Places that don’t exist still linger on

PETER Hyde’s letter regarding Humberside (Yorkshire Post, March 13) has prompted me to write suggesting that if we are to have a campaign to get rid of redundant county names, can we please also ditch “Cleveland”?

To be fair to the Post Office, their web site does not use Cleveland or any county name (and they allow us to use “North Yorkshire” in our address if we wish). However, most auto-address databases used by mail order firms, public agencies etc. are still stuck in the past.

From: Canon Michael Storey, Healey Wood Road, Brighouse.

I WRITE in support of the letter from Peter Hyde (Yorkshire Post, March 13) complaining about the use of the word “Humber” to describe an area.

Judith Gregory in her good article about the problems of Dementia makes an interesting mistake, referring to “in Yorkshire and the Humber”. My road map indicates that “Humber” is a river; being “in” it would not help people with dementia!

To the north of the Humber is the East Riding of Yorkshire and to the south is North Lincolnshire. So where is this mythical area “Humber” except for being a river?

I look forward to a “Humber” supporter providing boundaries, other than the river banks!

Support the refugees

From: Sue Cooke, Windmill Rise, York.

RECENT news broadcasts remind us of the many people fleeing for survival from their homes in Syria. Many are crossing the border and escaping to Lebanon. Among them are Palestinian families who have been made refugees for a second time, having already been forced to leave their homes in Palestine during the war in 1948 when the state of Israel was created.

Syria has been home to half a million Palestinian refugees for 65 years, but the bombing of the largest refugee camp in December was a terrifying turning point that has shattered any sense the Palestinians had of being safe. An estimated 200 Palestinians are arriving in Lebanon every day.

Under normal circumstances all refugees are cared for by The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), however Palestinian refugees are an exception. The new arrivals in the twelve refugee camps in Lebanon that are already home to 280,000 Palestinians come under the responsibility of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency).

Many arrive traumatised by their experiences and in need of medical and emotional support. Sadly the resources available to UNRWA are already overstretched which means that people with existing health conditions such as cancer or heart failure, including babies with heart defects, are limited in the medical support they can receive. UK Charity Medical Aid for Palestinians is already working in Lebanon and has launched an urgent appeal to raise £100,000 to provide life saving treatment for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon who have fled from the violence in Syria.

Please help MAP’s work and support this important appeal.

Fuel tax drains the economy

From: Rex Poulton, Wilton, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

I AM a supporter of the 
national FairFuelUK campaign (www.fairfueluk.com) and 
wish to express my great 
concern at the current level of fuel duty in the UK and on 
George Osborne’s plans to increase it with effect from September this year.

I do understand that the Government has deferred or cancelled a series of planned increases in fuel duty since it took office.

However, I ask the Chancellor to appreciate the arguments put forward by FairFuelUK on this vital issue.

Central to these arguments, is the concept that cutting fuel duty will act as a stimulus to 
UK growth and that this will be self-funding to a degree due to the extra tax take on the economic growth stimulated from the cut.

The combined fuel duty and VAT on a litre of fuel is now in excess of £0.80.

The resulting high cost of 
 petrol and diesel is a matter of great hardship and social injustice.

Plan to make a fast buck

From: Godfrey Bloom, Ukip MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

THE revelation that 
moonlighting planning officers are helping builders exploit “vulnerable” councils is astonishing.

It has been disclosed that in 
the wake of the relaxation of building laws these council officials unofficially charge thousands of pounds in consultancy fees to assist companies with planning applications.

This is plainly both morally and probably legally wrong but I actually suspect this sort of activity has been going on secretly for years.

Proper safeguards need to be put in place to prevent such behaviour.

The relaxation of planning laws has the aim of providing more housing, which, of course, wouldn’t be such a problem if we did not have uncontrolled immigration.