YEP Letters: May 19

More problems at aquatics centre

Martin J. Phillips, Leeds 16

the opening of the Leeds Aquatics Centre by the John Charles Stadium was marred by technical issues e.g. the moving floors failed to work properly.

Ten years on and these problems still exist. At present the pool cannot be used in its 50 metre format and there does not appear to be a date when this will be resolved. Leeds City Council tried to go one better than its neighbours in Manchester and Sheffield by including these gimmicky devices in the pool and, as with the flawed International Pool, failed miserably in providing a functional facility (the International Pool was not long enough or wide enough for top competitions).

More taxpayers’ money wasted.

Is Leeds one of worst places to raise a family?

Leeds has been named as one one of the UK’s worst cities in which to raise a family. York has been named as one of the best taking eighth spot in Moneysupermarket.com’s UK Family Living Index of 35 cities behind Newcastle which was named the country’s most family-friendly large city. Bradford and Leeds were both near the bottom of the list occupying 31st and 32nd place respectively. The survey took into account factors such as crime rates and school rankings aswell as property prices and employment figures. Here’s what YEP readers think of the city’s ranking...

Danielle Mistry

Goodness knows how they worked this out. All the people with children who visit us say how brilliant Leeds is for kids.

Kevin Mellor

I am from York but have lived in Leeds since before I was married. Both have open green spaces but Leeds not a tourist hotspot. I remember in the ‘80s fighting past tourists in York and finding relief being in a “normal” city. I can now visit York whenever I want but enjoy the peace of Leeds.

Tony Bastin

Leeds not helped by an appalling* public transport system (*non existent).

Andrew Walker

Utter rubbish. Leeds is one of the greenest cities in the country. Crime happens everywhere and school places are a lottery everywhere.

Karen Tempest Stanley

I don’t really understand why Leeds got such a bad rating. I feel really lucky – where we live we are surrounded by open green spaces, there’s lots for children and families to do, 
the schools are good and house prices aren’t too bad, all things considered. I’ve lived all over and really consider this area as one of the best.

Dan Crowther

Don’t know what planet they’re on, Leeds is a fantastic place to raise a family, loads to do and countryside and city in perfect harmony.

Jessica Byrne

I am originally from Stoke on Trent – ranked 10th – but now live in Leeds and it is where I started raising a family. When I visit Stoke there is not much 
to do with the kids. In Leeds there is some sort of kids’ event on practically every week. I love raising my family in Leeds.

Debbie Simon Bowman

Any place can be named the worse place to live, but it’s what YOU make it. The up and coming posh places still have a rough part. I’d rather live in Leeds than some of the places I’ve seen.

What’s wrong with success?

Jim Kirk, Middleton

I completely miss the point of Allen Jenkinson’s letter (‘Are we really all in it together?’, YEP letters, May 15) in which he uses statistics to point out over the past 15 years the number of UK billionaires has significantly increased. I would have thought that says a lot about living in the UK!

The fact that some people are far better at creating wealth than others doesn’t make it a crime.

Nowhere in his letter does Mr Jenkinson state any of billionaires mentioned have avoided paying their taxes or made their wealth through nefarious action.

We should be looking for ways of making the lowest earners amongst us better off, not searching for ways to make the top earners worse off.

How many people do these billionaires employ? If you don’t make money, there is no business and if there’s no business there are no jobs. No one working for them has ever entered into a non-consensual contract.

Why is success so frowned up in this country? Why bother going to work at all? Under Labour we will all have a castle, and the lowest paid will be on £10 an hour. Why do people imagine they have the right to say how another person’s wealth should be distributed?

There is austerity, we face challenges everyday that will either make you bitter or better. I’m the poorest person I know, but it’s not the responsibility of the rich to solve my problems.

When will we ever stop playing the victim? instead of searching for inequality, try searching for opportunity.

Under Jeremy Corbyn, Labour will aim for the hourly rate of £10 and here’s exactly what will happen. Due to work/life balance some will choose to work 20 hours a week making them £200.

Another person for example middle-aged, grown up family, will choose to work 80 hours a week making the £800. A socialist doesn’t see the hard work and determination that goes into working 80 hours a week, he see a £600 inequality and assumes that the more determined person has in some way cheated the lower earner, and it’s now the higher earner’s responsibility to make amends.

I find it odd that a person is classed as wealthy in the country if you earn £70,000 per year, yet MPs earn £76,000 a year, and Labour (who I vote for) only aim to raise taxes on anyone earning above £80,000. That truly is being in it altogether. The trough!

Government policy causing homelessness

Beryl Williams, Wakefield.

YOUR readers may be forgiven for labouring under the illusion that the sharp rise in homelessness in this country is solely due to alcoholism, drug addiction and wife-beating.

However, this is not the case. It’s also, and significantly, a direct outcome of the policies of the outgoing government.

Here’s an example of how this works: Because the Government wants to impress us with their care for the elderly, they increase a weekly basic State pension of £122+ by approximately £2.50, with a promise of further annual increases.

They also offer housing and council tax benefits. “But, oh dear, now that we’ve increased your pension, your income is now above the maximum threshold by £1.84.

So you’ll have to pay all your rent and council tax yourself.”

Private landlords, and there are more of them than ever before, have no qualms whatsoever in evicting tenants who default on rent.

Why delays to rail upgrade?

Jeff Thomas, Leeds.

I am writing about the east-west rail upgrade and why we are at a complete standstill.

I firmly believe nothing will be done by government until the Yorkshire devolution debacle is resolved.

Our councillors and local MPs, for that matter, are holding the rest of us to ransom simply because they cannot agree a political solution and neither party wants to lose face.

The Tory Party would do well to remember that there are key marginals along the rail corridor in West Yorkshire and if they don’t give the green light now for the much-needed upgrade they could get a nasty jolt on June 8.

Ironic, is it not, that central Manchester has completed a new north-south tram link?