Sir, – If councillors and officials could see themselves responding to “hostile” questions about their self-directed largesse using taxpayers’ money to upgrade their headquarters in Perth, I am sure they would laugh.
This is “a key signal of this council’s commitment to our city,” said Deputy Provost Bob Band, adding references to his “great pride” in investing for the future, when financial constraints would have passed.
The total costs the councillors in charge admit to for their headquarters are upwards of £10 million, as you reported, including major restructuring of the building, “acoustics and manifestations, furniture, new walls, floors and ceilings”.
Along with scores of millions of pounds for extending Perth Theatre, closed already for several years and fancy extra sports facilities, Perth and Kinross Council wants to spend our money like there was no tomorrow.
At this time of huge national debts, decaying infrastructure and failing local businesses, voters must ask if those in political charge of the Fair City are showing their fitness for these responsibilities, given their lavish,perhaps laughably blinkered proposed spending of other people’s, our, money.
Would they not be howling against such spending if proposed by their opponents?
(Dr) Charles Wardrop. 111 Viewlands Road, West, Perth.
Shameful to close libraries
Sir, – Libraries were intended as repositories of wisdom for those of us who have a desire to learn about the world around us.
Those earlier benefactors, who created the reading rooms, theworkers’ educational institutes and libraries(as open facilities for communities) would, surely be scratchingtheir heads at thecrass decision by Fife Council to close 16libraries and to disregard the passionate responses of so many of theirconstituents.
I would like to know what 10 books (takenout on personal library tickets) each of those councillors wouldrecommend as having had an influence ontheir intellectualdevelopment.
Small does not mean inconsequential and each of these communities will feel a sense of loss at the disappearance of this kind of gathering place and extensions of learning facilities.
Schools are not the only way to gainknowledge.
This was a shameful decision by Fife Council.
Audrey Yeardley. Mews Cottage, Chalmers House, High Street East, Anstruther.
Value of British Empire ignored
Sir, – Newscaster Jon Snow takes issue with the “antediluvian” word empire.
Mr Snow’s distaste of all things concerning the British Empire seemsto have spread to histelevision presenterrelative Dan Snow.
Having listened to, and watched, Dan Snow knocking the British Empire on television,I was delighted atthe response to hissomewhat biased questions put to a teacherand pupils at a school in Kolkata in India, who were unanimous intheir praise for theBritish educational system, introduced by the empire.
Dan Snow appeared to ignore the fact that India has one of the world’s fastest-growingeconomies due, to a large extent, to that nation’s adoption and adaptation of all that was best of the British Empire.
Kenneth Miln. 22 Fothringham Drive, Monifieth.
Flawed housing need model
Sir, – Anyone confused by Dundee City Council director of planning Mike Galloway’sdistinction between the need and demand for social housing and his denial of need (December 11) might want to look at the mathematical model that has beenused to calculate Scottish housing needfor more than a decade.
This is based on some very questionable assumptions.
The first is thatpeople should only beeligible for social housing if buying or renting in the private sector would reduce their finances to benefit level.
The second is that itis acceptable to takeup to 10 years to findhomes for the backlogof people who are acknowledged to beinadequately housed.
With these strictcriteria, even whenthere is a waiting list of thousands, the model can say there are too many homes.
It is this model thathas been used to justify mass demolitions.
Sarah Glynn. 5b Broughty Ferry, Dundee.
Humility and open minds
Sir, – I am sorry that Colin Johnston (December 12) misunderstood my response to thearrogant self-assurance of a previous correspondent who had written about how “we allknow” that there is no afterlife.
It had been claimed that Christianity has been the cause of the world’s problems and I agreed that terrible things have been done in the name of Christianity (that is, through misunderstandings of Jesus’ teaching).
This is sadly true.
It is also true thatwe do not need any competition to discover whether more suffering has been caused byreligion or by atheism. Atheism would win hands down.
Our need is for a bit of humility that rejectssuch a closed-mind approach of “we all know” and is open tothe possibility that there are more things in heaven and earththan are dreamt of in apurely this-worldlyphilosophy.
David J Randall. Applehill Gardens, Wellbank.
We need clarity from NHS boss
Sir, – It was with a large degree of incredulity that I read the response by George Doherty, NHS Tayside’s director of human resources, in your article (December 12) about a staff surveyindicating the potential serious exodus ofsignificant numbers of staff from NHS Tayside.
His apparent solution as quoted was: “We are refocusing our efforts on ensuring that everyone lives our core values and priorities.”
Perhaps he could explain exactly what this means and then how such an incomprehensible action will resolve the staffing problem?
GM Lindsay. Whinfield Gardens, Kinross.
Health service starved of cash
Sir, – Your news article that only 26% ofnurses feel thattheir department issufficiently staffed comes as no surprise to me (December 12).
Last week I attended Edinburgh RoyalInfirmary to undergo surgery and many ofthe staff there spoke openly about the stresses they were facing in their jobs.
The nurse who took me to theatre did so in her lunch break.
Another told meof how the closure of the Forth Road Bridge meant that, on top ofa 12-and-a-half-hour shift, she faced three or four hours of driving each day.
I saw a doctor offer to take casework off an overloaded specialist.
All this was in the space of a few hours.
On discharge I was asked to make an appointment with my GP practice within 72 hours.
On calling, I foundthat no appointment was available for two weeks and that I had to relyon goodwill to be seen.
This act of goodwill typified my experience.
Every member of NHS staff I met during my24 hours in hospital was absolutely dedicated to their job and willing togo the extra mile tohelp patients andcolleagues.
It is a real shame that we don’t have a government in Scotland that values the NHS in the same way.
In recent months they have asserted that their council tax freeze has been “fully funded” to the tune of around £500 million per year, while the Institute for Fiscal Studies and AuditScotland have stated clearly that the National Health Service is being underfunded by more than £300 million.
Government is about priorities and the SNP appear to think that a policy which benefits the richest most is more important than giving our NHS the resources it needs.
Dr Scott Arthur. 27 Buckstone Gardens, Edinburgh.