Sir, – Can I begin by congratulating Mr Robert Alexander on his letter “Angus Council’s neglect of iconic buildings” (The Courier, February 3) drawing attention to the neglect of these buildings within Angus.
Firstly, I’d like to ask how can the council sell a property like the historic Traill Pavilion, which Mr Alexander referred to, and which was a gift to Montrose?
The neglect of cemeteries is also a matter which Angus Council appears to be implicated in.
The Sleepyhillock Cemetery at Montrose is a glaring example.
When Mr R Craig was the superintendent of cemeteries it was maintained to an excellent standard.
So much so that Mr Craig was often congratulated for the quality of his work.
However, since he retired the cemetery has been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that it can only be described as shocking.
The main driveway is full of potholes, which have been repaired by merely throwing pebbles into the cavities.
The gullies are often chocked, leading to flooding.
Public toilets have also been removed.
Has it not occurred to the council that when people purchased lairs at the cemetery, they were also paying to have them maintained in perpetuity?
Mr Allan Murray.
44 Napier Road,
Glenrothes.
Case for the Leven rail link
Sir, – It was good to see the campaign for the Levenmouth rail link feature as a first item on the Scottish Budget on BBC Reporting Scotland.
It is widely accepted nationally that this project is first in line should there be any thaw in the long-running freeze on new rail enhancement schemes.
You have to go back around 12 years to the last time any new lines were approved.
However, the modest £2 million concession the Scottish Greens have extracted from the Government to carry such projects forward is probably of limited value to Levenmouth, which is already knee-deep in expensive consultant studies, including one currently being led by Transport Scotland.
What is really needed is an ounce of courage and vision by decision-makers to move ahead and stop hiding behind consultants and yet more reports.
There is really no doubt whatsoever of the merits of reinstating Levenmouth’s railway service. It would be to the benefit of the national network and especially of benefit to the local area.
There are, however, plenty of doubts surrounding the political will to make this happen.
Ken Maclagan.
2 Union Place,
Leven.
Leaflets didn’t go down well
Sir, – It was with some dismay and mounting incredulity that I read the latest Lib Dem leaflets stuffed through my letterbox.
One, seemingly a bin-collection calendar, contained a Willie Rennie-festooned Lib Dem electioneering message regarding the last general election, which placed the SNP just two votes ahead of the Lib Dems.
The MSP seems to believe that north east Fife is in the midst of an election campaign that only he knows about!
Secondly, I received the heavily-illustrated Focus on Tay Bridgehead newsletter where a third of the front page bore the same electioneering message.
Again, which campaign are we in? Far worse, an outright untruth was printed on the other side: according to the Lib Dems Fife Council has an “SNP-led administration”.
How very odd.
Fife Council website states: Council “will be run as a joint leadership with power shared equally between the SNP and Labour groups”.
It is solely a Lib Dem invention that this equates to an “SNP-led administration”. Such preoccupation with the SNP! It makes one wonder whether the Lib Dems have any other message or ideas – and rather confirms the success of the SNP in north east Fife.
Dr A. Grosjean.
6 Sandyhill Road,
Tayport.
Shining a light on fire safety
Sir, – I write in response to Nadia Vidinova’s article, “Expert shines a light on ‘dim’ street lamps amid safety concerns” (The Courier, January 31), on ambient street lighting in Dundee.
Whilst Gary Langland’s observations on the reduced levels of street lighting posing a potential threat to the safety of women walking in the city after dark are commendable, there is another threat to public safety that I ask both him and Dundee Council to consider.
When new building plans are submitted to the appointed project fire officer for approval, a minimum level of lux (a scientific measurement of light) at external fire exits, external escape stairs, and routes to and at assembly points must be met.
These calculations can, and often do, take into consideration existing streetlight levels outside buildings to be occupied at night.
Furthermore, when Annual Fire Risk Assessments are being carried out on all business premises and public buildings, lux levels should also be tested.
Any reduction below the required minimum level will result in recommendations being made in the action plan of the report.
Indeed, this is the purpose of the assessment: to identify any threats to safety.
Although fire safety is not always enforceable retrospectively, as the building may have been fit for purpose when it was built (unless major alterations, change of use or major risks are identified), the inspecting officer can look at the reduced levels of lighting as an overall threat to occupants evacuating the premises in the event of fire.
I ask whether Dundee Council has considered this and any repercussions it may have on individual business owners not aware of the reduced protection and possible cost of upgrading their emergency lighting systems?
Alan Thomson.
24 North Balmossie St,
Broughty Ferry.
Is outsourcing a cheaper option?
Sir, – The most striking thing in your report (“Councillor slams education chiefs over ‘junket’ at Fife hotel”, February 2 ) is not that it is a luxury hotel hired at a time of increasingly painful cuts to Fife Council spending.
It’s that Fife Council justifies its choice of venue on cost grounds.
Apparently, the luxury hotel “proves to be better value for money than the cost of using council facilities”.
How many other organisers of functions and users of facilities, both within Fife Council and outwith, bypass council facilities because better and cheaper options exist elsewhere?
It’s high time there was some joined-up thinking in Fife Council’s administration.
How much money could it save if it outsourced all services and closed down all facilities which the private sector can provide more cheaply and to a higher standard?
Enough money, perhaps, to reduce class sizes, satisfy the need for social care, fix the roads and keep libraries open?
Councillor Linda Holt.
Dreel House,
Pittenweem.
Disrespect for war sacrifices
Sir, – I note with dismay the vandalism at Kirkcaldy war memorial (“Anger after vandals strike at Kirkcaldy war memorial”, The Courier, February 2).
I am afraid the Cowdenbeath Memorial suffers the same disrespect.
I visited to find the wreaths had been used as frisbees and one was even lodged in a tree.
The memorial is up a steep hill, and is not a general thoroughfare. It is not overlooked by any housing and there is a fair amount of litter about. It is a statement of the times that these wars for our freedom mean nothing to some youngsters.
Leslie Mitchell.
3 Craigluscar Court,
Dunfermline.
