January 19: Morrisons’ predicament was obvious

I AM somewhat taken aback by the “gasp, shock horror” response that has accompanied the disastrous end of year results posted by Morrisons (The Yorkshire Post, January 14). Why was anyone even the slightest bit surprised? Or was it more of a question of no one in the know actually bothering to keep their eye on the ball?

Back in September, I was set on by a local employment agency as a warehouse operative at Morrisons Junction 41 Distribution Centre. I was guaranteed that this was not a zero hours contract and that in any event I would be guaranteed three shifts per week and in practice would be working five most weeks.

After four weeks, the agency I had signed up with began cancelling my shifts on a daily basis. The senior manager emphatically denied that there was any drop-off in business, and it was a matter between my agency and me regarding the numbers of shifts. Clearly one of them was not telling the truth. Either business volumes at the distribution centre were low or I was being fobbed off. Well, we all know now, don’t we?

From: Brian H Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

I AM baffled by Jayne Dowle’s rant against the major supermarkets (The Yorkshire Post, January 15).

The real evil of supermarkets is putting dairy farmers and pubs out of business by selling milk and alcohol at lower prices than bottled water but this doesn’t get a mention. I would be interested to know at which supermarket she is being charged for parking. My wife and I regularly visit Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Lidl, where we can park for as long as we like for free.

As for protesting about slow service by abandoning a laden trolley, this is just bad manners.

Park’s policies stifle growth

From: Julie Wyatt, Scar Street, Grassington.

SO plans to build more affordable houses in the Dales have been cut by new housing rules introduced by the Government. The new restrictions will not require the same proportion of any new builds to be affordable. But is this any real loss?

Where affordable housing is for sale, the local occupancy restrictions applied by the National Park reduces the value of the houses from the outset and young couples buying one of these can find it difficult to obtain a mortgage because of the restrictions.

Yes, rented affordable housing can be provided but I would suggest that what people want is to buy their house like anyone else. The real need is for a supply of well paid jobs within the National Park so people can choose from the whole housing stock and we have seen a little growth in some areas such as IT.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park, in its planning policies, strongly discourages well paid employment within the Park because its remit is to conserve. But without some development, we will see the Dales bereft of young people, schools, health facilities etc.

The action of the YDNP in this should not be surprising however, as they have no remit for economic development. This lies with North Yorkshire County Council, so wouldn’t it just be more appropriate to allow NYCC to take over the roles presently carried out by the YDNP?

Doubts over dung plan

From: David F Chambers, Sladeburn Drive, Northallerton.

HEAVEN forbid that your letters page should descend into a discussion on the virtues of cow dung, admirable as they may be (The Yorkshire Post, January 9).

I must express my doubts as to how many cows competing for grazing space amid the wind turbines, would be called upon to keep our industries turning and our homes comfortable.

Finding a power source that is blameless in the eyes of the warmists is seemingly difficult and hugely expensive, so perhaps we should recall that Drax power station was intentionally sited in a district rich in an underground substance known as coal. If its by-product of CO2 were captured and buried under the sea, I’m sure that its rapid escape back to the atmosphere would go unreported, and we’d all be happy – if a little poorer.

Unite against extremists

From: Bob Watson, Springfield Road, Baildon.

THE grotesque atrocities perpetrated by al-Qaida, the Islamic State and Boko Haram, to name but three, are a threat to the whole of the civilised world.

Why do we not therefore see united actions by all the (supposedly) civilised countries, working together, to crush all these extremists? Countries such as Russia and China, plus many others, surely need to be brought properly into the fold? Working in unison would, I am sure, make a big difference to the situation.

Job creation? Not in this area

From: G Ellison, Hawthorne Avenue, Dronfield.

IT is a coincidence that since this Government has been in power over a million unemployed have had their benefits sanctioned while at the same time they claim to have created over a million jobs. Job centres are forced to reach targets or else.

There has been no job creation in our area.