Big appetite for gadgets in era of food banks

A FOOD bank is being set up here. What a tragedy it is that 
we now have the necessity for these food banks and what 
a far cry from the days of my youth.

I accept that some people, through no fault of their own, either through illness or redundancy, are reduced to having to use them, but there are cases where they cannot manage without mobile phones, huge colour TVs and other gadgetry, as their priorities become somewhat blurred.

I see young mothers buying ready meals as well as pre-prepared vegetables instead of cooking simple nutritious meals. Children going to school, we are told (Yorkshire Post, September 11), take with them £120 worth of phones etc.

Clearly there has been a breakdown of parental guidance somewhere along the line with the result that we have third 
and fourth generations who cannot manage money or their meals.

In my 80s now, I can still rustle up a good plain meal that does not cost the earth.

From: Joan Knott, Eaton Road, Ilkley.

HOW many of the people who think unemployment benefits are too generous have had to live on them?

A few facts. The total benefits bill last year was £159bn, with half of that – £74.22bn – spent on state retirement pensions.

Jobseeker’s Allowance was just under £5bn – or three per cent of the benefits bill.

And most claimants were back at work within a year.

Benefits, including housing benefit, have now been capped, and further reduced by other taxes. If you are on benefits, live in social housing and have a spare room, you now have to pay a “bedroom tax”, which is deducted from your benefits.

Why should our poorest 
citizens pay for the cost of the recession?

From: Trev Bromby, Sculcoates Lane, Beverley Road, Hull.

WITH reference to the so-called bedroom tax, this Government is outraged that uninvited Brazilian UN Inspector Raquel Rolnik denounces the penalty as a breach of human rights, which is leaving people suicidal, homeless and in poverty.

“How dare she? There are 50 million living in shanty towns in her country” bleat our leaders.

I cannot paint, but I reserve my right to criticise Picasso.

Poll tax, pasty tax, bedroom tax – anything but crony tax!

Claw back 
the payouts

From: Nigel F Boddy, Fife Road, Darlington.

JUST as the Government are bringing in a cap on benefits, can we have a cap on public sector pensions too? Some say when the cost of government borrowing goes up from two per cent to a modest five per cent around 2017 the Government will run out of money to pay any state retirement pensions and public sector pensions.

We’d better start planning now to protect the income of our poorest older pensioners.

We can cut the higher public sector redundancy payouts and pensions and put a cap on these just as we are putting a cap on state benefits. There is no bar to Parliament passing retrospective legislation to lawfully claw back the notorious BBC redundancy payouts and others too in the currently nationalised banks.

Civil servants and local government officers have 
been awarding one another scandalous redundancy settlements and public sector pensions recently, many of these payable when recipients are only 50 or younger.

We have to bring in a universal cap. Why were these people treated as being redundant anyway when many walked straight into new jobs?

Police and firemen are a special case but their exceptional retirement age seems 
to have become a standard 
age for all public servants’ retirement in the last 
few years.

Thanks to kind souls

From: Peter Metcalfe, Balham High Road, London.

ON AUGUST 29, my elderly mother Norah travelled on the 12.30pm from Darlington to King’s Cross.

The train broke down and this necessitated a lengthy wait 
at Doncaster and changing 
trains.

My mother was befriended by a lovely couple, Margaret and Ollie from Bedale, who helped, carrying her suitcase, finding seats and keeping her company.

A text to give me their phone number never arrived.

I am hoping somehow our heartfelt thanks may reach these Good Samaritans.