Taking election fraud seriously

I WAS sorry to read Conal Gregory’s concerns about the possibility of students voting more than once in elections (Yorkshire Post, April 5)).

Voting is about having a say on the issues that affect you, and people who are legitimately registered in two different areas can vote in local (but not general) elections in both areas.

However, as Mr Gregory says, it is a criminal offence to vote fraudulently and this is something that we take extremely seriously, as do the courts.

Killing will not cure problem

From: David Williams, Badger Trust, East Grinstead.

YOUR letter writer W Watts wrote that the Badger Trust cannot take the fact that some badgers have bovine tuberculosis (Yorkshire Post, April 2).

We can and do, but reject the assertion that killing them will make any meaningful contribution to the eradication of the disease in cattle. A £50m, nine-year scientific study said so in 2007.

While it is not possible yet to test badgers for TB in the field, it is certainly possible to vaccinate them. The Trust strongly supports this proposal.

Balanced view

From: Antony Dunn, Head of Communications, Yorkshire Dance, St Peter’s Square, Leeds.

i WOULD just like to thank Nick Ahad for his thoughtful coverage of the recent Arts Council England funding cuts (Yorkshire Post, March 30 and 31).

It was a curiously difficult time for all arts organisations, even the ones (like Yorkshire Dance) which came out of it relatively well. It would have been all too easy to play off successful organisations against organisations whose funding was cut for the sake of some easy controversy – so we are all, I imagine, grateful for the measured, balanced approach he took.