North Yorkshire devolution is akin to Tory ‘gerrymandering’ – Yorkshire Post Letters

I AM reminded of the words of President Thomas Jefferson: “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” Without democracy there can be no liberty, and yes, democracy is expensive.

North Yorkshire is a mainly rural county which, with one short interval, has been Conservative-controlled since it was created in 1974.

It is run by a small single-party executive committee which marginalises councillors of every other political persuasion.

Fortunately, at present, there are opportunities for other political groups in the county’s seven districts.

These opportunities will disappear with a single unitary county.

So it should be no surprise that the Conservative county council leader, Carl Les, has got together with others of his own political persuasion (e.g. Ben Houchen, the mayor of Tees Valley) to promote a unitary authority in which his party can be expected to have absolute control for the foreseeable future.

This is gerrymandering of the worst possible kind.

We are told that we’ll get more money if we have a mayor and we can’t have a mayor without a major local government reorganisation.

This is bribery, bullying and blackmail.

It is also unworthy of what 
the Conservative Party stands for. It should be resisted at all costs.

Money is actually being promised for giving up our 
local democracy and freedom to act in the interests of our residents. The price is far too high.

Government policies change as Ministers change. The previous Minister would have allowed North Yorkshire to have a mayor without a reorganisation.

The reorganisation is the 
new Minster’s idea (Robert Jenrick). So there is no guarantee that, even if North Yorkshire does get a mayor, this will make any long-term difference to government funding for the county.

From: Neil Richardson, Kirkheaton.

MEDIA reports on educational schemes (The Yorkshire Post, August 29) would be easier to digest if hazy phrases like ‘replicating the alchemy’, ‘some of the more ingrained barriers’ and ‘the best start in life’ were avoided – the latter cannot be engineered because the technology is unavailable now, and perhaps will always be beyond our grasp.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson