YEP Letters November 17

We have already had a people’s vote

Martin J Phillips, Leeds 16

I agree with your contributor Anthony Gledhill (YEP Letters November 14) that readers should write to their MP regarding Brexit.

Anyone who truly believes in democracy should write to their MP to remind him/her that we have already had a “People’s Vote” on Brexit in 2016 and the majority voted to leave the EU. Any MP that does not accept this result should resign.

More than £50m to be spent on new housing

Leeds City Council looks set to invest more than £50m in new council houses. Plans to invest heavily in 358 new houses across the city will be put to decision-makers next week following a relaxing of government rules on borrowing to fund housebuilding. The authority hopes to have the homes finished by 2021 and claims it is already looking at future sites to build further social housing. It follows recent news that the government lifted limits on the amounts councils could borrow from its housing revenue account (HRA) to help fund the building of homes in areas of high need. The total cost of the scheme is expected to be £54.8m. Of this £38m would be borrowed from the HRA £6.3m would come in the form of a grant from Homes England while £10.4m would come from money the council made through right to buy sales of council houses. We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some of them said on social media..

Rebecca Hunt

I’m a single mum, 30 years old, worked since I was 16 and I am now a newly qualified nurse. I live in a council flat in a lovely area and I am so grateful. However I do still dream of buying a house with a garden for my little one, most likely will never be able to do this, just couldn’t afford to. But it just annoys me when I see beautiful new build homes, with a percentage going to people who do not even work. Where is the justice?

Paul Denton Jr.

Yeah because I am sure there’s only 358 people on the list,that won’t even scratch the surface.

Alika Beth Innocent

All well and good but I bet 300 of them will be two bedroom houses when there’s a bigger need for three beds.

Nararjan Singh Panesar

£154,000 per house! Proper management could probably double that number to 700 homes for £55 million.

Patricia Gregory

What’s the point of building more if the ‘right to buy’ is still in place? Once they are sold at a massive discount to the tenant, many are then sold on to private landlords, who charge exorbitant rents.

So it ends up a good deal for the few, and those still needing a home are forced to rent privately, without any chance of buying.

Craig Morley

Wasn’t it only a few years ago they were selling them off for peanuts? Now they want to build more.

Teresa Harrison

It would be cheaper for the council to buy houses from private sellers / auctions. Houses that are already built!

Si Wright

358 houses. Is that all £55m gets you?

Michael Taylor

A small number of homes to be let at a massive subsidy for a small number of people; paid for by a greater number of people who may be being crippled by their mortgage. The answer is not the state building spats of houses here and there; the answer is to liberalise planning laws so that supply is finally allowed to meet demand.

Steve Ward

It would be cheaper to buy up run down houses and do them up. Poor value again from a Labour council.

Linda Chadwick

Don’t sell them keep them for social housing please.

Leanne Brown

£50 million isn’t that much at all, with regards to housing and where exactly are they going to be?

Thousands of people have signed a petition over fears a West Yorkshire school’s plans to replace rugby league with rugby union.Parents raised concerns that PE classes for pupils at Featherstone Academy were being switched for union in a break with tradition opposed by the nearly 2500 people who signed the petition. We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some of them said on social media..

Garry Walton

Part of Yorkshire’s heritage. It’s what has made Yorkshire a true county apart from an also ran.

Joanna Pedder

Seems like once again, academies are detaching schools from their social and historical roots.

Martin Birm Birmingham

It’s an unfortunate fact of life, but RL is being left behind in today’s big window of things.

Some of English RL’s greatest entertainers once came from top RU and top ARL players who wanted to be part of the show we had pre 1995. Now it’s the other way round, all our top boys aspire to be in RU or the NRL.

If LUFC rise again and do well then RL’s media coverage is halved in the area.

Martyn Allatt

More importantly what do the kids want to play? Why can’t the school coach aspects of both in PE and separately coach the team in what they compete.

Ryan Randall

We played both at my old school inter school games were union any other was league.

Darren Precious

Should do both but league is the greatest game.

Mikey Ell

Why not do both?