Thursday's Letters: Questionable figures predict population boom

Nationally, immigration factors account for almost 70 per cent of the predicted rise in population. Yet this information is the single most unreliable component in projecting population. These figures are particularly prone to inaccuracy when used to determine population numbers at local levels. This contrasts with the more reliable element of projection which measures the "natural" population using information about actual births and deaths.

My own authority, Ryedale, is gearing up to tackle what is believed to be a massive rise in population, yet, like many other rural areas, its "natural" population does not indicate any significant increase.

The predicted rise is "explained" by the far less accurate net migration data. So before councillors and officers of district authorities start reaching for their hard hats and approving large-scale development (which will change the face of our market towns and villages forever) they may wish to consider the following:

Between 2001 and 2006, the UK experienced the greatest net immigration since the early 1960s. This was a consequence of greater freedom of access to the UK labour market for Accession 8 Nationals from

May 2004, and is largely responsible for the huge projected increases in population up to 2031.

Given the impact of the recession and a weak pound, it is hardly surprising that the UK is no longer the destination of choice for many migrant workers. The revised population projections are now expected to show a significant reduction in their upward trajectory.

Where large increases in population are projected entirely from migration data rather than through the "natural" population, rural authorities should be absolutely confident about the need for additional housing before embarking on major developments.

The Government's decision to free councils from house- building targets places a huge responsibility on councils to be able to stand and fall by their own decisions.

A surplus housing supply without a corresponding increase in population could have very serious economic consequences for market towns and villages. Not a legacy that any councillor would wish to be remembered for.

From: Josephine Mennell, Birdgate, Pickering.

The steel industry is not yet dead

From: Don Alexander, Knab Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

I admire Sheffield Forgemasters, British-owned by management and workers and the only steelworks in the UK that is actually expanding.

It has 800 employees of which 80 are apprentices; exports 80 per cent of its products; is capable of making the world's largest steel castings of 350 tons and is the developer of cast "nodes" that hold oil rigs together on the sea floor; and is the would-be maker of the biggest forgings capable of producing the hollow pressure vessels for new generation nuclear power stations. Would-be, but for the promised loan reneged upon by our Government, that puts petty politics before the national interest, stopping an initial 40m order from Westinghouse in the United States.

Much as I admire them, they are not the "last British steelworks" as indicated in the press when they did a "small job" for Channel 4 – the replica 16 ton Titanic anchor.

We still have in Britain the massive Indian-owned plants at Port Talbot and Scunthorpe, and Redcar waits for Thai investment.

Here in Sheffield and Rotherham, we have descendants of special steel producers, such as Steel Peech and Tozer, Park Gate, Samuel Fox, Firth-Vickers, Firth-Brown, all now under Indian, US and Finnish ownership. Carrs Stainless lives on under German ownership; Doncasters and Firth Rixson, based in the region, are backed by US private equity.

I can even think of two locally-owned firms – WM Cook with foundries in Sheffield and Leeds and CF Booth of Rotherham.

There must be others around the country – steel is not dead, though most is foreign-owned.

Reality for Redwood

From: JW Smith, Sutton-on-Sea.

JOHN Redwood has always been able to produce statistics in support of his arguments and he did this again (Yorkshire Post, October 5).

It is true that public expenditure has always increased, but in too many years much of this has been taken up by having to pay more benefits to people out of work.

Although they have lost some of their perks, I cannot see the "more for less" applying to MPs. Even if they followed the Ministers' example and accepted a pay cut, they would still not have to do more. They could certainly save by getting rid of their heavily subsidised refreshment facilities for the House.

In saying he sees no need for cuts in any public services, how can he possibly square this with all the hundreds of thousands of public employees who have already been written to regarding redundancy? How are all their jobs going to be done?

It's no oil painting

From: Maureen Hunt, Woolley, near Wakefield.

MRS Annie Painter (Yorkshire Post, October 2) should be pleased to know that there would be many people in the crowd joining her when

she shouts: "But he isn't wearing anything at all!", as she passes the new Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield. We Yorkshire folk have a well-deserved reputation for calling "a spade a spade". We don't like pretension or kidology.

From the road, the building is certainly hideous beyond belief – an ugly, grey concrete eyesore.

Research reveals that the museum is a group of linked concrete structures, apparently being a re-interpretation of bygone huddles of factory buildings. The award-winning architect, David Chipperfield, may therefore be said to have achieved his objective.

