YP Letters: The Johnson family is in the business of self-promotion '“ and little else

IS the real reason why Jo Johnson resigned as Transport Minister because he could not resolve the problems with Northern’s plan to have driver-only trains, and allowed the electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool line to over-run by months?

He, like his brother, Boris, and father Stanley Johnson (a retired MEP), are only interested in elevating their positions in the public realm, rather than the good of Britain (Tom Richmond, The Yorkshire Post, November 17).

From: V Walker, Princess Avenue, Knaresborough.

WHY not challenge rail bosses and board members to spend one day in wheelchairs, mobility aids and glasses to impair vision, and travel on trains in remote, rural areas, and see what it is like not to not have the help of a guard or conductor on the train or bus? Maybe then they would understand why the public are opposing the removal of such help. If they refuse, then the management will be admitting that they cannot justify the proposals!

From: R Walker, Daykin Close, Darton, Barnsley.

WHILE driver-only operation does allow the train to be operated by one person, it does not automatically mean the removal of the guard/conductor. It should allow them to spend more time on their other duties checking and selling tickets, and helping disabled passengers, rather than having to rush back to the rear of the train at each stop to open the doors.

From: David Shackleton, Staxton, Scarborough.

I WANT to draw the attention of readers to the need to be vigilant with luggage when making rail journeys in the run-up to Christmas.

I saw at first hand recently the distress suffered by a fellow traveller when her suitcase was removed from a TransPennine Express train, either accidentally or by deliberate dishonest act, at an intermediate station during the course of her journey.

Plight of our libraries

From: Roger Backhouse, Orchard Road, Upper Poppleton, York.

WHILE I sympathise with the case for investment in public libraries, blaming Sheffield’s Labour council for library cuts ignores similar cuts happening around Britain. The impeccably Conservative North Yorkshire County Council has reduced library services with volunteers now responsible for keeping Norton and other libraries going.

Library services now are a pale shadow of what they should be, shown by the dramatic fall in the number of professional librarians, with more than 
5,000 gone.

I have never know such a popular service so demoralised.

Good libraries are essential to community wellbeing. They deserve better.

From: Mark Burnwood, Carlisle Street, Burngreave, Sheffield.

WITH the rollout of Universal Credit (which requires a large proportion of forms from claimants including the initial application and subsequent job search activity to be filled in online) reaching Sheffield soon, it is vital that people are able to access good quality IT resources in the local library if they do not have them at home.

With this in mind, it is disappointing to note that a friend who lives in the area informed me that the IT Suite at Upperthorpe Library, run by Zest, allegedly has several PCs with sound not working, one not working at all, and others which have only partial sound and takes ages to log on.

He also tells me the wifi is intermittently either very slow or not working at all.

This is clearly not good enough; the council and Zest need to be doing all they can to ensure that their IT facilities are up to scratch to give people claiming Universal Credit the most support they can.

Police costs over fracking

From: Jerry Diccox, Main Street, Darley.

CLEARLY, police forces should not have to meet the costs of policing fracking sites (The Yorkshire Post, November 17).

There is a well-established principle referred to as “the polluter pays” which should include paying the policing 
costs.

It is an outrage that this bill is expected to be met by the taxpayer.

Sadly, we have a Government which prefers to subsidise fossil-fuel polluters rather than make them pay for the harm that they are causing.

Applause for the prince

From: Hilary Andrews, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

FANTASTIC to see Prince Harry endorsing HIV testing (The Yorkshire Post, November 19) 
and the new testing in Leeds of all those having a routine blood test.

As pointed out in your excellent paper, HIV drugs are 
so good nowadays that having HIV treated means an 
individual can have a normal lifespan.

As a doctor who treated patients before effective drugs were developed, I can only applaud this new initiative.

Please help the homeless

From: David Treacher, Hull.

MANY are sleeping on the 
streets and we see people collecting on their behalf for food and other small gifts for Christmas. Why not give what you can?

Many are not layabouts, but people who have fallen on bad times because of the Government’s policies.