YP Letters: Time to end the pay cap on our vital public sector workers

I APPLAUD Jeremy Corbyn and Labour for the vain attempt to end the one per cent cap on public sector pay, imposed for 
far too long.

Never mind a review later this year, an immediate interim rise of 2.5 per cent should be paid to combat the ravages of five years of inflation making an actual cut in pay, undermining both recruitment and retention of staff.

This country has no shortage of money, only lacking the will to spend it on the right things – for example emergency services and NHS staff instead of myriad wasteful non-essential areas.

The public sector is the bedrock of our civilised society, with no one on big wages. It is time to recognise the real contribution they are making.

Conservatives hate the NHS and want to privatise it, as they did with utilities like water and energy – this to the detriment of both consumers and the Treasury, with our largest water company having the worst record of both leaks and pollution.

In my opinion, the Conservative Party should never be trusted again!

From: Alan Chapman, Beck Lane, Bingley.

THE history of austerity can be traced back to the 2008 financial crash. Mild austerity would have followed had PM Gordon Brown dealt with financial matters prudently, but he chose to attempt to buy the next General Election for himself and the Labour Party.

Unluckily for the UK, Gordon Brown had 21 months to borrow on a massive scale, splashing funds on over-generous welfare plus huge increases in many wasteful public sector jobs, with 1.2 million extra staff.

The UK deficit in annual borrowing rose to £157bn. His great error was to spend the money on welfare and wages. Brown got potential voters, the country got the bill.

Socialists always moan that the poor and the public sector have to bear the brunt of cuts. This is because Labour spent recklessly on them until removed from power in 2010. Spending the money of others can be summed up in two words –fundamental socialism!

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

THE decision to source steel to build our warships from abroad beggars belief. We can make the right steel in Scotland and yet for some reason our Tory government has decided not to do so. One has to wonder why.

It seems that our leaders are determined to ruin the steel industry of the UK.