YEP Letters: December 16

Check out today's YEP letters

Chilling bias shows in the snow

Geoff North, Leeds.

Once again we are seeing the bias of the BBC in reporting snow in the south and London.

For a change, the South and West have had a relatively small amount of snow, and it is a major disaster that has topped the news headlines.

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If the same amount of snow had just fallen on Yorkshire and the North of England, it would probably have received only a brief mention in the national weather forecast.

Steel City has right idea on transport

Mr G A Hall, Alwoodley.

A Tale of Two Cities? No, not the novel by Dickens, but it could apply to Leeds and its South Yorkshire neighbour Sheffield.

Leeds struggles with transport issues and poor road and pavement surfaces.

Sheffield seems to have a clear-cut strategy on roads and transport, now and in the future.

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Its ‘Streets Ahead’ scheme has over the last five years resurfaced most roads and pavements, repaired bridges and upgraded street lights.

This is paid for through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), costing £2bn.

Sheffield also has an expanding modern tram network, with a soon-to-open tram-train system to Rotherham.

May I suggest that Leeds City Council and local MPs liaise with our friends in Sheffield and the Government to see if some of their ideas would work for us Loiners?

Elderly rely on good economy

R Hartley, Leeds.

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L Schofield (YEP Letters, December 13) asks what the Tories have ever done for the pensioners?

How about keeping the country from total bankruptcy after a Labour government left with a note to say there wasn’t any money in the till?

What about creating the means for business to create more jobs?

Or does L Schofield think that the Government’s money grows on trees?

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It is hardworking taxpayers’ money and if the economy isn’t working, then there is no cash to spend.

Try to be more inspirational

Jaimes Lewis Moran, Member of Leeds Green Party

I’ve been reading a book from 1984 by Jeremy Seabrook called The Idea of Neighbourhood.

Even after all these years its genuine look at council estates, the struggles of residents and the values of incremental community change still hold true.

It talks about cutting through excessive red tape, in finding immediate solutions to the small things that blight us (bus stop benches, excessive litter, housing repairs etc) but most of all that we shouldn’t devalue people’s aspirations for themselves and the development of their neighbourhood.

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However above all the main point is this, that unless people take true ownership, collaborate more and use organised action nothing much will change.

Curiously enough, I’ve found that when projects are started in areas with pretty much nothing else these tend to take root and have more impact on a community (LS14 Trust, Chapel-FM, Cross Green Community/Allotment group etc). Either way, try to be more inspirational!

Don’t forget the traditional jazz

Michael Meadowcroft, via email

You had a very welcome piece on Leeds as a “buzzing jazz city” (YEP, December 13).

It was good to see so many jazz venues publicised. However, there was one notable omission. There is also the Leeds Jazz Club which functions from 8pm every Tuesday at the Armley Conservative Club in Armley Ridge Road. It caters for those who enjoy traditional jazz.

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The Leeds jazz world is very broad and we need to include as many styles as possible.

Politicians and demise of common sense

D Angood, by email

in response to the letter from Mr Mercer (YEP, December 14) and his comments about politicians and their failure to see common sense.

It is a fact that political correctness has sentenced common sense to death and the politicians are the main culprits.

They are not blind to it, they just choose to completely ignore that it exists anymore, one only has to look at some of the regulations that have been enforced upon society to realise that. There have been innumerable missives on the subject decrying the demise of common sense but unfortunately our elected representatives have failed to take notice.

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Hence the despair felt by so many of the electorate who know just how common sense works and are mystified by all the incomprehensible waffle that political correctness exudes.

Keeping seat on gravy train?

Judy Goodwin, Altofts

Mrs May losing the Brexit vote in Parliament shows how far politicians are willing to go to retain their seat on the EU gravy train. It’s a pity they were not as belligerent over the years when different governments handed over swathes of powers to unelected bureaucrats in the EU.