YEP Letters: February 1

Memories of a great Pistols gig

Terry Maunder, Kirkstall

Good to see John Lydon get a name check in the YEP’s “birthday honours” on January 31.

There must be lots of people out there, including in Huddersfield, who saw The Sex Pistols at Huddersfield Ivanhoe’s Club on Christmas Day, 1977.

I was there. Two sets, the first for children of striking firefighters in the afternoon, the second in the evening for the general public.

There’s good footage in the film The Filth And The Fury and a number of “bootleg” CDs. One of the best five gigs I’ve been to.

Police are patrolling the streets

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner

Further to the letter from A Hague (YEP Letters January 30), government cuts of more than £140m to West Yorkshire Police’s budget since 2010 have had a huge impact (the loss of 2000 officers and staff).

I agree it’s not fair that our communities have to pay more to offset these cuts but we need to come together to ensure West Yorkshire has the resources it needs to keep communities safe and feeling safe.

West Yorkshire Police’s officers and staff put an incredible amount of effort, day in day out, into keeping us all safe and they are committed to the Neighbourhood Policing model. I assure you that there are officers and Police Community Support Officers patrolling the streets and they are contactable through a variety of methods including online, offline and in person.

However policing has changed, we have seen a rise in complex and demanding cases including cyber crime, child sexual exploitation and missing people enquiries and requiring a different kind of response, including more visible front-line officers.

My consultation on the policing budget has now closed however you can always contact my office via email [email protected] or by phone on 01924 294000 for more information.

Concern over pothole repairs

S Kavanagh, Morley

Wow, I read in the Yorkshire Evening Post, January 19, Leeds City Council’s (LCC) Coun Richard Lewis, Executive Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning for LCC, has found out how to report potholes in the Leeds road network to his own departments.

It appears he didn’t actually know how to report potholes until this year when he, his words, “fired up Google”. Many readers will have already been more than aware of the contact details but thanks anyway Coun Lewis, even though after the horse has bolted from the stable! Coun Lewis should be more than aware of the need for road repairs, and having already stated via a YEP article some months ago that it will require £100 million (an ever increasing figure) to complete repairs to our roads, it is now a little late to provide details for the public to report potholes.

Council vehicles, from varying departments, can be seen travelling the Leeds road network, with many more staff presumably driving unmarked vehicles, but do those staff members have a reporting system in operation within LCC?

We all know road repairs are botched at best and I have reported one particular road, Back Lane, Farnley, on more than one occasion for having a very poor road surface and wrong camber which, in icy conditions, will create danger on a certain bend, but what has happened to rectify the problem? In a word “nothing”.

That said, the council have started to re-lay the pavement in the very same location. Had LCC got their priorities right then the bend near to Cockers Farm could have been dealt with instead of a little used pavement which could have waited. Not having received any LCC feedback on my raised issues my hope is those responsible will deal with the long standing dangers of the short stretch of Back Lane for the safety of motorists and cyclists alike by rectification of the camber, resurfacing the road as well as pavement.

It is amazing how many pavement works are suddenly appearing and I have counted numerous while travelling around Leeds i.e. Farnley, Morley, Bramley, Stanningley to name but a few, yet little or nothing by way of much needed road repairs. Then, when roads do finally receive attention they are generally botched repairs, thereby requiring further works later.

Is opinion shifting?

James Kirk, Middleton

Reading John Cole’s letter ‘Brexit: opinion is shifting’ (YEP January 28), served as a timely reminder to take my grandkids to see La La Land.

Just what are the ‘Remainers’ continuing to fight against...democracy?

Let’s not for a moment leave aside the closeness of the vote Mr Cole. Why do you assume that works in your favour? If you truly believe in something, you vote for it! So why wasn’t there a massive majority in favour of remaining?

I would love to know where Mr Cole digs his statistics up from, (did he take a survey?) who are the hundreds of thousands who took the opportunity to waste their votes choosing ‘out’ thinking ‘out’ would never win.

That is the most ridiculous statement I have ever read on the subject of Brexit, right up there with his equally ridiculous claim that ‘polls’ show that opinion is shifting to ‘Remain’ and we all know how reliable they are!

According to Mr Cole the June 23rd result is a fragile peg on which to hang a constitutional change of historical magnitude.

‘Out’ means ‘out’ seems pretty solid to me. The right to vote as you see fit is one of a set of established principles that govern this state, and is in fact fundamental in electing governments to uphold the will of the people. Mr Cole then concludes his letter by stating 400 MPs voted ‘Remain’ The common people voted them in to their jobs, that doesn’t make them gods, so what is your point?

Finally it is all “hugely distracting nonsense” to him. Why does that not convince me of his passion on the historical magnitude of the subject.

Put Trump’s visit on hold

Kamran Hussain, Policy Chair: Yorkshire & The Humber Liberal Democrats

British citizens who have dual nationality with one of the seven Muslim countries, will be unable to enter America following the decision made by President Trump.

One such individual to be affected is Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawai, who was born in Iraq and whose sons study in the USA.

We therefore question Prime Minister May’s insistence that the ban was purely a matter for the United States. It is not and Theresa May has a responsibility to all British citizens to take this matter up with her new best friend now, making it clear that anyone with a British passport and a visa should be allowed safe passage. Britain should also put President Trump’s visit on hold until he stops banning people purely on grounds of their faith.

We understand the need, following Brexit, to build new trade deals, however, this Brexit Government must stop cosying up to unsavoury leaders. Across the world, including in America, politicians and people are standing up against President Trump’s attacks on Muslims and other minorities. We the Liberal Democrats stand shoulder to shoulder with these people.

RAF fundraising on the menu

Dame Barbara Windsor, on behalf of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund

I am always humbled when I hear stories about the men and women of the Royal Air Force and the sacrifices they have made.

Without their bravery we would not enjoy the freedom we have today, and I think it’s important that we do all that we can to thank them. That’s why I’m supporting the RAF Benevolent Fund and its Great British Sunday Lunch fundraiser, taking place across the country on Sunday 2 April.

The charity is calling on us to gather together over our much cherished Sunday lunch to raise funds for its important work, while celebrating and remembering all those who serve or have served in the RAF.

You can find out more and sign up to hold your own event at www.rafbf.org/gbsl.