‘Green’ transport, sectarianism, bankers’ bonuses, and public toilets are all on the agenda at the start of the Courier letters week.
False economy in dash for ‘green’ transport
Sir,-A report to go before a Dundee City Council committee tonight is recommending the purchase of four electric cars to replace ageing diesel vans. Committee convener, Councillor Jimmy Black, claims the running and maintenance costs will be low.
The overall expense, however, will not prove to be sound housekeeping. The cost of the cars to the taxpayer will total £96,853, whether from local or national funds.
There is then the cost of replacing the batteries when they wear out. That is, according to all reports, extremely high.
The committee claims a saving of £12,000 a year over the cost of running the old diesel vans. I do not see it. The initial cost alone of each car is £24,213. An equivalent conventional car would cost nothing like that.
The difference in cost has to be recouped before councillors can speak about savings, then they have to budget for replacement batteries.
I should dearly love to go green and buy an electric car for local use but the project is just not feasible.
Then, of course, I am just spending my own money and not other people’s money.
George K. McMillan.5 Mount Tabor Avenue,Perth.
Taxpayers pick up tab for cars
Sir,-Angus Council is to use government cash to lease two electric cars and buy a road sweeper which officials say will cut CO2 emissions by an extra six tonnes a year and help the council move towards targets set down under climate change legislation.
Neighbourhood services convener Jim Millar commented that, “It’s a great opportunity to pilot these vehicles at Scottish Government expense.”
I am sure he is aware that most governments get the majority of their revenue through taxation of the people. It is they, therefore, who will be picking up the tab for this scheme.
Perhaps he should have said, “It’s a great opportunity to pilot these vehicles at Scottish and even UK taxpayers’ expense.”
In all this gearing up to go greener with electric cars in its transport fleet, where does Angus Council plan to get the recharge electricity for these vehicles so that they are not tapping into fossil fuel generation?
Neil McKinnon.Tulchan Garden,Glenalmond,Perth.
Religion at root of hatred
Sir,-The decision by the Scottish Government to give taxpayers’ money to anti-sectarian charities is a waste. The people who are primarily responsible for sectarianism are the churches and both halves of the Old Firm.
It is these organisations who should be giving money to the anti-sectarian charities. The Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland pay no tax yet exert an enormous amount of power.
The Catholic Church gets hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds to pay for their schools. These institutions foster a mindset of division.
The gorilla in the room is religion. Alex Salmond and the rest within Holyrood won’t face up to the fact religion is the cause of the problem of sectarianism.
It is the equivalent of trying to treat a cancer patient without attacking the cancer.
Alan Hinnrichs.2 Gillespie Terrace,Dundee.
Obscenity of latest bonuses
Sir,-At best, Barclays chief Bob Diamond’s description of senior executives’ multi-million pound pay deals as being good for Britain is disingenuous.
It is, however, a further example of how people in similar positions are out of touch with factors affecting the public. For anyone to suggest these payments are in Britain’s interest is surely divorced from social morality.
Our servicemen and women, some of whom put their lives on the line daily, nurses, school teachers and police officers will be lucky to realise a pay packet of that size in a lifetime, let alone in a year.
The government must act to curb this excess.
Ron Connelly.43 Morlich Road,Dalgety Bay.
Aberfeldy loo-ses out
Sir,-When Perth and Kinross Council decided to set up comfort schemes to eventually replace all traditional public toilets, they spoke highly of the positive results in the Highland Council area.
More recently, Highland have decided to go down the attended route.
The Aberfeldy unattended toilet at Burnside was subjected to vandalism and closed as soon as the council had achieved the minimum requirement of four comfort schemes.
It just so happened that two of these private businesses each had just a single loo also they were closest to the coach park.
Just imagine a coach load of elderly people having to queue for a single loo.
How much time does this take from their limited time in Aberfeldy and how many fewer shops can they visit?
The other two comfort schemes were council controlled the leisure centre and the putting green.
Were these chosen to make up the overall requirement of four?
Aberfeldy has lost much of its vital coach tourism, partly due to many coaches now parking near The Black Watch Memorial, to use the more suitable putting green toilets.
These visitors just see the memorial and Wade’s Bridge, with no chance of buying anything from our shops in the town centre.
Mike Turner.7 Wade Place,Aberfeldy.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.