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We can add value and accountability to regional bodies
From: Paul Jagger, deputy chair, Yorkshire and Humber Assembly, King Street, Wakefield. AS current chair of the Regional Assembly's Scrutiny Board, I was particularly interested to read your various articles (Yorkshire Post, January 30) about the possible costs and roles of regional select committees.
While it's clear there is much to debate and discuss before decisions are taken, I believe the experience of those, like myself, who have already carried out the role to add value to regional working, needs to be reflected upon.
In particular:
n Any future regional arrangements must be developed to ensure they are complementary to local authority scrutiny. Our approach to scrutiny has been to engage a wide number of partners and organisations who canoffer different perspectives on the scrutiny topic. This has had two specific benefits for scrutiny in the region; firstly, we have been able to learn from each other's scrutiny processes and outcomes, but most importantly, we have been able to dovetail our findings on specific topics providing stronger recommendations for Yorkshire Forward and their partners to action.
n Serious consideration should be given to ensuring future regional Parliamentary scrutiny arrangements are adequately resourced and supported through a secretariat based in each region. That would ensure a regional research and support presence and encourage continued engagement and involvement of local authority and other stakeholders involved in the work.
Those reflections – and our experience of working in Yorkshire and Humber to bring real change "on the ground'' through scrutiny – will be presented when we give evidence to the House of Commons.
Developing this work through Parliamentary and other systems is about adding value and more accountability to regional work and to regional bodies.
To do that, the region itself must be involved, as it has been in current arrangements.
If not, I fear the money quoted in your report runs the risk of simply being sucked into the centre, with no recourse to those delivering the services at the sharp end.
Sir Norman's star role as legend and character
From: Keith Quinn, Green Oak Avenue, Totley, Sheffield.
RECENT newspaper and television coverage of Sir Norman Wisdom, who is reported to be suffering from vascular dementia, reminded me of when I was lucky enough to be chosen to work on the set of The Last of the Summer Wine.
I had been well looked after and treated as one of the gang but realised that I had to learn quickly as everyone else knew the routine except me. As the new kid on the block, I had to catch up with all the others.
After an early breakfast and visits to wardrobe and make-up. I was awaiting the first "set-up" of the day and enjoying a nice cup of tea when I felt a gentle nudge in the ribs. Turning quickly I saw the grinning face of the legend himself Norman Wisdom or Sir Norman as he is now known.
"Hello, I'm Norman."
"Hello," I replied, "I'm Keith."
We went on to chat about the usual things, the weather, where I came from – Sheffield – how long I'd worked on the programme, etc until the boss Alan JW Bell, the very experienced producer-director, was satisfied with the set and after the usual rehearsals everything was lined up for the proposed shoot.
A white van was to speed around the corner in front of the camera and a stuntman, dressed up as Norman, was to fall out of the back of the van as the doors swung open.
"I'll do that," shouted Norman.
"No," interrupted director Alan. "We've got a stuntman to do that for you Norman."
"But I want to do it," insisted Norman.
Everything stopped while the discussion continued about who was to do what. The outcome?
Norman did the stunt after Alan insisted that a mattress was placed outside the back of the van for health and safety reasons, though Norman assured everyone that he didn't really need it.
So, the shot was completed, the van shot around the corner, the back doors swung open and Norman did a neat somersault out of the back and landed on his feet to applause given by the rest of us watching the scene.
What a man! What a character! What a legend. And he was 88 years old at the time.Honourable members?
From: Barrie Frost, Watson's Lane, Reighton, Filey.
WHAT an example some of our so-called honourable people and law makers provide.
Derek Conway, one of the longest-serving Tory MPs, paid his son thousands of pounds for doing little Parliamentary work. He was a full-time university student hundreds of miles away at the time. Not for him the worries of funding tuition fees like other less fortunate undergraduates.
Such huge sums of money were not paid from Mr Conway's own pocket – oh no, let's not be silly, Mr Conway used the public, you and me, to fund his son's lifestyle and education.
Derek Conway says his local Conservative Party has been very supportive of him. If this is correct, what does it say about their moral fibre, and does it mean his party condones his misuse of public money?
The great divide
From: Ken Hartford, Durham Mews, Butt Lane, Beverley.
