Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, The free parking after 3pm in some council car parks is a welcome move in the right direction to encourage folk back into Perth town centre but why just in the run-up to Christmas and why just on a Thursday?
The recent Portas report has highlighted the plight of our town centres but it isn’t rocket science. Councils cannot keep giving planning permission to the large supermarkets and out-of-town centres with their acres of free parking and then scratch their heads wondering why the town centres are quiet.
All parking should be free all weekend, every weekend. It should apply to all council parking areas not just a select few when it thereby becomes too confusing finding a free place. When charges do apply, reprogramme the meters to give change and make prices more realistic how about 50p per half hour?
I wonder how much extra the council gets by not giving change, it’s almost like theft. If the excuse is too much trouble and counting then make all meters accept bank or credit cards.
I completed my thesis on the retail sector about six years ago and drew the same conclusions as Mary Portas. I don’t know what fee she charged the Government but they could have had a copy from me for nothing.Susan Morrison.Haddon Road,Perth.
Savings are there to be made
Sir, With reference to the report about Fife Council’s continuing search for economies in council affairs (December 15), I would like to know what the council has done about the 291 surplus-to-requirement management posts, identified by KPMG in their examination of the council’s staffing and organisation earlier this year? There are substantial savings to be made here.
Before opposition councillors start to criticise suggestions being made by the ruling parties, they should remember that they are largely responsible for the unwieldy, burgeoning management structure, along with its bureaucratic creation of, and adherence to, some quite ridiculous procedural functions, established during previous administrations.
With regards to ‘fat cat officials’ it is they, the elected councillors, who are responsible for employment levels and salaries. That is why we elect them. Excuses about ‘National agreements with CoSLA and unions’ find scant sympathy, in my opinion, with the public at large.
This salary problem could be eased somewhat, if all those ‘fat cats’ had their salaries increased to £150,001 per annum. This would bring them into the 50% tax rate giving a reasonable return to the exchequer and still leaving them with more than enough to live on; their pensions are in the process of being reviewed, and appropriate downward adjustments can be made.
Fife’s Chief executive has so far declined such a rise, beyond his current £149+K per annum. Surprise, surprise! Fife Council are far from being the only grossly overmanaged public body. The NHS, as a whole, is in my opinion, badly in need of a KPMG-type review, with urgent action being taken.
Managers will never make themselves redundant. It has to be done from outside.A. T. Geddie.68 Carleton Avenue.Glenrothes.
One thing they cannot change
Sir, The popular seasonal song containing the words ‘make the yuletide gay’ was running through my mind when I read the quote from T. S. Eliot in Wednesday’s Courier and I thought of all the other wonderful songs of the past which contain that little word which has now had a different meaning thrust upon it.
I am a gay, happy, light-hearted, fun-loving man who is married to a woman who is my wife and I am her husband. We have the same surname and we are known as Mr and Mrs, a typical married couple.
It seems that the word “marry” and its related words are also in danger of having their meaning changed against all reasonable understanding of the meaning of the word.
But one thing is certain. No legislation will ever enable a homosexual couple to bear a child and this is the ultimate purpose of the married relationship.John McCann.20 Brownhill Place,Dundee.
Why such a big deal?
Sir, I see from The Courier pages that our Members of Parliament are trying to get back aboard their expenses gravy train again, snouts poised for another delve into the trough.
I fail to understand why the claiming of legitimate expenses is such a contentious issue. For many years I worked for a top class Scottish company whose employees numbered close to a thousand.
Expenses for travel, accommodation and other items were regularly claimed by most personnel, but the company had strict rules. What could and could not be claimed for was clearly explained, limits for some items were established and no receipt . . . no expenses.
They stuck to the rules, too, so if one forgot to get a receipt kiss goodbye to being refunded. Not rocket science, and the whole expenses department was run by one person, who also had other work to do.
I cannot for the life of me understand why our Members of Parliament can not content themselves with such a system, unless of course they are getting greedy again and are desperate to have a system they can milk.(Captain) Ian F. McRae.17 Broomwell Gardens,Monikie.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.