Years of paying into system count for little when in need

From: Mrs W Abbott, Kingston Upon Hull.

CORRESPONDENT David T Craggs writes a detailed description summarising what taxpayers money is being used for (The Yorkshire Post, November 17). I also do not begrudge paying income tax to support necessary services. Like Mr Craggs, I am also a pensioner and in my experience the benefit system runs along similar lines.

Back in 2000 my husband, aged 60, was made redundant. Unable to claim his state pension until he was 65 he applied for Job Seekers Allowance. However, because he is in receipt of a military pension and has no dependents, he was told he was not entitled to it.

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He was astonished to find that after paying income tax and National Insurance contributions for 45 years he was not entitled to anything because the Government had changed the rules. Yet, when he started his working life in 1955, a portion of the national insurance contributions which he had paid was supposed to be set aside to cover the eventuality of the situation he had now found himself to be in through no fault of his own. I wonder where does all this money go?

From: Dick Lindley, Birkwood Farm, Altofts, Normanton.

IT was with absolute incredulity I read that Mr Cameron is sending £630m of our money to help Third World countries build useless wind turbines and solar generators with the forlorn and mistaken idea that this will help stop the climate from changing.

Unfortunately for him, most sensible British people are aware that the climate has always changed and it is a perfectly normal cyclical occurrence. This year we borrowed £64bn to run our country and to give away £630m of those borrowings to other countries when we are almost bust is fiscal insanity.

From: HA Monks, Otley.

THE Citizens’ Advice Bureau was set up to provide advice to all citizens. Leeds City Council is meant to serve all of its citizens: those in the city centre and in the surrounding towns and villages within its local authority boundaries.

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The Citizens’ Advice Bureau in Otley is staffed predominantly by volunteers and costs £50,000 a year. It provides advice to people in Otley, Pool, Guiseley, Yeadon, Horsforth and all the places to the north of Leeds.

For the sake of local communities and for the sake of £50k a year, please bring some common sense to bear on the ridiculous proposal to close the branch in Otley.