Sir, I object and protest about the latest housing benefits cuts. Single persons living in two-bedroomed accommodation have not been allowed an alternative. This law is just targeting single people who do not have the option of downsizing to one-bedroomed accommodation.
I have Aspergers Syndrome and this gives me anxiety panic attacks to new situations and I feel that such anxiety is probably affecting many others who are being unfairly targeted.
There are few one-bedroomed residences for the many affected tenants to move to. I believe that this unjust targeting of vulnerable and financially restricted people is a violation of human rights.
Yet nobody seems to be interested in the situation, or to be concerned that people unemployed and having to depend on benefits and who are already struggling on a restricted budget, do not have the resources to deal with this demand on their finances.
Now there will be added anxiety due to the fact that they face being made homeless due to rent arrears.
With no single person accommodation available they face no option other than having to take a two-bedroomed residence again, putting them back in a situation they did not ask for under conditions they can not maintain. As I said, I protest against this benefit cut and wish for formal objections and petitions to be registered.
Scott M Gray. 13 E Hilltown Court, Dundee.
The value of a paid job
Sir, Controversy is brewing over the government’s work experience programmes following the court’s ruling that some of these back-to- work schemes amount to “forced labour”.
As has been shown, some people are being assigned pointless job placements, without any remuneration, in order to keep their benefits.
The Government says it wants to assist those who are serious about getting into work. But it also needs to show that it is serious about encouraging a work ethic and that surely includes instilling the principle that work has a value.
If we are to give people and particularly young people a meaningful work experience, it should be through a proper paid job. It does not need to be a permanent job, but one that genuinely gives the employee’s working life a kick-start.
The sense of reward that comes, in part, from being paid for your efforts is fundamentally important to anyone’s motivation to strive to do more.
I am delighted that there is a growing number of businesses who not only recognise this, but who are also prepared to give young people such an opportunity through a programme I’ve set up, called Hand Picked.
These employers have committed to giving a young person, who has struggled to find a job, three months paid employment and a chance to prove themselves.
At the end of the job they will be given a reference by the business owner and support in finding a permanent position.
For the young people who do not have standout CVs, it’s a way to increase their employment chances, while learning comprehensively what it means to have a job.
Gerard Eadie. Chairman, CR Smith Ltd, Gardeners Street, Dunfermline.
Fox cull won’t solve anything
Sir, Jenny Hjul’s response to the recent fox attack in Lewisham is as predictable as it is simplistic. While obviously shocking, a little perspective is required. A fox cull will prevent nothing. New foxes will simply move in to take their place.
To do nothing will not result in an explosion in baby fatalities as such incidents are rare. Statistically, children face more threats from their own families than foxes.
Preventing these tragedies would be a more sensible use of taxpayer’s money than wasting it on trapping animals drawn to us by our own lifestyles.
Alistair Wilson. 56 Seafield Road, Dundee.
Restore theold rail lines
Sir, Proposals for a high speed railway between London, Birmingham and beyond, with possibly a few stops on the way, might benefit a limited part of England, but would enough passengers be willing to pay higher fares to make these trains profitable in Britain?
Perhaps the money would be better spent restoring lines closed by Beeching.
This would benefit more passengers and enable goods to be transported to and from localities over a wider area, as well as reducing traffic on the roads and the risk of climate change.
There are added advantages: long-term employment even after the project is finished and the large expenditure would not be confined to England.
Malby Goodman. 70 High Street, Aberdour.
Lesser of two evils
Sir, Cheap burgers usually consist of lard, fat, pork rind, rusk, soya protein, sugar, stabilisers, salt, preservatives, yeast extract, carbohydrates and mechanically recovered meat.
Mechanically recovered meat is a paste produced by forcing head meat, chicken and pork under high pressure through a sieve to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue.
It is picturesquely referred to as “white slime” and with beef costing £3,000 a tonne and horse £750 I would rather have horse in my cheap burger than such loathsome rubbish.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.