Prince Charles's opinion would be of interest. The Hepworth, which was constructed at a cost of 22m, is the centrepiece of Waterfront Wakefield, a scheme intended to transform the historic but neglected area around the River Calder. It is to be hoped that the design of the interior is so splendid that it will atone for the dismal exterior elevation.

Beer war of the rose

From: JB Mainprize, East Ella Drive, Hull, East Yorkshire.

I WRITE in response to your article (Yorkshire Post, October 6), regarding the battle that could be about to ensue between Samuel Smith's and the Cropton Brewery. How pathetic! Does Samuel Smith's own the exclusive right to the Yorkshire Rose emblem?

To me it smacks of that case a few years ago when giant McDonald's tried to sue a little caf owner named Ronald, who called his eatery MacRonald's. I could perhaps have understood Sam Smith's view if the label on the Cropton Brewery bottle had been designed exactly the same. Cropton Brewery has even sought permission from the Yorkshire Regiment to use its cap badge on their label. I shall not be drinking Samuel Smith's beers again and I know a few others who feel exactly the same.

Fortunes of football

From: Peter Whiteley, Low Biggins, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria.

THE newspapers these days seem to be as full of football financial reports as they are of the games played, as highlighted by your Editorial (Yorkshire Post, October 12). I understand that in some other countries, if a league club is in debt or has made a loss at the end of each season, it is automatically relegated.

I suggest that the FA brings in this rule next season.

This would have the galvanising effect of making directors actually manage clubs responsibly rather than concentrating on lining their own pockets.

If this rule had been enforced at the end of last season, which teams would have gone down I wonder? Perhaps someone could work it out?

Service waste

From: Peter R Hyde, Kendale View, Driffield.

WHILE the public is being asked to tighten its belts, the Civil Service is wasting billions (Yorkshire Post, October 12).

The actual term civil servant is a misnomer as most are neither civil nor do they serve.

The mandarins of Whitehall rule both us and our politicians and, therefore, cannot by any stretch of imagination, be described thus. Our political system is to blame as we put inexperienced people in charge of ministries, ie, postmen, ship stewards and barristers to run treasuries, law and even the whole country.

Remote world

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

AS an example of the influence of daytime TV, Jayne Dowle cites the mother whose baby knew it was time for his morning nap when the theme of a particular chat show came on (Yorkshire Post, October 11).

I am reminded of my daughter-in-law, who overheard the following on a bus: "Our Darren is comin' on. He's only three and he comes down every mornin' and goes, 'Weer's t'remote?'"

More wine

From: FE Sharpe, Elburton Road, Plymstock, Plymouth, Devon.

CALLING all former viewers of the long-running television programme Last of the Summer Wine. Please support a petition asking the BBC to commission another series of the programme.

To view the petition, go to the website petition.co.uk then enter category entertainment to view petition summer wine. If we all stand together, we can win.

We must do something to ensure our future

From: Karl Sheridan, Selby Road, Holme upon Spalding Moor.

IT was recently announced in the media that there seems to be far less enthusiasm for recycling and concern for global warming in the UK than there was five years ago. Frankly, I find this of no surprise whatsoever; especially when one takes a serious look at the way politicians and the leaders of all the other nations are tackling the problem.

Putting aside the highly controversial issue that we all should be reducing the number of children that are being born because the world's population is already quadrupling every 10 years thus compounding the food shortages experienced by the poorer nations, I see little in the way of constructive policies to combat the systematic destruction of our world under the name of progress.

Recycling is nothing new, as we all know – the fact being that it was done during the last war to a much greater extent, and indeed, far more efficiently than the current methods employed by local councils. Virtually everything was recycled from rags to glass and actually used –unlike today.

What we don't see is any viably serious action to combat the rapidly disappearing rainforests – thousands of acres each week. We don't see anything to combat the rapid pollution of our oceans – plastics being one of the main culprits that are gradually killing off marine

life. Without fish, a mainstay food of most nations, we will all be in trouble.

Our fresh water is another resource that is becoming scarce, yet we abuse it by contaminating streams and rivers, even discharging raw sewage into it. The manufacture of aluminium is a prime example – the amount of water involved in producing aluminium is breathtaking yet although we have millions of tonnes of recycled beer/larger cans available, we still continue producing it. This is madness when some nations are crying out for water.

Here in Yorkshire we are lucky to inhabit a beautiful part of the world – to hear the morning birdsong, gaze across fields full of crops, to see the diverse countryside that our forebears struggled to nurture is bliss, yet hardly anyone stops to think just how fragile our world is. Farming methods reduce the insect population such as bees... no bees equals no pollination... no pollination equals no crops... no crops equals...