YEP Letters: July 18

Towpath is just ‘fast cycle track’

Martin J Phillips, Leeds 16

As a walker and cyclist I can empathise with Ivan Kovacks’ recent scary experience (YEP Leters July 11).

The very reason CityConnect (with the Canal & River Trust) layed tarmac on the canal towpath from Leeds to Rodley was purely to provide a fast cycle track for commuters to get in and out of Leeds on their road cycles.

In effect millions of pounds was spent to provide quick cycle access for an hour in the morning and an hour at night for just a couple of dozen people. For the remaining 16 hours-plus of daylight, this section of towpath is now hardly used.

Walkers, runners and cyclists had previously used this section of the canal as an off-road corridor for exercising.

Now it is no better than being on a road and people avoid it and those that can prefer instead to travel from Rodley in the opposite direction where the towpath is covered with ‘green’ material.

Call for a second EU referendum: your views..

Former education secretary Justine Greening has said there needs to be a second referendum on leaving the EU.She argued the final Brexit decision should be given back to the people and out of the hands of “deadlocked politicians”. She called for three options to be on the ballot paper: the Prime Minister’s Chequers deal or staying in the EU or a clean break from Europe with no deal. We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some of them said on social media..

John Kew

So why won’t a second referendum have the same division? Remain or leave,no change.

Mark Hinchliffe

So let me get this straight.... we voted to leave and now the country is in turmoil because of that so this MP says and she thinks another referendum will be a good idea. So if the vote came back to leave again wouldn’t the government be in the same place they are now just further down the road and more money wasted or do we keep going until remain wins?

Ann Dauny

This was always going to happen.

It’s caused by politicians interfering with the democratic vote to reverse it, and I find it a disgrace , who do these people think they are to disregard the will of the people?

We do not need another vote we have already done so. Just act on the result of it and stop trying to scupper it.

Keith Crispin

How many more referendums do we need?

We had one and leave the EU won. So get over it. To do it time and time again til Remain get what they want is not a democratic vote.

Kara Rhodes

I voted leave and will vote leave again if a second was to happen (but it won’t).

Mark Adams

Leave means leave.

Craig Farquharson

I’ll tell you now for 100% sure there will be no second referendum and for one good reason - they have absolutely no chance of overturning the first one and if they lose again it would have to be a hard Brexit due to the massive loss.

Richard Jackson

If our weak PM would stick to her manifesto she would not be in this position. She gives in to everyone but what do you expect from a remainer?

No more arguments just leave this stinking EU.

Murray Craigen

Hang on.It’s the remoaners who are calling for a second referendum because “they” didn’t know what they were voting for. So there’s no need for a second referendum if they now want to vote for Brexit in a new referendum.

7/10 Conservative seats voted for Brexit and 6/10 Labour seats the same. 405 out of 650 constituencies in all.

I have a suspicion looking at the Commons, it is they who don’t seem to grasp what their constituents voted for.

Rodney Thewlis

We are leaving so get used to it, in three years we will be Great Britain again.

Dan Clarke

But what do we gain from leaving the EU?

Steve Clowes

I’m not happy about 1066 Norman conquest. Fake result. Rematch. Stupid yes, but it’s the same as the whining Remoaners going on about the referendum.

Andy Byrne

Are you saying we should just respect the 1975 referendum result and forget the 2016 referendum on the EU?

Gary Smith

27.2% of the electorate did not vote, so the leaving the EU does not represent the majority and nor is that democracy.

Andy Chadwick

Highest turnout of any modern political vote in this country. So do none of the previous General Elections count?

What will Brexit mean for health protection?

Niall Dickson, co-chair, Brexit Health Alliance.

THE ambition of the Brexit White Paper is fine – but we await the execution.

Patients in the UK and Europe need to know that they will get their drugs on time, that vital medical research will not be disrupted and that they will continue to get the healthcare they need while on holiday or travelling for work.

These are not theoretical possibilities, they are real risks which can and must be resolved in the negotiations.

We have consistently called for assurances on all these matters and we welcome the Government’s clear ambition to deal with them.

We also welcome the commitment to maintaining the highest standards of health protection after the UK leaves the EU. Maximum co-operation to control infectious diseases and other public health threats is a ‘no-brainer’. But these are complex and wide-ranging negotiations and there is always a danger that health issues are not kept to the fore. We should be under no illusions of the consequences for patients if we fail to plan properly and do not reach a good agreement.

That could result in a significant threat to the 
health of both UK and EU citizens.

Planning is under way at the centre of Government, but it will be important for the sake of patients that NHS hospitals, clinics and community services are all prepared for every possible scenario.

Thank you from PDSA in Leeds

Rebecca Ashman, PDSA Vet

On behalf of vet charity, PDSA, which has a busy Pet Hospital in Hepton Court, York Road, Leeds, I would like to say a huge thank you to all local players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

We have received fantastic funding support from players this year, which is particularly special as we celebrate 100 years of saving pets and changing lives. It was on 17 November, 1917 that the charity’s founder, Maria Dickin, first set up a dispensary for sick animals of the poor in London’s East End. Over the following years our work spread in response to public demand and PDSA now operates 48 pet hospitals across the UK, supported by a national chain of around 120 charity shops, and a dedicated army of volunteers.

During our centenary year, funding from players is helping us deliver projects that prevent illness and disease, as well as educate pet owners and children on how to care for animals. So far this year we’ve:

· Educated over 40,000 school children through our PetWise Schools programme which promotes animal welfare

· Completed 191 school visits, equipping the next generation of pet owners with the skills they need to provide the five welfare needs for pets to be happy and healthy

· Carried out over 1,200 free PetWise MOTs on dogs through our PetCheck tour (averaging 21 pets a day) across 58 separate events, including visits to Harehills and Chapeltown in Leeds.

· Equipped 1,705 pet owners and visitors with general pet health advice through our PetCheck tour. Data from our 2018 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report shows that only 38% of pet owners are familiar with the Animal Welfare Acts which outline everything pets need to lead healthy and happy lives. Thanks to the national scale of our work, we are ideally placed to be able to support and educate not only our own clients, but also the wider pet owning public on all aspects of pet wellbeing. During the second half of our centenary year, and thanks to funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we will unveil a new PetWise on Tour vehicle; create an online digital pet health resource providing a wealth of information for pet owners; and further develop our PetWise Schools scheme to celebrate those schools which go one step further at championing pet welfare amongst their students. So much has already been achieved due to the fantastic support we’ve received thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery; but there is still much more to be done.

2018 marks a very special year for PDSA, and these projects help us to further our mission for a lifetime of wellbeing for every pet, whilst ensuring a long term legacy that will support thousands of pet owners in different ways.

Best wishes 
to Boycott

Peter Tummons, by email

I’D like to wish Geoffrey Boycott a speedy recovery following his heart surgery.

I assume he insisted on a local anaesthetic so that he was able to instruct the surgeon in how to execute a perfect cut.