YP Letters: May's vision not-so bright for Yorkshire

From: Wendy Cross, Waterside Road, Beverley.
Theresa May should halt fracking plans if she cares about North Yorkshire.Theresa May should halt fracking plans if she cares about North Yorkshire.
Theresa May should halt fracking plans if she cares about North Yorkshire.

THERESA May’s ‘vision for Yorkshire’s bright future’ (The Yorkshire Post, August 18)) must be set against a probable backdrop of well-pads and drilling rigs.

As we know, there will be hundreds of these, not a sparse few, when onshore exploration for oil and gas hots up all over the county.

The PM seems to have avoided sharing her vision on this.

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It beggars belief that she can write, as she does, of ‘Yorkshire’s beauty’. Its roads will be very likely crowded not with competing cyclists and tourists, but with trundling trucks.

As to fracturing the earth to obtain the materials, earlier in the year I questioned Sir Gary Verity on the views of Welcome to Yorkshire. He replied with a courteous, considered letter, saying the organisation had no people with the necessary information to formulate a policy regarding this, but he was confident that others would be vigilant.

This prevalent, ‘leave it to others’ attitude may prove our ultimate downfall.

Toxic plants have a place

From: Roy Dresser, Chapel Lane, Rawcliffe, Goole.

LOOKING around the countryside at this time of the year when autumn colours and tints are beginning to show, I do enjoy those British wild flowers that continue to add colour to the roadside verges as well as helping to sustain wildlife.

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In amongst the more subtle colours of the dying vegetation, the bright yellow of Ragwort is a joy to behold – especially when in abundance. Of course ragwort is not desirable in or near livestock, especially horses. I can understand livestock owners removing the plant from around their fields. However, where there is no livestock at risk and the highway verges have not been butchered, late flowering plants make a welcome splash of colour.

No ethics for our railways

From: Malcolm Wright, Harrogate.

WILL Tom Richmond’s latest welcome railway diatribe lead somewhere (The Yorkshire Post, August 20). I ask, following a recent conversation with a German tourist.

As we lurched and rattled along, he mentioned having been charged £60 for what some website had shown as £30. He asked – in perfect English – if I could explain the arcane workings of the UK ticketing system.

I confessed that most of us couldn’t and if he wished to pay something close to German prices, he’d have to give several weeks notice of his intention to travel. Failure to do so made him the lawful prey of GrabRail PLC et al and successive governments had failed to act.

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Totally bemused, he said “so that’s the price of privatisation?” I confirmed, adding defensively, that some lines were run by his Deutsche Bahn. “But obviously not within the German Public Service ethos,” he declared. What could I do but agree?

Solution to parking woes

From: Mrs Jennifer Bookbinder, Cottingley Gardens, Leeds.

RE letter from David Bell (The Yorkshire Post, August 20) about Leeds Bradford Airport parking charges.

He knew there was a free car park, yet he declined to use it. He could have parked there for 30 minutes thus reducing the parking charges which he was so incensed about.

Nearly 40 minutes was a long wait for his customers. Did he not check what time the plane was due to land, adding on time for them to exit? One of them could have texted him when they were nearly out.

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Maybe, he could use a little more common sense next time, although he states there will never be a next time for him!

Fee could end bus troubles

From: Terry Morrell, Prunus Avenue, Willerby, East Yorkshire.

WITHOUT any additional administration costs, the simplest way to resolve the serious shortfall in bus services and funding would be for all persons currently enjoying the free bus pass to pay the driver a 50p/£1 fee when they register their pass.

This money would be equally split between the bus company and the local authority. The latter payment could simply deducted from the amount currently being received by the bus company.

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This extra cash would help preserve bus routes and ease the council funds.

Photos could solve fraud

From: Michael Dean, Brecon Court, Leeds.

I NOTE your article (The Yorkshire Post, August 20) re Blue Badge theft and misuse. A few years ago, the Government attempted to curtail this practice. They decided that they should have a photo – of the owners on them.

Unfortunately, as I am told, a women’s pressure group objected to the photo being shown so it has to be placed upside down, with the photo hidden! How stupid is that?!

Is it any wonder that these badges are been misused? Even a local councillor has been caught abusing the system.

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It would be a simple matter to have the photo displayed to make sure the correct person was using it.

In-house staff to cure crisis

From: Lyn Williamson, North Ferriby.

FURTHER to your editorial (The Yorkshire Post, August 20) re NHS staff crisis and the staggering cost of agency staff, surely the simple answer is for each NHS trust to set up their own department to employ medical staff who want to work an ‘ad hoc’ arrangement and therefore cut out the middle man and all their fees and extortionate rates?