YP Letters: Councils are in a dire financial position

Remain MPs putting career above beliefs
An anti-Brexit demonstrator outside Parliament.An anti-Brexit demonstrator outside Parliament.
An anti-Brexit demonstrator outside Parliament.

From: Anne Boodt, Harrogate.

IT appears that the stop Brexit campaign has floundered. I blame the loyalty of all those Labour MPs who, despite being strong Remainers themselves, are supporting Brexit, for fear of losing their seats. This appears to be the overriding motive. Career above beliefs and the future of this country. On the basis that MPs must listen to their electorate, our own MP, Andrew Jones, has let his down.

He has voted throughout with the PM. Good luck in you career, Andrew, but every Remain supporter should boycott him in the next election and vote for a party that reflects their beliefs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At a time when our public services are crying out for funding, we are wasting billions on this project and failing to address all the other problems that the country faces. The Remain voice has been silenced by the media and we will now live with this mess for the foreseeable future.

From: Ian Simpson, Shire Oak Road, Leeds.

A YEAR ago, you published a letter from me commenting that with much of British industry now foreign owned, decisions with regard to new investment would be made outside of the UK.

Nissan’s decision to make their new SUV in Japan illustrates this. Not only will potential new jobs be lost, but also the inward investment which helps to balance our trade deficit. Conal Gregory’s feature on Scotch whisky (The Yorkshire Post, January 19) demonstrated the extent of foreign ownership of that industry stretching as far as the Philippines.

On another aspect we may end up with a no-deal Brexit. If so, it will then be a matter of urgency to start talks on a new trade deal with the EU 27.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Irish issue may be settled but there will be many other aspects to come into discussion. There will be little progress if the UK fails to meet the already agreed financial contributions to meet past commitments. Brexit will not go away.

From: Mr TH Curry, Meadow Lane, Newport, East Yorkshire.

I FIND this hysteria about Brexit most interesting. There is a view that we will suffer terrible consequences should we leave the EU. My wife and myself went to school during the late 1930s and early 40s. There was no food coming across the Channel then because mainland Europe was under German control. Yet none of us suffered starvation. There were shortages of course but life went on – and we are still here.

Councils in a dire position

From: Roger Backhouse, Upper Poppleton, York.

CONGRATULATIONS on an excellent feature and comment about the financial crisis facing our local services from cuts to central government funding (The Yorkshire Post­, February 6).

I doubt if the London-based press gave this story any coverage so pleased to see that The Yorkshire Post was on the ball about local concerns.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As the Commons Public Accounts Committee pointed out, local authorities are in a dire position thanks to cuts by central government, and rising costs of social care. This is to the detriment of all other local services, already looking decidedly shaky. No wonder our roads are a mass of potholes. Our libraries are run-down and the same is true of police services, no wonder we have rising crime and rural areas left seriously underpoliced.

With a Conservative government bogged down in Brexit, and Whitehall ever ready to criticise local government, the situation is truly dire. The planned council tax rises will nowhere near cover this serious shortfall.

Move towards primary care

From Edward White MCSP, Huntingdon Crescent, Sheffield.

WE will need more GPs in the future (Jayne Dowle, The Yorkshire Post, February 4), but this additional support is long overdue and is part of the plan to move services from hospitals to primary care.

Twenty years ago something similar was developing when GPs were fundholders, a system which was abolished by the last Labour government purely for ideological reasons. In my view a very retrograde step, so we are only now re-establishing something similar. With regards to her son’s referral for physiotherapy, a profession I worked in for over 40 years, this is the way the NHS works as the GP acts as a gatekeeper controlling access to other services.

Way to save town bank

From: Andy Wright, Knaresborough.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I, LIKE the majority of people living in Knaresborough, am very concerned about the announcement that Barclays will close its branch in Knaresborough. However concern will do no good. Wishing that banks will keep their branch open is pointless. Banks are commercial organisations which react to the financial situation. They have no loyalty to customers and customers should have no loyalty to them.

The only way Knaresborough can keep its last remaining bank, Halifax, is if that bank perceives it is in its own financial interest to remain here. If a significant number of residents and businesses closed their existing bank accounts with banks that have left Knaresborough and opened a Halifax account, that will have more effect than any amount of lobbying, persuading or getting reassurances.

My estimate is that if 400 or more accounts were opened with Halifax, then their management would have a real financial incentive to stay in Knaresborough. I will be doing that and I urge others to do the same before Knaresborough is left without any banks.