Thursday's Letters: Special pleading ignores need for cost cutting

MOST people agree that the profligacy of the recently defeated Labour Government has left our country with a huge hole in our public finances that the coalition government has to deal with. Most people also recognise that this will be a difficult and, at times, painful process.

Yet what do we see in your newspaper over the past few days and weeks? Miles of column inches of special pleading about how this vital service or that vital service will be destroyed or that this or that special building or hugely important project will be cut.

I served as a borough councillor for 22 years, for many of them in a leadership position, and for almost the whole of that period the council's role was to manage our services more efficiently or to provide services in a different way.

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When I look back, I can see that I was busy resisting changes in services in my early days as a councillor that I helped to implement at a later date. Whether a change in service provision is a cut or an opportunity to recast the service depends, crucially, on how you look at it.

For example, under my leadership, the Calderdale Social Services Department closed all its publicly-owned elderly people's homes and helped all the residents to move to new accommodation that was better quality and no more expensive for the individual.

This was done in close consultation with the residents and their relatives.

The people from the libraries service and the national parks have to start from scratch and examine all the services they provide and see how they can deliver a better service to the public that costs significantly less than the current budget.

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The coalition has no choice but to reduce the public deficit. Public authorities should seek advice from the experts on recasting services – local councils – and set about making their contribution to pulling our country out of the hole that Labour have left for us.

From: Mick Taylor, Lib Dem Candidate, Leeds Central 2010, Tinshill Lane, Leeds.

Open Air Theatre may take a bow

From: Alan Gell, Snainton, Scarborough.

I WAS privileged to be one of the 6,500 audience at the opening

concert, last Friday evening, at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.

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We were treated to a wonderful show by Kiri Te Kanawa and Jos

Carreras, together with the orchestra of Opera North and the

Huddersfield Choral Society.

It is unfortunate that the professionalism of all these performers couldn't be matched by Brian Blessed who supposedly was the compere. Each of Mr Blessed's appearances was marred by his egotistical style of "blowing his own trumpet".

That said, the evening was a great success, ending with a fantastic firework display synchronised to the second with the 1812 Overture.

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Residents of, and visitors to Scarborough, who use the infamous A64 would have been pleased to hear that even Miss Te Kanawa thinks the road is totally unsuitable for the volume of traffic it has to cope with.

She needed a police escort to get to Scarborough on time for the

concert. Local councillors and politicians please note.

Well done, Scarborough, for bringing this superb venue back to life.

Just one observation – the organisers will have to improve the system for gaining entry to the venue. The crowds were well behaved and patient but it did take more than an hour for some people to get in.

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Leaving was also a problem, not helped by a number of street lights being out of action at the disabled entry ramp.

That said, we can be proud of this new attraction on the Yorkshire coast – the largest outside theatre in Europe.

Wind power is not the way

From: Dave Haskell, Newchapel Road, Boncath, Pembs.

BECAUSE the power generated from wind farms is so unpredictable, they will never give us security of supply.

Also, the claim by the developers of wind generators for saving on CO2 emissions has an aura of Alice in Wonderland about it and should be taken as such.

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To be sure, if the UK should suddenly disappear from the face of the Earth, there would hardly be any significant reduction in global CO2 emissions simply because our contribution is less than two per cent, so who is kidding who here?

Additionally, because fossil fuelled power stations have to serve as back-up when the wind is not blowing at the right speed, and when such back-up plant is run below peakload, this can be very uneconomical and can actually result in more CO2 emissions.

France and Sweden, with intelligent foresight, have placed security of supply at the heart of their energy policy, and this is what our so-called representatives should have ensured.

With our coal and nuclear power plants gradually diminishing because of age coupled with the lack of planning and funding, wind power will

never fill this great gap, never in a million years.

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And yet we are seeing more and more senseless plans to build even more wind farms, and all this at the consumers' expense.

Indeed, our so-called representatives are like lemmings rushing toward the cliff edge.

Blessings that were brought

From: Rev Peter Dunbar, Vicar of Upper Nidderdale.

