Saturday's Letters: Nudge needed to take Britain towards a maximum wage

If this scrutiny was extended to local government officers, quangos and the private sector, the scale of inequality would be more obscene.

It is argued that civil servants receive only what they would get in the private sector and such pay is needed to attract those with the most ability. All this does is highlight that the private sector is also out of control and should be subjected to a maximum pay in the same way as the low paid are given a minimum wage.

The Establishment disingenuously argues that civil servant salaries have to be made public because they come from the public purse, but, in fact, all salaries both private and public ultimately come from the public. So everyone, including the private sector, should be subject to a maximum income.

Inequality is not benign. One has only to look at the Cabinet, which is full of public school millionaires, to see that. Those who receive excessive salaries have access to a life that the rest will never be able to attain. It gives them privileges they do not deserve and allows them to circumvent restrictions both legal and illegal that apply

to others.

We are a long way from a fair society but the publication of such information is a starting point and should not be accepted with a shrug of the shoulders and smile.

Here is an opportunity to change society and if we nudge the Government gently we can start down the road to a fair and just society by legislating for a national maximum income.

From: Malcolm Naylor, Grange View, Otley.

From: G Ellison, Hawthorne Avenue, Dronfield.

WHY do politicians, as with the last Tory government, New Labour and now the Con-Lib Dem coalition, think that people on benefits live a life of Riley? Unemployed people who are over 25 receive, if entitled, just over 65 a week, the younger get less. Backbench politicians receive more than 1,200 a week, plus expenses and other paid jobs, Cabinet Ministers get even more.

They always complain they don't get enough. Some politicians have tried surviving on benefits for only a week or a little longer on TV

programmes and admitted it was very hard.

Benefit claimants have to pay weekly water rates if in a council property, bills, clothes, food, and if in private accommodation have to top up the rent out of their benefit if the local council does not pay it in full. Invalidity benefit may be 15 a week more than the full rate of job seeker's allowance.

Why don't they create jobs instead of ruining our industry, as we've seen since 1979, instead of putting the blame elsewhere?

Think long and hard on academies

From: Coun Roger Pierce, Labour spokesperson for Children and Young People's Services, City of York Council.

MANY school governors and headteachers in York will be reflecting on the apparent attractions of academy status announced by the new Liberal-Conservative coalition. The offer of money going direct to schools, and with greater "freedoms" may appear tempting.

But older, wiser heads will recall that two earlier attempts to free local schools from the "suffocating embrace of the local authority" failed: because the price of freedom from local control was increased regulation by Whitehall.

Legislation for grant-maintained (GM) schools had 308 sections and over a thousand amendments. No wonder no school in York opted for GM status.

The second attempt (by Tony Blair) was a last-ditch attempt to save failing schools and areas by creating academies. They cost a fortune – an average of 30m apiece. Each academy received nearly 4,000 pages of advice from Whitehall on achieving their 350 targets. So, once again, York schools chose well when they declined the incentives before them.

The new academies offered by Education Secretary Michael Gove are very different. Mr Gove – by offering automatic acceptance of schools rated excellent by Ofsted – will cream-off the best schools. New academies will be able to adopt their own admission policies. Catchment areas will be replaced by selection on ability.

If you live next door to an academy, then the likelihood of your children being accepted will be reduced. They will stand only the same chance as children living elsewhere in city, and beyond.

The goal of equality of opportunity for all children that your council has strove for over the last 30 years in York will be lost.

So parents, governors and teachers, think long and hard before you consider taking Mr Gove's gifts. Think not only of the consequences for your own children, but for other children throughout York now, and in

the future.

Vigilance required

From: SB Oliver, Churchill Grove, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire.

YET another letter from an irate motorist that was clamped in Haworth (Yorkshire Post, May 27) tells us of being "intimidated" by a representative of the clamping company.

The complainant, however, Mr Cartwright, conveniently omitted to tell us why he had been clamped. In other words, which parking regulation

had he contravened? I would guess that the "intimidation"

he experienced was simply being told why he had been clamped and what the penalty was.

The rules and conditions should be clearly displayed at the ticket-machines and probably on signs as well. I don't think that this matter would have anything to do with trading standards unless there was non-compliance with any laws or a breach of trading, or criminal, legislation.

Mr Cartwright says that this situation has been going on for a number of years – all the more reason to be extra vigilant when parking in Haworth.

Council should be encouraging local sport

From: N Bywater, Airedale Terrace, Morley, Leeds.

WHAT shame on Leeds City Council that it is to close the South Leeds sports centre at a time when encouraging sport should be a top

priority.

The Labour Government did its best to encourage swimming, by providing funding for the free swimming programme, but there will be no free swimming in South Leeds – which area will be next?

The people that did use the South Leeds sports centre could travel to the new Morley sports centre when it opens. But at the old Morley sports centre there were waiting lists for many of the children's activities like swimming lessons and gymnastics. So one wonders why the new Morley sports centre will be smaller than the old one; this will only lead to a poorer service.

My daughter has already had two years without gymnastics and swimming lessons – how long will the waiting list be now, especially now that the South Leeds sports centre is closing?

The adults will be well served by the bigger gym, but that is no good for children under 14.

I do wish good luck to all those involved in turning the South Leeds sports centre into a community-run sports facility.

Surely they deserve a chance, they can't do a worse job than Leeds City Council, the only local authority in West Yorkshire to have a complete lack of flumes, tubes, slides, wave machines and anything else of interest to young people in our leisure centre pools.

From: Simon Waters, Harrogate Road, Leeds.

TRUST David Cameron not to know the name of England's Twenty20 cricket captain when he held a reception for the world champions.

It proves that he is intent on using sporting successes to boost his own image – as Tony Blair and Gordon Brown did throughout their premierships.

Sport, and our competitors, deserve better – like a policy that encourages the expansion of community sport and curtails the cost of

the London Olympics.

Royal costs put in perspective

From: M Hellawell, Cross Lane, Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

W Ruddlesden (Yorkshire Post, June 1) needs to think again.

Had the Queen and her cortege dressed in civilian attire for the State Opening of Parliament, it would have cost a lot more than the official robes which are already to hand. Also, she would then have gone by car instead of coach, more expense!

Finally the tourists, who spend money to see pomp and ceremony and flock to London from all corners of the world, help our economy by a considerable amount.

Age barrier

From: Hilary Andrews, Wentworth Court, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

I'VE just had my car insurance renewal proposal from the "nodding dog" 382.20 compared with 240.25 last year. I have more than 12 years without claims, nor have I claimed this last year.

It took me 18 minutes to get through to their telephone line to cancel with them. This was necessary as they automatically renew your policy and charge your credit card otherwise.

Do these companies automatically think that because you are 70-years-old, you are senile?

Open air delights

From: Don Metcalfe, Annes Court, Southowram, Halifax.

FURTHER to the many letters about the Open Air Theatre at Scarborough, am I right in thinking that the first production after the war was The Pied Piper of Hamelin?

I seem to recall that the tenor lead was sung by Walter Widdop of

Halifax. Also, that my sister's best friend sang at the very end of the performance: Mid pleasures and palaces though I may roam, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

My sister was also a member of the cast.