowledged. Yes, the property market is tough but we launched a development of apartments last weekend and had over 200 people queuing to view; we're selling houses, many on and even above the asking price. And as both an estate agent and a member of the general public, will I be investing in the stock market? No. Will I be putting my money on deposit at a bank or a building society? No. I'll be buying more property; I'm in the heart of the industry and I know it's a safe bet and am prepared to put my money where my mouth is.
From: Jean Frost, Elmpark Way, York.
YOUR editorial headline (Yorkshire Post, October 14) reads: "Will this bank bailout work?" The answer is: It simply has to.
The media must help by adopting a positive attitude, ie, putting politics aside and supporting what Gordon Brown is doing. Even David Cameron has realised that in the present situation this is the right thing to do. Let us hope that newspapers, TV, etc will follow suit, otherwise we are in dire trouble once again.
Plea to all Christians
From: H Quinn, Ackworth.
THE Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, stands at the crossroad to Doncaster, Wakefield, Pontefract, Barnsley in Ackworth. It was built 68 years ago by, and for, the people of Ackworth.
The church now stands at the crossroads for "demolition". Tenders are now being submitted, because – if you remember – the Bishop of Leeds decided to close several churches in his diocese, of which Ackworth is one, taking the Catholic heart out of Ackworth and scattering a vibrant community.
Churches Together in Ackworth have all given their support for Our Lady of Lourdes. Now I am asking for the support of all Christians to help to save the church from demolition. Ackworth needs a community centre, Our Lady of Lourdes is ideally placed for such a centre, thus keeping communities together.
Confidence needed
From: David Vincent Powell, retired police constable, West Yorkshire Police.
IN reply to Bernard Dineen's column (Yorkshire Post, October 13), I was surprised and disappointed to hear that a retired police superintendent had allowed himself to be intimidated by three youths who were trespassing on land he was responsible for on trial bikes and chasing sheep.
Apparently, when he confronted the youths, they told him to mind his own business or they would call the police and claim that he had assaulted them. He admits he backed down because he was afraid of the prospect of an arrest and prosecution.
Can I advise the gentleman that the next time this happens as it assuredly will, he should have the courage of his convictions and call the police despite their threats of false accusations?
I am quite sure that the matter would have been dealt with correctly by the police who would have recognised that someone was trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
He really should have more confidence in the service from which he has just retired.
Pamphlet cash denial
From: Tracey Bell, Regional Manager, Shelter,
THE first two paragraphs of your article "Shelter is paid
for pamphlet 'backing eco-towns'" (Yorkshire Post, October 16) do not reflect the true situation.
On these paragraphs, Shelter has not been paid to "encourage residents to support controversial plans to create eco-towns in
Yorkshire", nor at any time do we ask people to write to the Government to express support for the proposals at Rossington.
We feel very strongly that all local people have the chance to have their say in the debate about the proposed eco-town, whether they are for or against the development.
Our booklet aims to provide people with the facts about the level of
housing need in the area so they can decide for themselves whether or not the eco-town should go ahead.
Ballesteros memories
From: Margaret Bonser, West Cowick.
HAVING read the sad news that golfer Seve Ballesteros is very poorly, I hope he makes a good recovery.
The mention of him suffering years of persistent back pain reminded me of many years ago when he first came on to the professional scene.
I was watching a match on TV commented on by Peter Alliss. He was watching the young man belt a drive shot off the tee and in his usual calm manner Peter said: "Thatyoung man will suffer from back problems."
Precise Peston
From: John Welshman, Orchard Road, Malton.
IN response to various letters (Yorkshire Post, October 16), I, at 89, find Robert Peston – the BBC's business editor – a broadcaster who gives us informative and precise news.
He might even be a Yorkshireman with his straightforward presentation. Isn't it strange that the BBC employs him? May his programmes continue.
Nice work
From: R Small, Nethergate, Nafferton, near Driffield.
REGARDING the fat cat pay rises to NHS (New Higher Salary) bosses for doing the same job as they did last year (Yorkshire Post, October 15), can I join the waiting list?
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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