Reality check for bishop over benefits

IN his customary splendid article, “Practise what you preach” (Yorkshire Post, January 27), Bill Carmichael reveals that John Packer, Bishop or Ripon and Leeds, together with his fellow bishops, argue, “that an annual cap on benefits of £26,000 is unfair and unchristian”.

In the Anglican Church there are a large number of self-supporting ministers (previously known as non-stipendiary) who are given no remuneration at all by the church.

They often run one or two parishes, on a full-time basis, in exactly the same way as paid vicars. The only financial reward they receive is provided by funeral directors after they have taken a funeral service. Is this not truly “unfair and unchristian”?

It is written in the Bible that, “The labourer is worthy of his wages” (1 Timothy, Chapter 5, Verse 18).

From: Margaret Claxton, Arden Court, Northallerton.

READING Bill Carmichael’s article on welfare reforms made me think that so many of the objectors are people with large incomes themselves.

They do not seem to understand that, with a little economy you can manage without things that you once thought essential. Many of us who have lived a long time have found ourselves in that situation.

We have seen depressions, wars, unemployment, all things that have reduced our income, and we still have managed and brought up families.

Someone said to me the other day “People today don’t know what poverty is!” and she was right.

From: Graham Linforth, Moorside Paddock, Cleckheaton.

PLEASE thank Bill Carmichael for explaining to Bishop John Packer what the real word is all about.

From: A Simmonds, Columbas Ravine, Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

THE reason why some benefit claims are so high is due almost entirely to high rents. If the Government put a limit on rent allowance first, there would be very few left claiming £26,000 a year.

The difference would be that it would be obvious to everyone that landlords demanding high rents are the problem, not the unemployed.

David Cameron’s cynical coaxing of the audience in a recent speech (shown on TV news) to suggest that claimants are to blame was despicable. Working people on minimum wage are never mentioned, yet they are worse off than anyone.

Many top politicians, present and former, are deeply involved in the property business, could that be why things are as they are?

From: Peter R Hyde, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

I AM not really a political animal and usually vote for who I think is best at the time, but it really irks me to hear Red Ted Milliband being critical of the current leadership. Especially when he says he would increase benefits.

Much of our present trouble has been caused by being too generous with taxpayers’ cash.

Airport fee ‘mugging’

From: Lawrie McWilliams, ORBIS Management Ltd, Tattersall House, East Parade, Harrogate.

HOW have we allowed a situation to arise whereby dropping passengers off at Leeds Bradford Airport costs a mandatory £2?

Apparently it is possible to use a long stay car park for to drop off but this involves either a longer walk or a waiting for a shuttle bus.

The whole point of arranging a drop off is to avoid this disruption.

The gross over-reaction to an incompetent airport attack in Scotland means the surrounding area is a semi-militarised zealously patrolled zone. Any lingering runs the risk of a parking ticket.

Why do we allow this insidious erosion of our rights? I understand that airports are commercial operations but Geneva, Alicante, Faro etc seem to be able to allow passengers to be dropped off and collected without legalised mugging.

Police chiefs and politics

From: George Arrowsmith, Pontefract.

WHILE I do not agree with the need to have police commissioners, it will just be in my opinion another costly level of politician, they should not be aligned with any political party.

Keith Hellawell is, if he decides to put himself up for election, the right kind of person with his vast experience in policing. There will be too many “professional politicians” who the political parties will put forward. Politics should be kept at a long arm’s length from policing.

Rob Preece’s article (Yorkshire Post, January 28) states that Keith Hellawell wants to stand but held out little hope of winning because he refuses to align with a political party. If the only way to have any realistic chance of becoming a Police Commissioner is with a political party’s backing, Police Commissioners have failed before they can get off the ground.

Is it not the case that serving police officers cannot be members of a political party? If so, how can the person being paid to run the police forces be a party member? Not only that but the parties select them before the electorate get chance.

Keith Hellawell should stand and the Press should make sure he and any non-politician get the necessary exposure to the public.