Accountants to blame for poor roads

REGARDING your story about the dire state of North Yorkshire roads, allegedly one of the five worst authorities in the country for highways maintenance (Yorkshire Post, September 12), 40 years ago, I was employed in the then Highways Department when most local preventative maintenance work was carried out by local teams almost working from their own towns and villages, with larger projects handled from area highways depots.

I can recall at least 20 of these in North Yorkshire, most with an inspector that kept his eye on road conditions generally.

Most of these local employees had some level of pride in their work and generally did a good job.

But then the accountants took everything over, reduced staffing, closed depots and put most work out to tender; this has happened in all forms of business. Standard of work is irrelevant providing that it is cheap.

In your report, there is a futile comment from the assistant director for highways: “Due to the Arctic winters over the past few years…”

I can only assume this person isn’t old enough to remember real winters. Until 2009-2010, we had not had a “winter” since the mid 1960s.

I accept that the past two winters have been a bit wintery, but isn’t that what is expected between November and March – but it’s certainly not Arctic, try living and working on highways in Canada, Scandinavia or Russia.

The reason the roads in North Yorkshire are dropping to bits is due entirely to very poor preventative maintenance over the past decade or more; once a surface is allowed to break-up the frost will cause costly damage.

It is apparent that North Yorkshire’s main maintenance tool is a can of yellow (generally) aerosol paint – paint a ring around the defective road surface, come back and repaint it 18 months later when it has worn off.

When nobody is looking...

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

I WAS intrigued by David T Craggs’s erroneous guess at the denouement of Ian McMillan’s problem: how to enjoy residual gravy at a restaurant (Yorkshire Post, September 3).

Yes, it takes an unconscionable time with a fork. I’m sure Mrs McMillan would not have come out with the familiar [to me] menace: “You’re not...” if her husband had used Mr Craggs’ solution, a doorstep of white bread to mop it up.

Much too genteel: the French do it all the time with their posh sauces. No, instead of using a second-hand straw – disgusting – I thought Ian might pick up the plate with both hands and slurp, as I do if I think there’s nobody looking.

Limiting inequality

From: Malcolm Naylor, Grange View, Otley.

The debate on ending inequality by limiting the wealth of the richest has begun; at least among readers of this newspaper.

Let us hope that our elected representatives are taking heed and more importantly action, otherwise civil disobedience will become a constant feature of our lives.

But may I make two things clear. Firstly, ending inequality should take into account not only the salaries of the richest but also all income. The wealthiest derive their wealth not from salaries but unearned investments, bonuses and share dividends for which they do no work at all.

Secondly, putting a cap on income should apply not only to those in the public sector but to everyone, especially the private sector where the greatest wealth exists.

Linking maximum income as a multiple of minimum wage including all sources of income is a necessary condition of equality. How many times have we heard that poverty pensions and benefits are supplemented with other benefits such as bus passes and fuel allowances etc?

Therefore all unearned income should be similarly included in the maximum allowable income.

Equality and fairness should also include an end to private health and education, which allows the wealthy to bypass the inferior services available for the rest of us. Only when the rich have to suffer the same as everyone else will we see improvements in standards for everyone.

Wake up England. Change can occur but it must come from us. We cannot rely on untrustworthy politicians who are part of the wealthy Establishment and a sham democracy.

Story of real courage

From: Dorothy Cope, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

ANYONE watching Channel 5 on Tuesday, September 6, must have been amazed at the survival story, and the courage and determination, shown by Alistair Urquhart during his nightmare time as a prisoner of the Japanese in the Second World War.

So many others would, and did, give up, and who can blame them in those conditions?

All this from a young chap barely out of his teens. Some of my friends were also prisoners, one confined to “solitary” for months in a cell he couldn’t stand up in. I know they captured rats and lived from them to provide some sustenance.

Maybe the film should be compulsory viewing for some of these young thugs and rioters on remand.

I can only hope the rest of this amazing gentleman’s life is happy and trouble free.