WHAT a pity your excellent Religious Affairs Correspondent, Michael Brown, chose to remind us of the sad events of the past, following the death of our former Dean of Ripon, John Methuen.

Whatever our failings in this life, all of us have managed to do some good.

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If Dean John had not resigned when he did, we should not now be blessed with our new wonderful Dean, Keith Jukes, who would have been translated to some other place – probably far away from our beloved Yorkshire.

May the souls of all the departed rest in peace and rise in glory.

Benefits that credit union brings to taxpayers

From: Michael McGowan, president, Leeds City Credit Union.

IT is disappointing that recent reports (Yorkshire Post, July 17 and 24) are misleading about West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Credit Union, and are dismissive of the success of Leeds City Council in tackling social exclusion.

It is almost four years ago when Leeds City Credit Union opened an internal inquiry into financial mismanagement. It is more than two years since the former CEO left the credit union, and over a year ago when West Yorkshire Police were informed by us of the findings of our own inquiry.

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The credit union is under new management and our new CEO, Chris Smyth, who has a wide knowledge of the world of finance and the region, has been in post for more than 18 months. The board of directors is almost entirely new and has strengthened its financial and legal

representation and is implementing a root-and-branch reform of the credit union.

To report that the finances of Leeds City Credit Union "remain under investigation by West Yorkshire Police" is inaccurate and unhelpful.

The finances of the credit union do not remain under investigation by West Yorkshire Police. It is the former CEO, who left the credit more than two years ago, who is under investigation by the police, not the finances of the credit union.

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Readers need to be absolutely clear that the initiative for the police inquiry came from Leeds City Credit Union, and I thank West Yorkshire Police for their support.

Leeds City Council and Leeds City Credit Union have received national recognition for the success of their work in tackling social exclusion, and independent researchers from Salford University have recently shown that investment in social inclusion also benefits the public purse.

Instead of investment in social inclusion being a cost to the public purse, it is, in fact, a benefit, and for every pound invested there is a return of more than 8. Besides any social benefit, there is also a real benefit to the taxpayer.

The credit union has been pleased to work in partnership with Leeds City Council in helping to tackle social exclusion across the city and is aware how much its success is the result of all-party support on the council which has been strong and consistent, and the work of its officers, which has been of the highest standard.

Long may she reign...

From: W Strangler, Lane Side, Wilsden.

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I WOULD endorse Maureen Hunt's letter (Yorkshire Post, July 20) about the Queen, as along with countless others, I think she is a most amazing lady.

Rightly or wrongly, I believe her reason for not relinquishing her position on the throne is that she has been Queen from an early age, and wanted to spare Charles the responsibility she has had all these years.

Long may she continue to reign.

Tasty touch for your Yorkshires

From: Mrs L Carr, Wighill, Tadcaster.

I READ with interest the letter (Yorkshire Post, July 17) about raspberry vinegar to have with our Yorkshire pudding in the 1930s. I have carried on making the same for the last 60 years.

Raspberries stood in white or malted vinegar. Boil using 1lb of sugar to a pint of strained juice.

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I make it for my family and they enjoy it, too. I'm ready to do some next week.

I'm glad it is still made in the home.

Mobile menace on motorways

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

I'VE just had another alarming motorway journey with vans and lorries moving all over the lanes as the drivers were on the phone.

Wouldn't it be great if we could give their registration number to the police and they were sent a warning letter?

Boost from M&S

From: Iain Morris, Caroline Street, Saltaire, Shipley.

BRADFORD was once a city full of big employers. The new M&S

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distribution centre will employ more than 1,200 people proving how

vital the M606 connecting Bradford with the M62 has been.

It is nice to know that M&S has chosen Bradford for a scheme of this magnitude.

Fine qualities

From: John Foster, Wighill, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.

HOW disappointing that your obituary of Edna Healey (Yorkshire Post, July 23) did not mention the five years she spent during the war teaching at Keighley Girls' High School.

My mother has the strongest memories of her fine qualities as an

English teacher.