Airport not accountable to the public

READERS will have noticed that the director of the Leeds-Bradford Airport does not respond to the frequent criticisms of airport services nor to the charges for dropping passengers off or for using a trolley on arrival (Safety fears at airport as row rages over £2 drop-off charge, Yorkshire Post, October 7.)

But why should he? It has been a private company since 2007 without any responsibility except to its shareholders.

Since the five West Yorkshire local authorities sold the airport for a one-off capital gain there has been no accountable public representative to answer for its decisions. It is a good example of why the benefits of public assets remaining in public hands should not lightly be cast aside.

No insurance against fleecing

From: John Watson, Hutton Hill, Leyburn.

MY sympathy goes out to Mr Meeson (Yorkshire Post, October 10) for getting such a horrendous insurance quote for his car if, I presume, Mr Meeson, you have had a good shop around.

I assume that I will be like everybody else, that when my insurance is imminent I get letters from most of the top companies wanting to give me a quote. I advise everyone to ignore them completely. This year I thought I would give a few of them a chance to quote me for my car.

I could not believe the figures I was given. I would try about six companies and every one, without fail, were quoting me more than twice as much of what I actually pay for my little car done through a local broker.

I hardly dare print what I think of such means of depriving people of their money. Even a company which provides a magazine and advice for the elderly could not compete with my firm.

It seems to be a part of everyday life, that, unless you shop around you are going to get fleeced.

Take a lead and leave EU

From: Douglas Hartley, Irving Terrace, Clayton, Bradford.

YOUR editorial (Yorkshire Post, October 10) recounts the “sorry history”, the “shocking, senseless waste” of the Common Agricultural Policy. You envisage Britain “taking a lead” on CAP reform.

Britain taking a lead in EU affairs is a constant theme of our MEPs. It never happens. With regard to the CAP, France will make sure that no significant change takes place.

The Common Fisheries Policy is another cause of senseless waste. Britain needs to withdraw from the European Union, and take control of its own natural resources – those of its land and its once internationally-recognised territorial waters.

Reasons for bag rules

From: SB Oliver, Churchill Grove, Heckmondwike.

I DON’T know why Lorna Ovenden should feel astonished that the Marks & Spencer cashier would not provide her with an extra bag in which to put her previous loose purchases, including a packet of prawns (Yorkshire Post. October 6).

It is quite obvious that M&S has a policy of not issuing extra bags without purchases to go in them.

I regularly see shoppers in supermarkets putting only three or four items per bag and maybe using up to 10 bags for just 30-40 items which is just an abuse of the free bag service.

The sooner that free carriers are taxed and charged at 10p, the better. It will greatly reduce the amount of bags seen in hedgerows, trees and on overhead wires.

Putting purchases in in-store bags (as in M&S) indicates that the contents have been purchased; issuing extra bags could create an extra security problem with shoplifting.

I have no connection with any retail businesses but I do wonder why Mrs Ovenden didn’t simply request a bag when previously purchasing her prawns.

Not converted by Archbishop

From: Philip Booth, Hardwick Road, Pontefract.

JOHN Sentamu needs to get it right before he starts preaching socialist-style values (Yorkshire Post, October 8).

Labour decided to make a mess of the NHS, pull hospitals down as they have in Pontefract and replace them with a glorified cottage hospital under the care of Balfour Beatty for 25 years at enormous expense to the taxpayer and then hand it back when it is ready to be pulled down.

As for the banks... I am no friend of them, but they loaned millions to broken down countries across the world for them to default with our money, the savers of this country not the taxpayer, but it has ultimately rested on the taxpayer to bail them out, while our own nationals couldn’t get loans to start businesses.

From: David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Holgate, York.

I DO not usually agree with the views of the Archbishop of York John Sentamu, but his article was fully in tune with mine and I suspect those of most other Englishmen. I want our NHS kept as it was originally intended, and the Archbishop is so right when he points out that many people want and expect more and more from it, but only want to pay less and less.