YEP Letters: March 3

Road repair should be priority

Professor AC Roberts, by email

the announcement that Leeds City Council have approved a multi million pound plan to extend a super cycle highway which includes bringing it out to Morley takes some understanding.

No one should deny the absolute rights of cyclists to have equality on our roads with regard to safety and access. However the perilous state of our local roads is a disgrace.

Dangerous pot holes, sunken drain heads, many filled to the brim with debris, broken curb edges and pavements.

Would it not be logical and relevant at this time if Leeds City Council is under pressure to increase council tax and reduce basic services including highway maintenance, to use the stated multi million pounds suddenly available to give priority in making good our roads first?

A cycle lane could come later when funding improves, thereby improving the quality of life for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.

Dangers of handing over NHS records

Christine Hyde, Dewsbury

Anne Frank died in 1945 not because she had done anything wrong, but because of who she was.

In Nazi Germany, informants in civil society were ready to ‘tell’ the ‘authorities’ where people like her, were.

How worrying now, to find that our Government asked Leeds-based NHS Digital to ‘inform’ on addresses of ‘suspected’ illegal immigrants and it has agreed.

GPs when asked previously, refused to co-operate due to public health concerns.

No one condones illegal immigration, but those who bring them in, traffickers and slave masters, as we’ve seen prosecuted in Batley, should pay, not the public. Even discounting, which I don’t, that they may have suffered torture where they came from and be in dire need of health care, such immigrants may have serious communicable diseases.

If they or their handlers are afraid to get treatment for ailments, then we are all in grave danger and public health generally will be at risk.

If you also disagree write to the Secretary of State for the Home Office, Amber Rudd MP – email: [email protected], your own MP and NHS Digital,0300 303 5678 or [email protected], NHS Digital, 1 Trevelyan Square, Boar Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6AE

Homeless need compassion

Darren Walters, by email

I read with disappointment the letter from S&J Lewington (YEP February 27) about Leeds being overrun with rough sleepers and how the seeing rough sleepers will make the place look bad for visitors.

How dare the three people huddled together in a doorway presumably to just keep warm, mess up your city?

How dare they leave their sleeping bags in a doorway to keep dry for the never ending circle of another night’s sleep in the cold? These people are human beings and deserve compassion, what has the world come to when your first thought is to complain about them? My first thought is always are they warm, are they fed and can I do anything to try and help them?

Ignorant about mobility scooter

Peter Thorpe, Leeds 14

Why are some people so vile and ignorant when it comes to mobility scooters?

I was in Cross Gates on Tuesday morning on my scooter on Austhorpe Road path near the charity shops when someone passed me and muttered “(expletive deleted) menace them things.”

I called back that it was he who is the menace, no reply to that one.

Maybe one day this ignorant, selfish person might need mobility help such as a scooter to get around on.

Let’s calm down over Oscars

Edna Levi, Leeds

It is a wonder our Prime Minister has not addressed Parliament and Trump/the Senate regarding the terrible happening at the recent Oscar ceremony! What dastardly criminal handed over the wrong envelope?

Important matters need to be discussed in our country yet every day the first item on everyone of our news media has been inundated with this trivial matter.

It has now moved down the chain to perhaps third on the agenda but as all the celebrities have calmed down, so can we.

Driving and mobile phones

Ivan Kovacks, by email

I see the government has just changed the sanctions for people found guilty of talking on a mobile phone whilst driving.

These are up to £1000 fines and a doubling of penalty points to six for the offence.

I have attended a number of fatal road accidents, caused by drivers talking on phones and unfortunately it is not usually the offenders that died but another innocent driver or pedestrian. So I have seen the carnage that this offence can cause and fully support it.

However, the deterrent is the fear of being caught and as we know the chances of being caught are minimal, with a lack of police patrols.

And, as was mentioned in a recent article, this region has the highest number of drivers with over 12 points and still driving in the country.

I think there should be NO exceptions or excuses for a driver being allowed to drive with 12 penalty points or over.

NHS needs EU workers

Kamran Hussain, Yorkshire and Humber Liberal Democrats Brexit Spokesperson

Official figures released show that over 215,000 EU nationals work in health and social care with 59,000 EU nationals working directly for the NHS.

The NHS would collapse if we told all the doctors, nurses and other valued staff from other EU countries that they were no longer welcome here.

Not only would that be a slap in the face to those who have cared for and helped so many British people back to health, it would also seriously damage health care in this country and put the nation’s health at risk.

However, it is not only the NHS that would be damaged. The government has indicated it wants to build a vast number of extra homes.

How will it possibly deliver those targets if it turns its back on almost 10% of the country’s builders?

Other sectors that would be hit include manufacturing, which employs 311,000 foreign EU nationals (10% of the workforce) as well as accommodation and food services (243,000 EU workers, 14% of the workforce).

Sadly, it appears that the Conservative Government is trying to use families living in Britain as bargaining chips.

Not only is this an appalling way to treat people who contribute so much to the British economy and society, it is harming Britain’s negotiating position.

We therefore urge PM Theresa May and her Government to do the right thing and guarantee the right to remain for all EU citizens.

Target ovarian cancer in March

Sarah Greene, Target Ovarian Cancer Ambassador

My mother, the actress Marjie Lawrence, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer three weeks before she died.

It was too late for anything but palliative care. One in 50 women will develop ovarian cancer in their lifetime. Currently, less than a third of women are confident they know the four main symptoms, and earlier diagnosis could save thousands of lives.

That’s why Target Ovarian Cancer wants to Start Making Noise this March for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

The main symptoms of ovarian cancer are: tummy pain, persistent bloating, feeling full and needing to wee more.

I’m asking your readers to help save lives by joining us to Start Making Noise, spread the word about the symptoms and raise much-needed money to support women living with ovarian cancer in the UK.

There are loads of ways to make some noise: Bake Some Noise with a cake sale or coffee morning, The Big Colour Clash – join us on Friday 10 March and wear your loudest outfits in school or work for a donation, orchallenge yourself to tell 50 people about the symptoms and raise £50 .

We’ll send you everything you need – free balloons, symptoms leaflets, badges and wristbands. For full details call 020 7923 5474 or visit targetovariancancer.org.uk/March