YP Letters: EU has helped to clean up our beaches

THE tourist industry in North Yorkshire is very important to the local economy of the area. The towns of Whitby and Scarborough have benefited from having European Blue Flag beaches.

The Blue Flag was created in France in 1985 as a pilot scheme where French coastal municipalities were awarded the Blue Flag on the basis of criteria covering sewage treatment and bathing water quality. The European Union increased the criteria with the Bathing Water Directive which resulted in the reduction of neat sewage being pumped into the sea.

Visitors from Europe will see North Bay beach in Scarborough on the Blue Flag website described as follows “one of two sand beaches in Scarborough and is the larger although slightly quieter of the two bays. A half moon strip of sand that stretches north from the headland in the centre of Scarborough. Popular surfing beach suitable for all levels of ability”. They will also know that due to European environmental policies the sea water quality is in ‘excellent status’ because it has a Blue Flag.

When going on a European beach holiday, people may make their choice of where to stay based on the quality of sea water, particularly if they have young children who enjoy playing in the sea

It is interesting how Brexiteers have forgotten the good environmental policies the European Union have introduced. They like to call them red tape.

From: Gordon Lawrence, Stumperlowe View, Sheffield.

GREATNESS is a description of well-known people that may, too often, be overused but in the case of Muhammad Ali his self-proclaimed greatness is a fitting tribute that a prevailing consensus of opinion makers would accept as indisputable.

He was a free spirit, his own man, who broke the barriers of institutional prejudice. He was full of optimism, confident in his own ability, and unafraid of repressive authority.

He challenged the conventional elitism of his time and endured the consequent opprobrium and material loss with the stoicism that he suffered punches in the ring. He was a man of principle and regarded his own sovereignty and heritage as of priceless value.

Is there a parallel here with our decision on June 23?

Women amid the boys’ club

From: Edward Grainger, Botany Way, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.

FORMER MP Elizabeth Peacock may well be right that the much heralded ‘Northern Powerhouse’ may well, in time, prove to be just another boys’ club out of which surprise, surprise, comes yet more “jobs for the boys”, with layer upon layer of so called democratic and bureaucratic bodies and councils dominated by men.

In my time as a local government officer in the so-called male dominated “corridors of power”, those female councillors that were so few in number had to be so much better talkers and thinkers in committee and, in my experience, had the clear vision that is often missing from their male counterparts.

Regrettably there were few therefore capable women in council activities, but those that I came across were outstanding in the areas of public health, education and social services in particular.

Bring to book BHS culprits

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

WITHOUT going into the details of the demise of BHS which are well known, the lesson for the Government is clear.

Without stifling enterprise which has brought great success to this country in the past, capitalism must not be allowed to run on too loose a rein (Andrew Vine, The Yorkshire Post, June 14).

There has been too much laxity and the result is bigger and bigger scandals in banking, the Stock Exchange and business generally.

Let us hope those responsible for the BHS debacle are brought to book. Unfortunately, civil servants and politicians are not best qualified to manage this. Business itself has a prime responsibilty to keep its house in order.

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.

ANDREW Vine’s reference to “the despair of those running honest businesses” is timely. The real culprits are and have been, successive governments.

They’ve stood by, letting it all happened behind the grubby cloak of “It’s all perfectly legal” and making no more than token gestures when we, the dutifully tax-paying public, became restive.

No mystery about quality

From: Mrs M Hellawell, Cross Lane, Scarborough.

I WENT to see the Mystery Plays in York Minster. It was superb. For sheer spectacle, spontaneous and joyful performance by everyone involved, brilliant staging and innovation, one couldn’t have had better. Well done the people of York and Phillip Breen, the producer.

Added to this were comfortable seats and an excellent view for everyone. It was also good to see how beautiful the Minster looks after renovation.

Royals need to Look North

From: Hilary Andrews, Nursery Lane, Leeds.

I HAVE really enjoyed the celebrations of the Queens 90th birthday. But wouldn’t it have been nice if one of the Royal family could have made it up to York to let us Northerners join in? Is the Duke of York really ours?