Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir,-I was aghast at the revelations Jon Snow made in the Dispatches TV programme regarding private house-letting. It was called Landlords from Hell.
It is a concern the Labour government failed to address and one that the coalition government places at the feet of local authorities rather than dealing with themselves.
Given so much housing benefit is paid out to these landlords, and that some of the properties they own are in such a state of disrepair as to command a much smaller value on the open market, compulsorily purchasing them may make both moral and economic sense.
The roads department of any local authority already has the power of compulsory purchase where it may intend to construct a new road or widen an existing one. Unfortunate owners of any houses standing in the way have no recourse but to sell at the pathetic value placed on them by the estates department of the relevant authority.
Let the law be even more draconian with the landlords from Hell. Let the coalition government enact a law that empowers councils to dispossess erring landlords of their ill-gotten gains, and part-fund it with the considerable savings in housing benefit.
Let them for once admit that Lady Thatcher’s assault on council housing was misplaced and has only resulted in the displaced being at the mercy of unscrupulous.
Leslie Milligan.18b Myrtlehall Gardens,Dundee.
Shocked about petitions
Sir,-I refer to the letter (June 5) from Councillor Peter Barrett in which he writes that my “narrow technical analysis sadly misses the point.”
In my previous letter I stated that Perth and Kinross Council treats all petitions as one objection. This was confirmed in correspondence between MSP Roseanna Cunningham and the council.
This can hardly be described as narrow or technical as it is council policy. Councillor Barrett knows this, as such policies are made by elected members. I may add that I was as shocked as Ms Cunningham was to learn of this.
Councillor Barrett states that committee members are perfectly capable of assessing the weight of public opinion which a petition carries. I would argue that this is not the case, nor can it be, given the policy of the council.
A recent petition with over 400 signatures was put before the Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee and they in turn informed the presenter that the petition carried the weight of only one objection.
I sincerely hope that Councillor Barrett is not suggesting that certain committees are picking and choosing which petitions only count as one vote.
Councillor Barrett is quite correct in saying that everyone has the right to put their objections to the council about the incinerator.
What he omits is that only one objection per household will be counted.
Perth and Kinross are the only council in Scotland that has such an undemocratic policy.
I am in favour of petitions but, given the information as supplied by the council, filling in a petition is a waste of time and effort.
Stephen Windsor.The Holdings,Kinfauns.
State schools not Protestant
Sir,-In his letter (July 5), Tom Minogue mistakenly talks about “Protestant” schools.
In Scotland there are Roman Catholic denominational schools which were set up by Act of Parliament in 1918, and non-denominational state schools, one of which is King’s Road, Rosyth, to which he refers. There are no Protestant state schools in Scotland.
Robert N. Hutchison.2 Rosemount Crescent,Glenrothes.
What Labour needs to do
Sir,-Nobody can predict what reforms Labour has in mind for its Scottish party. But allowing an MP to become overall leader ought to be a non-starter.
Former Labour First Minister Henry McLeish says it is “unworkable” (July 5). It would be tantamount to political suicide.
The problem for the party is bad enough at the moment with Ed Miliband as the official leader. Just imagine the divisions the SNP could exploit if controversial proposals north of the border were fronted by a man or woman in Westminster.
Whoever was Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament would not just be forced to look meekly on. He or she could be made a laughing stock by the Scottish Government and other opposition parties.
Labour requires an autonomous leader who is an MSP. The Inverclyde by-election shows that it has an election machine which can be quite formidable. That needs to backed up by more polished public relations.
The party needs to show it has clear ideas about what form of home rule it prefers.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
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.