I'M very interested in Jim Bray's letter about the receipt and use of income (Yorkshire Post, January 30).
Ilkley is probably a slightly more expensive place to live
in than Beverley, but my income of approximately 12,000 a year is just enough to meet my basic needs and a few treats a year such as a theatre trip to London on a bargain deal in 2006.
I buy very little that I don't need and still manage to give some money to charities and to my family.
There is, however, an enormously absurd gap between the "rich" and the "poor" now.
These words, of course, are only words for us British people, but clearly the world does need a new economic structure that will serve everybody fairly.
Weighty problem
From: David H Rhodes, Keble Park North, Bishopthorpe, York.
OBESITY is an increasing problem and needs resolving but how? Not I feel by vouchers and cash incentives, as these will be regarded by many as a milch cow and abused. Surely the incentive for weight reduction should come from within the individual, to appreciate that success will bring the look good factor, feeling fitter and healthier and possibly a much longer life.
Maybe it is time for harsh, even cruel, hard-hitting factual advertising. Tell people the truth that inaction may bring. I feel sorry for those who are really trying to lose weight but regrettably failing. They need medical and supportive help.
Out shopping I was near a frozen food cabinet selling off at greatly reduced prices assorted Christmas packs of appealing but very high calorie food.
A more than ample woman was gathering an armful of these items and turned to her friend with the words: "We can really pig out on these tonight.".
Nobody said it wouldn't be an uphill struggle to convince people of their need to take action.
We need common sense over commuter gridlock
From: Alec Denton, Guiseley, Leeds.
TWO weeks ago, I had to use the 9.05 bus from Guiseley to Leeds because the Wharfedale Line trains were not running. The journey took 75 minutes at an average speed of about 7mph and I felt very sorry for those earlier travellers who presumably hoped to get to work before 9am.
I was reminded of my journey a few days later by the sight of a queue of traffic at least two miles long approaching Guiseley from Leeds.
Several factors contribute to regular gridlock on the A65 and to the resulting atmospheric pollution, but our planners share the responsibility.
First, the replacement of employment in the former urban districts with very dense housing estates ensures that people have to travel to work.
Second, all the radial routes into Leeds from the north
are unimproved Victorian turnpike roads and the only alternative is also Victorian, in the shape of a railway that cannot cope with its existing load, let alone that expected in the near future.
The council blames the Government and the Government blames the
council. Unfortunately, we are trapped in between pleading in vain for common sense to prevail. Even the failure of the trains during recent flooding was partly the responsibility of planners – densely packed urban housing creates huge run-off problems during heavy rain, upstream from Leeds.
Leeds has just completed consultations on a regional "strategy" to be applied across the metropolitan district for the next few years.
Is it too much to hope for a moratorium on all large, new out-of-town housing projects until access problems into Leeds have been addressed? Could it also be that the policy of segregating jobs and people
is obsolete?
American friendship
From: William Snowden, Butterbowl Gardens, Leeds.
M KENNY (Letters, January 26), grossly underestimates the significance of American aid during, and after, the Second World War. Similarly, his apparent admiration for the Soviet Union is wholly misplaced.
American largesse was demonstrated by the lend-lease policy (March 1941) which supplied Britain with $9bn of vital, military aid. And, after the war, the Marshall plan (June 1947) provided more than $50bn of aid to regenerate post-war Europe.
A nation ought to know who its friends are. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our closest ally and friend: America.
Laws with no scrutiny
From: Malcolm Meneaud, Alwoodley, Leeds.
LINDA McAvan MEP (Yorkshire Post, February 1) tries to convince us of the legitimacy of the democratic process by which the workings of the European Commission become law.
What she fails to tell us is that, partly because of the sheer volume of the wish list that is spewed out by this unelected bureaucracy, much of it is steamrollered through on the nod with little meaningful debate.
Having arrived at Westminster from Brussels, these proposals are then ushered through, again with little scrutiny or debate, to be dignified as democratic law.
A farce of an inquest
From: Margaret Eve, Brentwood, Leyburn.
WELL done to Barry Foster for saying what many people, myself included, think of the Diana inquest farce (Yorkshire Post, January 31).
It should be stopped now and Mohamed al-Fayed should pay all the expenses incurred. It is Princes William and Harry that I feel sorry for.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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