YP Letters: Potholes a symptom of budget cuts '“ and worse is to come

The state of the roads should be an election issue, says Roger Backhouse. Do you agree?

YOUR report of a flower planted in a pothole is amusing but shouldn’t be (The Yorkshire Post, May 10). On my travels in Yorkshire and other places, I’ve noticed worsening road surfaces posing dangers to pedestrians.

This is the inevitable result of squeezing council budgets since 2010 as first the Conservative-led coalition, and now the present Government, cut grants to local authorities. Many Yorkshire councils have been disproportionately hit.

There is worse to come. Councils face increasing costs of chidren’s services and social care budgets yet are supposed to move to self financing by 2020 without any grants.

Our much-valued neighbourhood services will be non-existent if this continues.

Theresa May famously said that the Conservatives were  often thought of as the “Nasty Party”.

How ironic if they go down in history as “The Pothole Party”.

From: Bob Watson, Springfield Road, Baildon.

THE Leeds Bradford Airport final masterplan makes a number of “key points” including further development of the terminal building, extra seating, plus enhanced food and retail offerings. Do we, one wonders, need even more retail options?

This masterplan does not include the one thing that many travellers would surely consider a necessity. LBA is the highest airport in the UK, and probably has more than its fair share of inclement weather. As such, why did the plan not include provision for further airbridges by suitably altering / improving the aircraft stands area? There is currently only one, so most travellers are faced with a trek to their aircraft.

Surely that should have been a priority for the airport management to properly bring LBA into the 21st century?

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.

WITH another election looming, your reminder of Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s intentions is most timely (The Yorkshire Post, May 9).

We don’t wish to see London “dragged down”, but what about “pausing” – remember that word? – the yet more billions about to be lavished there and using it to “fire up the North with transport connections that match the very best in Europe”.

A 21st century rapid transit system for Leeds would be a good start; one which showed more imagination than the city council’s proposed tarted-up bus network.