PLEASE keep your letters to 250 words maximum giving your name, address and daytime telephone number - even on emails. Email: letters@swindonadvertiser.co.uk. Write: Swindon Advertiser, 100 Victoria Road, Swindon, SN1 3BE. Phone: 01793 501806.

Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

System not helping

ACCORDING to our town’s MPs, claimants think Universal Credit is an improved system on the past.

So why are we seeing no letters from claimants confirming this? Of those I know, everyone thinks its worse.

As far as I understand it, if you lose your job you have to wait six weeks before getting benefit. Indeed, if you have any savings you are likely to get less than the standard allowance of £317.82 a month, barely enough to survive on. Before there was a six month period, if you did have savings you could still claim.

Now, if you are offered a temporary job for a month, what is the incentive to take it, given you will have to wait another six weeks before claiming again after the month’s employment. Where is the incentive to work there?

As everyone knows a lot of jobs nowadays are temporary or part time. The government should be encouraging people to get into work, not making it tough for them to do so, especially as temporary jobs can lead to full time ones.

At present the unemployment rate isn’t too bad, but I’m very worried what will happen in the next recession. There is bound to be an increase in homelessness, as landlords won’t be patient with tenants.

And why should people who do the right thing and save, to be rewarded with less or no benefit at all? This new system is purely designed to save money, not help people get back into work.

Jonathan Sheldrake, Priam House, Rodbourne

Happy memories

Each year when the Swindon Musical Festival is on it brings back memories of when I participated.

Under the heading of Swindon Methodist Musical Festival, on April 21 1951 I was awarded 82 marks in the Piano Solo (12-14 years), and on November 11 1952 under the heading of Swindon Musical Festival I was awarded 84 marks for my Piano Solo (12-13 years) and a Piano Duet with Heather Wheeler awarded 85 marks (12-13 years). Pleased to hear the festival is still going strong, with many youngsters taking part.

Eileen Oliver (nee Miller), Swindon

Why wait so long?

I often wonder why the police bother putting out appeals for witnesses so long after a crime has occurred. The latest one was in today’s online edition (March 19) asking for witnesses to a mugging/phone robbery of a 14-year-old boy in North Swindon that happened on February 15.

Why wait a month? What is the point of asking people more than four weeks after it happened? Most people struggle to remember things from three days ago, let alone a month.

As well as the delay in putting the story out, they have included the helpful information that it was ‘two males’ responsible for the assault who then threw the phone down before running away. Super. No description. No clothing identified. Were they white, black or Asian? Did they have unusual accents? We’re they wearing anything conspicuous? Tattoos? Jewellery? So all we know is that two males mugged someone a month ago and ran off. That should narrow it down. I doubt even Sherlock Holmes could solve this one. 

Roger Lack, North Swindon