YEP letters: December 16

Why should police pick up the bill?

B Smith, Leeds

The cheek of Leeds City Council never fails to amaze me. The Licensing Committee are going to meet The Police Commissioner ‘after concerns were raised about rising levels of crime and disorder in Leeds city centre in the evenings’. Leeds is a city centre area were almost any building not operating as a shop becomes a pub or bar, where you can drink freely for 20 a day; where we see drunken people carried into bars and the doormen help them in. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to disorder and crime. How did the city centre come to descend into such chaos? How did it become a no-go area?

Licences in Leeds have been given out like sweets. It is evident that the drinking establishments cannot control themselves and that the council has issued more alcohol licences than the Police can patrol – who issues the licences? The Licensing Committee. The phrase ‘night time economy’ is a euphemism for a few people trousering shed loads of cash and the rest of us suffering the consequences.

Areas of the city centre ought to be subjected to a Cumulative Impact Policy, which restricts Licences. There is such a policy in Chapel Allerton – since it was established SEVEN more licences have been awarded – by the Licensing Committee. Hopefully Mark Burns Williamson will point out that the situation has been created by the Council – why should the police mop it up?

Elland Road station would be an own goal

J Peckham, Cross Flatts Grove,Leeds

Peter Ladle’s suggestion for a train station near Elland Road is nothing new but would unfortunately be more idealistic than practical.

Elland Road is not on the same route as the proposed White Rose Centre Station. Peter has already conceded that it would only be used fortnightly, which to be more accurate is just 23 League matches, plus a few not so well attended cup ties over nine months. I doubt that many fans would really be bothered and surely their preference is (a) by car from home or (b) by coach as an organised group. Remember too that the railway near Elland Rd is at least 20 feet above street level so construction costs would literally be steep.

This also happens to be the main inter-city route both to London and Birmingham with well used long trains, so taking into account station ‘dwell time’ there simply would not be the capacity for match-day shuttles even if spare trains existed,. The Council’s three proposals all have potential to be well used year round but an airport station has to be at LBIA and not just north of Horsforth Station. Surely the altitude issue can be overcome?

Where there’s a will there’s a way!

Sharing TV faves with PM!

DAvid Gibbs, Savile Road, Leeds

I HAVE just purchased the annual Radio Times Christmas double issue and strangely enough I read something in it that shocked me to the core.In an interview with prime minister Theresa May she reveals that her favorite tv shows as a child were The Avengers with Diana Rigg and The Adventures of Robin Hood with Richard Green.

Both of which were my favorites also.

I was amazed at such a coincidence.

Whatever next I asked myself? Am I to discover perhaps that Margaret Thatcher was a huge Elvis Presley fan as I have always been. It was bad enough when I read recently that Jeremy Corbyn is indeed an Elvis fan.What is the world coming to?

No surprise at another hit

A Hague, Bellbrooke Grove, Harehills, Leeds

IT did not surprise me to read of a female cyclist in hospital after being knocked off her bike by a car crossing the cycle lane, and a pedestrian at a bus stop.

The latter one would have been avoided if cycle lane was on the inside lane.

Better still to have them where they were at the edge of the road with just a yellow line causing no problems for anyone.

Help for Leeds families

Richard Harker, The Cross

As we approach the Christmas season, a time when many families are struggling financially, I’m supporting The Children’s Society campaign to protect the estimated 24100 children living in problem debt in Leeds.

Children living in families in problem debt are five times more likely to be unhappy than children in families without debt troubles. That’s why we’re calling on the Government to introduce a ‘Breathing Space’ scheme - to give parents time to get their finances back in order and repay their debts in a safe and affordable way.

Too often families fall into debt because of unexpected life events. They need time and space to get their finances back on track to repay their debts, rather than being chased by bailiffs and having fees and charges added, pushing them ever deeper into a perpetual cycle of debt.

At a time when some families are being forced to cut back on essentials like food and heating, we need our politicians to get behind this campaign to help protect families in Leeds from falling further into the debt trap.

A Happy New Year for some

Terry Maunder, Kirkstall

I HAVE just witnessed Jeremy Corbyn wishing all members of The House Of Commons a “happy and prosperous New Year”.

Leaving aside the anomaly of him using the word “prosperous” as a measurement of, presumably, success, I have no doubt that, having seen the published expenses claims of those Tory MP’s who tried to cut Disability Benefits earlier this year, it will indeed be VERY prosperous.

Time to start playing hard

Terry Watson, Adel

Why is our Government even considering paying a fee for access to the single market?

The single market is open to all advanced economies in exchange for paying a tariff of three or four per-cent, something that does not stop non EU countries from selling within it. Membership means free movement of goods, people, services and capital from one EU member to another - which we do not want.

If we pay to stay in the single market, we will be worse off than ever. We will still be strangled by all the red tape which costs us billions but will have no say in anything.

The Prime Minister should now make it clear to the EU that we want a trade only agreement with tariffs for both Britain and Europe. A zero tariff is the obvious and the EU would be foolish not to accept it. They export far more to us than we do to them, and we have had a trade deficit every year since we were conned into joining.

Theresa May should stop pussyfooting around trying to be popular with everyone and get on with a hard Brexit now.

Honesty over country’s state

Jaimes Lewis Moran, by email

It seems like the culture of politicians silencing people’s genuine concerns over immigration, homelessness and housing shortages is reaching a critical mass. If anything, by doing this it ‘unashamedly’ lets people’s valid points increase and their concerns grow, whilst this toxic division in society gets much worse.

It’s time politicians in West minister put aside their pride and admit they as a Government and representatives “have done things wrong’ because only by admitting there’s a problem can steps finally be taken to ‘fix’ the sorry state of Britain, and quite frankly enough time-wasting has been done!

No festive cheer from East End!

Jennifer Bookbinder, Cottingley Gardens, Leeds

I READ in the Yorkshire Evening Post that Eastenders is to have a “depression” theme for its Christmas episodes. How apt for the festive season! As Eastenders seems to focus on depression for most of the year, I guess there is really little change.

School days were happiest

A Hague, Bellbrooke Grove, Haverhills

Jayne Dawson’s article on a school reunion brought back memories for me. I had a chance for one about 25 years ago but was too ill to go that week. I have long hoped for a reunion, although many are not with us anymore and it’s a bonus to reach 80. I doubt if I will ever get a second chance.

I rated schooldays as the happiest days of our lives.