Today’s letters to The Courier.
Raise qualifying age for winter fuel paymentsSir, The need to get fuel bills down could be literally a matter of life and death this winter. So I was pleased to see that Fife Council had bid successfully for more than half a million pounds from the Scottish Government’s Home Insulation Scheme for the Glenrothes area (October 10). This good news should not distract local politicians from focusing on the campaign to reduce fuel poverty. That is the reduction in this year’s winter fuel payment from £400 to £300 for the over 80s and from £250 to £200 for the over sixties. This flies in the face of the idea that everyone is entitled to a secure, warm home. There are frequent pleas that the WFP should be means-tested. Some people even argue that the money should be paid directly to the energy companies on behalf of the consumer. I don’t think either option is really practical. People’s circumstances can change quickly because of bereavement, break-down of relationships, even bad financial planning. Setting up an enormous bureaucracy to look at what people can actually afford would be costly and counter-productive. It is not too late for Chancellor George Osborne to rethink the proposal. But if the payment is not to be regarded as a sacred cow in these times of cutbacks, then at least more workable measures should be considered. The WFP should remain at the existing level for the over 80s. The qualifying age for the payment should be raised to 65 with a gradual increase to 70. That might be a more humane way to deal with a problem that will affect the health of families throughout Scotland. in the next decade.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.Make it one tug at each endSir, I do fully understand the UK government’s urgent need to cut public spending, so I can see the reasoning behind the removal of the two Coastguard emergency tugs in Scottish waters. As a mariner, I also feel that some basic emergency tug cover for the north of Scotland is imperative. There are actually four tugs, the other two covering the English coastline from the southern North Sea, through the English Channel and out to the western approaches. Are the tugs covering the English coastline also to be removed? I suspect not. If this is the case, would it not be more equitable to remove one tug from each end of the UK, leaving one to patrol the busy English Channel and the other to patrol the often dangerous northern Scottish seas.
(Capt) Ian F. McRae. 17 Broomwell Gardens,Monikie.Adamson had a fine recordSir, I note on page 14 of today’s Courier (October 8) you report that your files from 100 years ago show that the MP for West Fife at that time was William Anderson. This is incorrect as the MP was William Adamson. Between 1905 and his death in Dunfermline in 1936, Adamson was a councillor in Dunfermline, MP for West Fife, chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, Secretary for Scotland, Scottish Secretary and a privy councillor. From 1908 until his death he was also the secretary of the Fife, Kinross and Clackmannanshire Miners’ Association.
George Robertson,9 Juniper Grove,Dunfermline.Kingsway path ruins bikesSir, I would like to comment on the pathway which runs alongside the Kingsway in Dundee. With the way things are now, due to the price hikes in petrol and bus fares, I to cycle everywhere I go. What annoys me is the path is terrible for cycling on, with large potholes and roots from the trees bursting out the tarmac, causing a lot of damage to my bike. Is it not about time that the council rips the whole lot up and replaces it with a proper cycle path? I think that would get a lot of local people back on the saddle.
Irene Saunders.Baldovan Terrace,Dundee.Debating thrived at the MorganSir, I was interested to read of the resumption of debating at Morgan Academy (October 8). When, as Miss Elder, I began my teaching career at Morgan in the 1970s, debating was a popular activity, and inter-house debates were of a very high standard. Debating was a regular part of the English class; both junior and senior pupils took part in inter-school debates. The Literary and Debating Society – known to all as The Lit – which met on a Friday evening, offered a varied programme of debates, talks, concerts and plays; both Hamish Henderson and Mary Whitehouse proved to be popular speakers.
Helen Lawrenson.51 Bay Road,Wormit.Excessive number of managersSir, It is well known that Britain’s economic performance has steadily declined and that we as a people are grossly overtaxed. One of the reasons is that the management has grown compared to people on the factory floor. If that dead wood were cut away, the saving on public expenditure would be enormous. Most of the people involved have a pension pot that includes a lump sum which would be spent, leading to an enormous expansion of the economy.
Robert Lightband.Clepington Court,Dundee.
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.